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When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:19 pm
by mountainbamboonut
Hello All, I've only grown bamboo for about 5 years so I lack the longterm experience many of you have.

This back acre of my property has a neighbor right against my properly line (their house is pictured.) Nice folks but looking forward to only seeing green foliage and not their home and RV.

I have about 30 bamboos planted in mounds back here but this area has only had bamboos in the ground for 10 months (they've only had one shooting season.)

Can with experience anyone tell me when this would possibly be a green screen so the fence, home and RV are covered? They are all Phyllos back here, a mix of black bamboo, decor, bissetti, yellow groove, vivax, golden (regular and koi) and megurochicku. Just a hodge podge. All get lots of summer water, horse manure, wood chips and almost full sun. I'm in zone 7 and for reference the average top of those bamboos pictured is probably only 7', the fence top (not including the lattice above it) is also 7' tall.

My rookie guess is maybe two more shooting seasons from now but I really don't have much of an idea. Thanks for your time and feedback! :santa:

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:54 pm
by needmore
I think you'll gain lots of ground next spring and then the one after as you suggest should do it.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 4:19 pm
by Cooper12
It will be full there pretty quickly. Looks like the start of a nice groove.
also on the positive you are a usda zone 8B or 9A there . Zone 7 would be over 5000 ft.
when you hear locally we are in a zone 7 people are referring to Sunset Zone 7 which is not the same as usda zones.
They are more localized zones as usda zones are so general and each usda zone carries cities that are nowhere near similar to each other. for example Atlanta Georgia and Reno Nevada are both zone 7. Now Reno is pretty much below freezing every night from late October thru April and has harsh dry winds and little precipitation. Atlanta has few days a year that would rival a day in Reno.
where I am we are a zone 8B mostly because its rarely in the teens at night however it freezes many to most nights from November thru April unless there is a storm that moderates the temps.

you may also want to plant Semiarundinaria fastuosa . it makes a great screen.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 4:50 pm
by mountainbamboonut
Thanks for the feedback guys.

Why is it that everyone use 'zone 7' even at nurseries everywhere etc.? It makes sense that using the USDA zone is more specific but common parlance is always 'zone 7.'

Also when reading nursery labels etc. don't they almost always use the sunset zone...If so then I wouldn't know how to 'translate' that into our zone 8/9 that you mention?

Appreciate the education on this it has always confused me. Where can I get that bamboo you mentioned that is a good screen here in the foothills?

Thanks again.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 4:58 pm
by needmore
Sunset zones are a CA thing. Plant labels anywhere else would use only USDA. I think I'm in Sunset z8, USDA z9. Thus far I have not found the Sunset zones to be helpful in any way so I tend to ignore them, maybe they'll make more sense to me in time.

Cooper has a great point though on the USDA zoning system, it too can not make sense in some cases such as his Reno/Atlanta. It is based soley on average lowest winter temps and there is much more to consider. I finally figured out at my place in IN that despite temperature ratings for Fargesia they frequently top killed for me and were not at all rewarding but I could grow Phy's to a nice size. Something locally environmental apparently.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 5:01 pm
by Cooper12
local growers will generally use the sunset zones I found. I think its due to how much local climate variation there is. I think Greg at Garden Garnish bamboo in Placerville has it. he shut down his nursery but said he'd probably still sell or trade with collectors. I also bet that Jesus at West County Bamboo in Santa Rosa would. He will ship too. I like that it gets a purple red tint on the culms in the sun in the late summer and into fall .

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 5:08 pm
by Cooper12
I like the sunset zones for the foothills as i would not even think of planting many usda 8 bamboos here . Same with plants in general. I would not plant many zone 8's
I have had issues with zone 8 clumpers with the exception of a few like Borinda boliana and fungosa . Papyifera seems ok . Sinobambusa does well though it burns a little.
surprisingly though Bambusa multiplex varieties do well though any shoot that starts after August aborts.
I will need to wait and see with a few Brad gave me as i have not really checking into the zones on those yet.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2017 5:09 pm
by Cooper12
are you near Pioneer or Pine Grove? Pioneer is like my zone and is usually much colder on clear nights than Pine Grove

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:43 am
by mountainbamboonut
Yep Pioneer, right at 3k feet. Probably exact same conditions as you it sounds.

Phyllos do great here and fargesia rufa is the only thing I've had success with other than that, and arrow seems to do awesome here too. (not from my 5 year experience but an old neighbor with a 25 year stand of hundreds of varieties. I've just copied what worked for him.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 8:18 pm
by Cooper12
my rufa do great in the shade but burned last year on the plants that got sun in the am till about 1-2pm. i am hopeful they just need to acclimate as i have them lining my driveway.

I think you would like the semiarundinaria also for me its pretty drought tolerant i think do to having a deeper rhizome system than my phyllostachys.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 5:03 am
by mountainbamboonut
Wow, semiarundinaria looks awesome, I had never seen it before. I may need to get some, looks like a sweet screen! How large is yours?

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:58 pm
by Cooper12
We moved here 16 months ago I planted 4 in a row about 8 ft apart to block my goat fence. They where planted last winter and shot some last spring. I expect much more growth this year. My tallest one maybe has a 10 ft shoot. I had a screen i had planted at my last place 6 ft apart. After two years some of the tops there had begun to touch and where about 12 ft

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 5:46 pm
by needmore
Jason, I don't have the S fastuosa so I can't compare but keep an eye on it and the Pl maculatus. I think they are different bamboo and the maculatus to me is more attractive but boy they look similar. The number of branches at the node are the primary difference I've seen - thus far anyway.

Re: When will this bamboo hide my neighbor?

Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 6:30 pm
by Cooper12
Maculatus is doing very well its probably 7x5 with at least 20 small shoots and it's in full sun. I expect it to really get some nice shoots as I have not divided it so there should be good rhizome energy and it has been top dressed with aged steer manure twice since we moved and fertilized 4 times. Twice with triple 16 granular and twice with tiger bloom/ Alaska liquid fertilizer from the hydroponic place down the road