Hello, I'm getting ready to plant some Golden Goddess Bamboo, and had a few questions.

The first being can I split this plant up into two or more separate plants? If so, how many? It's the only bamboo plant I could find at any of the local nurseries or Lowe's/Home Depot. Literally, it was the only bamboo plant for sale anywhere in town that I could find. I hope that's not a bad sign. I live in Ivins, Utah. Zone 8a.



Next, should I wait before I do it? I've researched a little bit, and it seems as though it shouldn't be split up while it's growing this time of year? Should I plant it whole, and split it up at a later date? When? Should I leave it in it's planter?

It's currently about seven feet tall, and looks healthy to me. I only worry because it's packed in the planter......but I guess that's just the way it grows.







I plan on putting it around my pool. There is an area of dirt between the pool concrete walk area, and the boulder/rock retaining wall that has some small plants/shrubs that are growing there right now.



















Ideally, I would like to have an entire screen of bamboo to shield the view into, and from the neighbor's yards. Having a raised pool puts you on "display". Now I realize that my pool is not in the best of condition.............well, let's just say I almost didn't buy this house because of this pool. I loved the yard, but hated the pool. Anyway............it turned out to make a great goldfish pond. I've got seventy five little goldfish in there. They eat the mosquitoes (if there are any here? I've never been bit, but it is in the desert) and there is nothing I do. I just watch the goldfish and throw a piece of bread in there once in a while. There's enough growing in there to keep them fed from what I've read about it. I know it doesn't look like much, but in the evening, it's really got a lagoon type effect when it's lit up. The fish swim around, and it's really tranquil feeling, just as it sits. I think that a fence of bamboo around it would just be fantastic looking. I might even add a working pump to the waterfall...................maybe, just maybe, I might even consider putting it back into commission as a real pool............but, probably not. Just wanted to explain, hahahahaha.

I'm certain that the first place it's going to start screening is the view with the motor home in the background, and it will migrate towards the house shielding me from my other neighbor who does a lot of entertaining. I'm not sure if I would want to wrap it completely around the pool, but at least half of it for sure.

Also, since it's a clumping bamboo, do the boulders, and block walls provide enough protection from the rhizomes? The area is raised about two feet above all of the other areas that surround it, so there is a two foot buried wall that circles the entire pool. Will the clumps raise the concrete walk that goes around the pool? How far should I plant the originals away from the concrete area that surrounds the pool?

Oh yeah, I want to trench a ditch in the path I would like the bamboo to spread if that's even possible with the clumping type. I thought to dig a 1' deep X 2' path for them to follow. The existing soil is a mix of sand and clay. Stuff grows in it, but I was hoping that providing a path of a generic plant soil from a nursery would speed things along, and help to control where it grows? Maybe the clumps always grow in circles?

I know there are places online to buy plants, but I wasn't quite comfortable doing that. I'd love to have it all grown in by tomorrow, but understand this will take a long time, especially if it's only with this one plant. I've got more time than money.....................and if it's going to take five years or more, so be it. Anything over 7' is going to make me happy, and as long as it keeps on living, I'm happy.

As a side note, I just ordered three bags of the giant black bamboo seeds from the guy on amazon.com. I called him and he said that the germination was pretty bad from what the customers had been saying, but I ordered anyway. He claims they're hardy to zone 8, which I am, but everything I've read online says 9 or above. I guess I'll see how many if any I get out of thirty seeds. Maybe I'll start a new thread from start to finish.

Wow! That was an overwhelming amount of questions. Sorry. Just pick one, haha.

What a view!

I don't grow the tropical clumpers (wrong climate) so can't give much advice there, but I wouldn't plant right next to the concrete -- leave a bit of room for growth. I'm pretty sure they won't lift the concrete, and almost certain you can't get them to spread in any specific direction -- that's why they're called "clumpers".

I'm also not sure if I'd divide that one before planting. Maybe in half, but I wouldn't go more than that. Just a feeling though.

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

Thanks,

Yeah, I guess there wouldn't be a point to running a trench for them, since they are just growing in clumps. Maybe if I had the running type, that would work better.

