How do you grow Bamboo?

Question

Do you need some kind of already grown bamboo to grow here in USA? (I live in Maryland near D.C.) Is it possible to grow One? How? What website gives infos. on how to grow one?

Answer 1

What kind of bamboo should I plant?
If you are a beginner you probably should try to find a bamboo nursery somewhere near you. A local nursery would be familiar with your climate and soil conditions. If you can’t find one, then you can contact one of the suppliers close to you, who are willing to ship bamboo, and ask for advice. Be sure to tell them your hottest and coldest days, what your soil is like and how much rain you get. Do you want plants for decoration, a wind break, a privacy screen, to prevent soil erosion or forage for animals? How tall would you like it to be? Do you have lots of land that you’d like to fill with bamboo or do you have a small plot and want it well-contained? Deciding this beforehand will help a nursery suggest an appropriate variety.

How do I take care of my bamboo?
Taking care of bamboo is easy. If it seems to be doing well enough without care, anything you add will be an improvement. Any fertilizer (but not weed-n-feed types) that is sold for grass would be appropriate, though manure from any animal, compost or fish fertilizer would be just fine. Many bamboo people recommend organic, slow-release formulas. Bamboo needs quite a bit of water so if you have a long dry spell during the summer and the leaves curl, it’s past time to water.
Some bamboos do better in full sun, others in full shade. If you know what variety of bamboo you have, you can check the ABS Species Source List for the bamboos Sun/Shade index.
Don’t remove the leaves that drop from the plant, it serves as mulch around the base of the plant. The leaves contain silica that the plant will need for future growth and it keeps down weeds.
Bamboo culms (stalks) reach their maximum height in the first growing season and then, each year after that, usually add branches, until the culm is five to seven years old. Then it should be thinned out of the grove. Use a fine-toothed saw for large-diameter bamboo or sharp clippers for smaller-diameter culms.
If you notice light colored splotches on the tops of the leaves and silvery spots on the bottom of the leaves, you have bamboo mites. These don’t kill the bamboo, but they do make it look less beautiful. There are insecticidal soaps, home-brew remedies and biological controls that bamboo people try. If the discoloration doesn’t bother you, don’t do anything.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECk: http://www.americanbamboo.org/GeneralInfoPages/PlantingAndCare.html

Answer 2

Uh..be very careful. Bamboo is EXTREMELY invasive and will take over your yard and your neighbors yard, soon the whole state of Maryland, then Virginia, Wash DC. Your bamboo will be worse than Al-Qaeda. But if you really want bamboo, ask a garden shop and landscaping expert - there are ways to controll it with deep cement moats burried underground to keep the root runners from spreading.

Or do you mean those cute little babmoo thingies in jars at the mall?

Answer 3

I just purchased bamboo in a pot & planted it before I read about it.A good nursery will have them & they're sooo easy to grow & are quite exotic.I punched in 'black bamboo' & got 2 hrs. of information.Good luck.