Q&A Bamboo Questions and answers

 

• When is the best time to plant bamboo?   

Planting bamboo can be done anytime of the year. The best time to plant bamboo is anytime however you will see most immediate visible results if planted in the early spring, summer, or fall while weather is warm. If your bamboo is planted in the colder seasons the plants will show less growth but they will be building root mass which will bring you accelerated and more rapid growth the following spring.  Our bamboo nursery always says the best time to plant bamboo is now.

• How far apart should I space bamboo?

How far apart you space your bamboo depends on several factors what variety you get, if you have a privacy fence or wall, elevations, time frame of desired privacy, and your budget. In most cases with smaller yards   if you have a fence or wall you would space your bamboo 4 feet apart and without a wall or privacy fence you would space them 3 feet apart. Planting bamboo 3-4ft apart is a economical and effective spacing in most cases.  If you would like your privacy more immediate you can space them closer as we often do. It is not uncommon to have a customer request for us to plant even our large 15 gallon bamboo plants every 18 inches or pot to pot. If you are on a budget you can space the bamboo plants further apart it will just take longer to fill in. On larger properties we will try to use larger format bamboo plants to help save the customer money. For larger properties we can space the bamboos with a 5-6 ft spacing and be economical and still quickly effective. If price becomes an issue we can space up to 8 feet apart with these larger bamboo plants.  We usually recommend following our bamboo experts advice on spacing unless price is an issue.

• Do I need a rhizome barrier with clumping bamboo?

You do not need a rhizome barrier with clumping bamboo in most cases. Rhizome is most often used for running bamboo which is an invasive bamboo. Our bamboo nursery only provides clumping bamboo.

• Does bamboo grow in the sun or shade better?

Most bamboo plants like to grow in full sun or particle shade.  There are however some bamboo varieties that do well in shaded areas. In many cases you will find that bamboo will grow slightly faster is full sun or lightly shaded areas. Often shaded area growth can be accelerated with extra water and or soil amendments.

• What type of maintenance does bamboo require?

Bamboo requires maintenance of watering for at least the first few months. After the first few months it is up to you, if you continue to water the bamboo it will grow faster.  For privacy screenings, privacy barriers, and property lines Ocoee Bamboo Farm prefers to use clumping bamboo plants that are very low maintenance, pest resistant, cold hardy, good in high winds, and can be cut or trimmed to any height. Trimming bamboo is not required but sometimes a little trim on the side with a hedge trimmer looks amazing. Most ornamental bamboo plants as well you can just kind of let them do there thing but don't be afraid to touch them up a bit if you like. Many bamboo plants after the first year will self mulch around the base. This will help keep weeds away, provide nutrients for the plants, and help retain moister. It is not required but if you wish you can put a little black cow manure from lowes on your bamboo or 6 month slow release fertilizer. No weed & feed fertilizer please,

• Can I visit your bamboo nursery?

Visiting our bamboo nursery is a wonderful thing. Our bamboo nursery has many displays of clumping bamboo featuring all of the different types of bamboo.  We do prefer that before coming out to our bamboo nursery that you text us 407-777-4807 a picture of the area that your looking to place bamboo along with the length of the area. We then respond back with what varieties are best for your application, how many plants you need and pricing, we will also text you a picture of what it will look like. We usually respond back within 5-10 min. When you come out to our bamboo nursery we will then guide you to the varieties of the bamboos that are best for your application. We are very picky with our applications and want to make sure that every customer gets the perfect bamboo plant for there purpose

• Is your bamboo invasive?

Ocoee Bamboo Farm offers only the highest quality Clumping bamboo plants which are considered to be a non invasive bamboo.  "sorry no running bamboo sold here".

• How much is bamboo privacy?

Bamboo privacy prices can be determined very quickly with our bamboo selector or texting a picture of the area you need the privacy to 407-777-4807 please also specify the length of the are. Ocoee Bamboo Farm will respond back with what varieties are best for your application, how many plants you need, and pricing usually with in 5-10 min. We will also send you a picture of what it will look like.

 

• Do I need to water bamboo?

Newly planted bamboo planted in the ground need to be watered for at least the first few months. Bamboo in pots or planters may need to be watered and should be watched closer.

• What is the best bamboo hedge?

