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Odd and specific planting question

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:53 am
by LillyPilly
Hi. I’ve got a question that seems to be stumping normal gardeners, so I’m here to ask the specialists. My neighbour has a hedge of bamboo hard up against our dividing fence. I can’t remember what sort it is, but when I spotted the plant tag when it was planted about 7-8 years ago I wasn’t worried about the variety. It is a nicely behaved clumper, possibly gracilis? My problem is my prior existing citrus trees that are about 2-3 feet from the fence. One by one they are failing, I assume because they are shallow rooted and just can’t compete with the bamboo for food and drink. Deeper rooted trees have been able to compete just fine.

My plan to allow me to replant citrus where the previous trees sickened, is to put in raised beds. The beds I have available are 3 foot tall and 4 1/2 feet in diameter. There will be a gap of about 2-2 1/2 feet between the beds. Because the bamboo hedge only occasionally pops up a culm on my side of the fence, I assumed it would have little inclination to grow up through 3 feet of soil into the raised beds, especially since there will be a path of least resistance between the raised beds. Unfortunately, a few gardeners I know have told me that they think the bamboo WILL grow into these raised beds. I suspect that theirs might be a knee jerk reaction to bamboo in general.

So, bamboo enthusiasts, are the people who tell me to trench along the fence and put in a root barrier correct? Many thanks for any and all experience and/or opinion on my issue.

Re: Odd and specific planting question

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:04 pm
by dependable
If it is a running bamboo, you would need the trench and barrier. If it is in fact a clumping bamboo, you should be fine if the trees are not in completion with the roots. As you noted, the root mass on clumping bamboos dense and tight enough to out compete most anything it is in direct contact with.

Re: Odd and specific planting question

Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2020 3:04 am
by LillyPilly
dependable wrote:If it is a running bamboo, you would need the trench and barrier. If it is in fact a clumping bamboo, you should be fine if the trees are not in completion with the roots. As you noted, the root mass on clumping bamboos dense and tight enough to out compete most anything it is in direct contact with.
Thanks so much for your reply. It is definitely a clumping bamboo and not particularly rambunctious; I’ve only seen a few culms appear on my side of the fence and never at any distance from it.