Zone 6 Bamboo Hardiness in Planters

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bamnooboo
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Zone 6 Bamboo Hardiness in Planters

Post by bamnooboo »

I am wanting to plant a bamboo privacy screen using galvanized tanks as raised beds. I'm wondering what bamboo I should plant that would offer the best coverage/screen that will be cold hardy for zone 6. I live in central Indiana and the area in question receives morning sunlight. I apologize if this has been covered previously.

Thanks.
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needmore
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Re: Zone 6 Bamboo Hardiness in Planters

Post by needmore »

Greetings, not sure where in central IN you are but in above ground containers much north of say Evansville, you would likely experience die back if not total kill of bamboo. In ground you'll have frequent top kill but the rhizomes will survive and push new growth each year such as an ornamental grass.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
bamnooboo
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Re: Zone 6 Bamboo Hardiness in Planters

Post by bamnooboo »

I live well north of Evansville. Just an hour outside of Indianapolis. I'm hoping not to have to cut it back each year but obviously my main concern is to not have the whole thing die all together.
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needmore
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Re: Zone 6 Bamboo Hardiness in Planters

Post by needmore »

My place is between Bloomington and Nashville, I sold lots of Phy bissetii to folks in the Indy area as it was the best shot at holding on and most winters it will die back. Do it in an above ground planter and you will get even worse results. Cold winds and the prolonged spells of below freezing daytime highs will do it in. Every year - more or less, in that area you have multiple consecutive days where the temp never rises above freezing, add in some wind and cold nights and boom...
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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JustOneMore
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Re: Zone 6 Bamboo Hardiness in Planters

Post by JustOneMore »

Well if you're crazy like me than nothing will get in the way of growing plants outdoors.

Heating cables designed to go inside water pipes are just the thing for this if you have your heart set on this above ground containerized bamboo, but it'll cost in installation and winter heating.

Inside the containers I'd line the walls with a thin layer of rigid foam insulation. On the bottom of the planters I'd put a layer of sand, then the heating cables and a thermostat sensor, and then some more sand (this creates an even warm zone that radiates heat upwards). Then fill with your soil. Use the thermostat to control the power to your heating cableand set the temperature to just a little below freezing, that should keep your rhizomes safe and any top die-back would have happened anyway if it were planted in the ground. If you keep your soil at just above freezing then you can come in with some water in the winter in case cold winds, or bright direct winter sunlight are likely to strike the leaves and culms. Providing water in those winter conditions can work wonders for keeping a plant alive... but it only works if the ground isn't frozen.

You might be wise to also have a second thermostat with a sensor just below the top surface of the soil in the planter. that near-surface temperature should be colder and you could then easily switch the heating cables to be controlled by the upper sensor by simply plugging them into the "upper" thermostat.

For the winter put on a 12 inch layer of bark mulch.

that's my recipe for insanity-level bamboo in a planter in a cold northern climate.
sounds like a fun experiment to me :)
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