I was thinking of planting them about 2' out from concrete walk pad, and keeping a few of the plants that are already established up there alone. This makes me think of another question. There are a couple of areas that are sandwiched pretty tight with the dirt. Actually the main place I want to plant them is a little less than two feet wide. So, for example, if I were to plant that entire pot of bamboo in the main location I want it (to block the view of the cars/motor home/trailers parked behind my wall), would it be enough room once the clump starts expanding with new growth? If I planted it dead center, I would probably only have less than one foot left for expansion growth before it either went under the pool concrete, or hit part of the block wall that's buried.

I'm also trying to research the propagation method of burying the culms while still growing from the plant by staking them down, and or burying a cut culm in a trench. Should I avoid attempting these seemingly less invasive forms of propagation?

Oh, and I just found five gallon buckets of it for sale online for $50 shipped. It says they're 5' to 7' tall already. That seems reasonable to me since I paid $60 for the three gallon sized one that here. I bit the bullet (I have a ton of amazon points on my credit card) and bought five more of these just now. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009A ... =&v=glance

$195 shipped.......................................ughhhh. So much for patience............it just seemed like a reasonable deal. I'll post a picture of them when they get here. Which should be in about a week. I hope they're healthy.

Nice view indeed.

I don't have a lot of experience growing bamboo, but it is enough to tell you that waiting for bamboo to grow from small to big is agonizing. It is much better spending a bit more money to begin with and achieve the result you want faster, instead of waiting...4, 5 years?

Black bamboo is a runner and will certainly fill the space faster. Clumpers as you know doesn't run, and will need to be divided if you want it to go where you want. But, each time you divide the bamboo, it will need to time to recover, so your bamboo would be slower to upsize overall. The work around is to purchase a few more of those clumps to begin with and you're all set.

If I were you though, I would do some more research and really find the bamboo I want for the area and not be restricted to what's available at the local retail store. That is if you plan to keep that house for a long while.

Any of the Bambusa Mutiplexs should handle zone 8 and I would stick with the clumpers close to a pool. The runners could damage your pool with their rhizomes. The concrete around the pool will limit the growth of the clumpers and shouldn't damage the concrete or the pool. You can propagate the clumping varieties by burying a cut culm in compost, after removing most of the branches, and keep well watered.

Awesome! Thanks for the tips. It makes me feel better that you don't think the bamboo is going to blow up and destroy the pool......... even though, secretly, I wish it would!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha

I think I will try to cut a dozen or so culms (two off of each plant) and see if I can't get something growing from them.

The new plants are supposed to be here by Monday night.

As far as the type of bamboo, after researching, I really wanted, and still do, want the running type of black bamboo (Phyllostachys Nigra). The reality is that it's too tall, like most of the other bamboos, and I'm afraid of it getting out of hand, even with it surrounded by all of the concrete. I like this Golden Goddess because it doesn't get over fifteen feet high or so. I've read that it's easy to keep it looking tidy. I don't want to completely lose the view, and with this shorter bamboo, it shouldn't be a problem. It seems really hardy, and I really, really like the way my one plant is looking sitting by the pool right now.

The bamboo that I'm going to try to grow from seed is Giant Java Black Bamboo (Gigantochloa atroviolacea). It's a giant black clumping bamboo. I just bought it for fun. The nursery that I bought it from online says that it will grow in zone 8, but everything online says zone 9 or above. I've only lived here for two years, and I've never seen it get below 25F here that I can remember. My neighbors have told me that every once in a while it will drop below 0F!!!!!!!! Maybe I'll get lucky and have a few more warm years before the ice age kicks in.

Oh, this is the only reason I thought of bamboo in the first place.

A few of my neighbors are using it to screen in their homes, or their planting fields. I talked to one farmer, and he told me that the reduction in the wind is fantastic. He just planted another 1/2 mile or so around another one of his fields. He told me in a few years, you won't be able to see in. If you look in the background of the closeup picture, you can see he already has a huge mature screen around a couple of his other fields. The other picture is of a residential home? I think? Who knows what's behind it?

Anyone know what type of bamboo it is? I talked to him, and he told me I can have as much as I want, but he doesn't know the name of it, only that it's a clumper. I don't particularly care for it in my backyard, but it's effective, and seems to grow really well in the desert.

