How to Plant Bamboo for Shade

If you would like to create shade in your outside space with something more unusual and interesting compared to a normal shade tree, think about planting a bamboo grove. Available in cold-hardy varieties, the tropical bamboo plant generally grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Each bamboo number has its cold tolerance, nevertheless, and picking one who may survive winter in your specific microclimate is vital. When growing bamboo for shade, choose tall, leafy varieties. Clumping options include Alphonse Karr (Bambusa multiplex “Alphonse Karr”), Silverstripe (Bambusa multiplex “Silverstripe”) and also giant timber (Bambusa oldhamii). Running varieties, such as golden (Phyllostachys aurea), Simon (Arundinaria simonii) and arrow (Pseudosasa japonica), are also options for creating shade.

Plan your bamboo positioning. The bamboo has to be placed where it will create shade but receive full sun. Don’t inadvertently shade sun-loving plants that are already created. Be creative; plant bamboo on three sides of an area to create a shaded oasis in the midst of your garden, or space bamboo plants together both sides of a long garden path to create a welcoming shade tunnel.

Turn the soil in the planting area using a scoop or tiller to encourage bamboo rhizome development. Rhizomes are the underground tendrils by that a bamboo plant disperses. Even clumping bamboo expands a bit.

Dig a planting hole slightly larger than the bamboo plant’s nursery pot. Place the bamboo in the hole, and fill the remaining portion of the hole with soil. The cap of the bamboo’s root ball has to be level with the ground. If you plant multiple bamboo plants, space clumping bamboo two to three feet apart and running bamboo 3 to 5 feet apart.

Dig a trench 36 inches deep and about 24 inches wide across the bamboo in the event that you planted a running bamboo number. Locate the trench just where you do not want the bamboo to spread. Place a rhizome barrier in the trench, slanting the top of the hurdle slightly outward from the bamboo. Fill the trench with soil. The rhizome barrier may be omitted in areas where you want the bamboo to spread and when planting clumping bamboo varieties.

Spread a 1-inch thick layer of fine bark mulch across the bamboo.

Water that the bamboo immediately after planting and twice every week thereafter until the plant or plants are established. A bamboo plant must receive 1 gallon of water every single watering session whether its nursery bud was less than 5 gallons in size. A bamboo that was in a larger nursery grass needs more than 1 gallon of water through every watering session until it is established.

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