Clumping Bamboo Control

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Drew_from_ATX
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Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by Drew_from_ATX »

Hi All -

I've planted Gracilis bamboo along a fence and want to make sure I will always have at least a foot of clear space between fence and bamboo so that I maintain some access behind.

Could I put a row of 12"x12" patio stones on the back side to help prevent the bamboo from spreading beyond the patio stones? I know that gracilis is a tight clumping bamboo and was wondering if it would jump a one foot gap.

Thanks!
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needmore
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Re: Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by needmore »

You might try searching this site, I seem to recall a post from Roy Rogers about this very thing.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
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Roy
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Re: Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by Roy »

Drew_from_ATX,

The 12"X12" patio stones worked great for a long time, but with some caveats. If you don't keep the leaves and debris cleaned off of the patio stones, then they will decay and eventually become a medium for the bamboo to grow on top on the stones and then bridge the gap to the other side. And as I got older and fatter, I found out that the 12 inches really wasn't enough room to get in between the fence and the bamboo to keep the stones cleaned off.

So I decided to replace the stones with 16X16 patio stones, but then the cost went from a around a dollar a 12x12x1" patio stone to the mid 3 dollar a stone for the 16x16x1". Expensamoso!! So I did a little thinking and researching and found out I could by 8X8X16 inch building block for around a dollar a block. And the building block rises 8 inches off of the ground, rather than a inch, so that part works better for blockage. Just make sure you turn the flat part of the block upwards. Then you can easily walk on and the holes don't get filled up with leaf debris. Plus a leaf blower works great when you do have to blow off any leaves. I've had mine installed for about 5 years now and haven't blown of any leaves. And if you don't like the light gray color of the block then you can paint them any color you want to.

The building blocks weigh about 30-35 pounds a piece, so that also an added advantage in preventing any rhizomes from pushing up the blocks. While I was at it, replacing the original patio stones with building blocks, I bought a roll of metal flashing, 16"X50', and laid the flashing flat on the ground and then put my building blocks on top of the metal flashing. The metal flashing kind of "hooks" the building blocks together for maybe a couple of hundred pounds of resistance from being pushed upwards by rhizomes.

Roy Rogers
Florida's SunCoast
Tampa, Florida

Drew_from_ATX wrote:Hi All -

I've planted Gracilis bamboo along a fence and want to make sure I will always have at least a foot of clear space between fence and bamboo so that I maintain some access behind.

Could I put a row of 12"x12" patio stones on the back side to help prevent the bamboo from spreading beyond the patio stones? I know that gracilis is a tight clumping bamboo and was wondering if it would jump a one foot gap.

Thanks!
--------------------------
Roy Rogers
Southern Tampania de la Floridana Universidad (STFU)
STFU Motto: All Bamboos are not Created Equal; @ STFU, the Search Continues
**********
:wave: ROY'S BAMBOO LIST
Drew_from_ATX
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Re: Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by Drew_from_ATX »

I have a ton of extra patio stones so I'll probably re-use some of them by stacking them 2 or 3 at a time to prevent growth on top. Also I'm thinking I'll put the flashing down on top of the current bed of mulch as well prior to the stones.

In the other section, I'm going to look into those building blocks. Thanks for the insight!
I_am_Ian
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Re: Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by I_am_Ian »

I was considering doing something like this myself. But now I'm wondering what will happen to a shoot that is trying to emerge from under a stone? Abort or reroute to a different angle?

I have a Bambusa ventricosa in a large square planter with a lip all the way around. One culm came up into the lip, turned 90 degrees and ran along the lip to the corner and made another 90 degree turn ran a few inches along that lip and eventually curved out escaped.
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needmore
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Re: Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by needmore »

Image

This might happen...lifted up the rock about 3 inches before I found it.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
Tarzanus
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Re: Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by Tarzanus »

Tell me about it! I've had my Spectabilis rhizomes under paving slabs that I can hardly lift. They lifted one almost completely out of the soil, despite the fact that they were partly buried with dirt. Each early spring and fall, there's a battle. :)
JustOneMore
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Re: Clumping Bamboo Control

Post by JustOneMore »

My solution to this problem with Fargesia robusta 'Campbell' was to plant grass behind the bamboo in a strip that was just wide enough to drive my pushing lawn mower down in a single pass. No shooting culms will survive that! and the grass gives me a nice place to walk to see things from both sides. Probably ended up being about a two foot strip of grass.

If I had to do it over again I would have put a 12 inch or so rhizome barrier down as well just to give a nice sharp edge and reduce the chances that my mower wheels would catch and break stray rhizomes along the grass strip.
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