First remember they like watering you being in a desert area. Yes that pot looks like you could divide it into three seperate plants easaly. Golden goddess is a relatively cheap clumper on the online sites. Try doing cuttings with any culms you end up cutting off when you divide, a little rooting hormone and indirect light keep moist. If they take you should see results in a couple weeks.

Golden goddess is a good choice but you might check out the other B. multiplexes and maybe the Textilis for your area.
MarCat

Ah, and I thought I got a really good deal on my bamboo...............

haha, j/k. I hate to say it's a bit late for me to change my mind...........but it is. I'm committed to my choice, and as long as the heat, wind, and I don't kill them, I'll be happy, I'm sure.

That being said, I just looked at the month long weather forecast, and it's predicting 95F to 100F for the rest of the month. It will most likely be 100+F every day from the middle of June until the middle of September. I hope the bamboo is up to it.

Probably headed down to get some compost from the local nursery today to mix into the dirt that's existing.

Thanks for the confident words on splitting the plant up. I think I'm going to split each plant into two separate plants giving me a total of 12 separate plants to work with. I will also try to grow some of the cuttings as you (marcat) suggested.

This is probably irresponsible of me to say, but I'm not too worried about the water use. The month I filled my pool up with water last year my bill which starts at $85 regardless of my consumption, went to $95. Ten dollars to fill a pool from completely empty to full is quite reasonable to me. I'm single, wash clothes twice a month, shower a few times a week, and am on the low end of usage of water as far as I'm concerned. Watering the bamboo should be no problem. I certainly won't over water it, though. It's nice because there is already a drip irrigation line around the entire pool that I can tap into. Also, as an added benefit to my cesspool, errr I mean swimming pool, I go out a few times a week with a five gallon bucket, and hand water all of the trees and plants with the pool water. I figure it's got to be better than the chlorinated tap water that comes from the city. The bamboo will definitely be getting lots of water from the pool.



Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's begun. I'm still waiting for the other five plants, but I figured I'd get the one I got into the ground.

PLEASE TELL ME IF I SHOULDN'T HAVE CUT IT IN HALF THE WAY I DID!!!!!!! The vids I saw on youtube used a sawzall, so I figured this couldn't be much worse, but I'm not sure.




Assuming the other plants are of a similar size, I will cut them the same way. I started with the hacksaw, but finished with the back saw.

So far, very, very happy. All I'm asking for is one or two more feet of height, and it will be perfect.





and here it is planted.




and what the heck? a few more of some neighbors using bamboo for a privacy screen. Is it just me, or does it grow like corn? I actually thought it was when I first saw it growing, haha.

The ones that look like corn aren't actually bamboo, they look like Arundo donax, aka Giant Reed Grass, a pretty plant as well imo. There are also some beautiful variegated cultivars of it.

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Thank you.

After a google search, I totally agree.

I was really curious as to it's exact name. They grow so similar.

Thanks again.

With that many culms in a pot like that you probably couldn't have cut it in half any other way. I do look to see if there is a line to cut that has less culms coming out when I cut but that is just guess work as you end up cutting rhizomes anyway.
MarCat

It was brutal sawing it in half. It felt so wrong!!!!! I didn't even want to mess with trying to take a cutting I felt so bad after doing it!!!


So, I'm guessing that everything in town is the Giant Reed Grass. It makes sense since it seems to like this type of climate. I would guess that it all started with one house, and it all sourced out all over town from that one place? Just a guess.

It certainly has a "look" to it. I snapped a few more pictures of it last night.

After those last pics, I'm even more sure that corn-like plant is Arundo donax. It doesn't run but does propagate by tiny root fragments and stem cuttings, as is actually listed as an invasive species and is thus illegal to plant in several states, including yours, I think. Just a warning The main danger is planting it near waterways where the roots can break off into the moving water and then colonize downstream. Shouldn't be a spreading problem in drier areas, but there the issue is fire danger, due to old dead growth being highly combustible.

As I said, though, I love this plant Luckily my state is way behind on declaring invasive species

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.