There are many great bamboo plants that can be used for privacy hedges.. The best bamboo hedge is the hedge that was designed by a bamboo expert to specifically target the intended purpose, including proper spacing, cold hardy to your location, pest resistant, low maintenance, appealing, and can be trimmed or topped to a desired look. Find out what bamboo hedge is best for you with Ocoee Bamboo Farm's Bamboo Selector.

• How do I keep my bamboo from hanging over?

If your bamboo is hanging over there are a few remedies . With many varieties hanging over bamboo branches or canes is often caused because the first round of the new shoots are often thinner. The weight of the leaves causes the branches to lean over and even more so when it rains. As the bamboo plant matures the new canes will come up thicker and thicker making stronger canes or shoots that will lean over less. Try some of the remedies below for leaning canes.

1. Stake your bamboo plants to control canes or branches that may be leaning over. If Ocoee Bamboo Farm did your install you most likely have support stakes. If that is the case or If you staked your bamboo plants when you installed them then simply take a string and tie it to the first stake. Next pull the string tightly in front of the the bamboo pulling the hanging canes up and then tie it to the next stake. Then duplicate the action with the rest of the row. If you did not stake your bamboo plants you can place a 6 ft T post stake or equivalent 6 inches - 3 ft away from the first clump of bamboo. Then place another stake after one of the next 3-5 plants and then tie the string as instructed above. This option is useful with newer bamboo plant clumps because rather than trimming your bamboo plants you can keep the height and still maintain privacy without trimming.

2. loose tie your bamboo plants by simply getting a piece of string and tying it around your clump of bamboo canes at 4-8 ft high usually the higher the better. When tying your bamboo pull all hanging canes upward but leave the canes tied loosely. This is another great remedy for hanging bamboo canes in the early years so you can maintain height without trimming your bamboo privacy barrier. Ocoee Bamboo Farm usually sends our 7 gal and 15 gal bamboo plants out with plants loose tied. We usually recommend leaving the string on as it will eventually disappear with new shoots.

3. Trim your bamboo canes that are hanging over at any height and at any time. Usually if you trim your bamboo cane that is hanging at s height of 3- 7ft it will pop back up and not hang over. To achieve more privacy above the fence line clip the culm or cane at 6-8ft or higher and if you do not have a fence clip the cane at 3-5 feet. Using this method allows the bamboo to bush out at the sweet spot where privacy is most desired.

4. Trim your bamboo plants at any time even if your canes do not have leaves yet. Many of Ocoee Bamboo Farms bamboo varieties can be trimmed or topped at any height like a shrub. you can also hedge trim the front to form a box look. Trimming the tops like a hedge will also help prevent canes from hanging over. Trimming of canes, (culms or shoots) can be done with loppers, pruning shears, hand pruners , saws, or hedge trimmers. Please text 407-777-4807 The Ocoee Bamboo Farm if you should have any other questions about hanging over bamboo canes or trimming bamboo plants.

• How deep should I plant my bamboo?

Bamboo plants should be planted top of root ball level with the ground or top of root ball 1-2 inches above ground.  For wet locations the bamboo should be surface mounted or mounded up based on how wet the area is.

• Do I need to fertilize bamboo?

Ocoee bamboo Farm usually supplies new plants with booster mix and quick shoot pellets.  If you desire after 3-6 months you can fertilize your Bamboo plants. Faster growth is mostly promoted by consistent and frequent daily watering on a drip line.
If you wish to fertilize you can use a slow release fertilizer that is high In nitrogen. Ocoee Bamboo Farm uses a high first number like 16 or 18 but never use weed and feed. Ocoee Bamboo Farm usually recommends just simply placing 1/4 bag of Black cow manure from Lowe’s (yellow bag) 1 foot around the base and in between the culms of each plant,

• How do I handle my bamboo?

When handling bamboo one must always be careful of new shoots that are emerging or new shoots that have gone up but do not have leaves yet both are very fragile and will break if mishandled. Most of the bamboo plants that are sold at our farm you can handle, lift, transport, and carry by simply finding the older canes and using it as a handle. This is not an industry standard, the plants we give to our customers have large mature root systems. Barley rooted plants should be handled differently.

• What are the signs of stress on bamboo?

Signs of stress on bamboo can be yellow leaves, dry leaves, loss of leaves, new shoots that die, new canes dehydrating, canes turning cardboard brown. Bamboo stress can be caused by lack of water, to much water, lack of nutrients, bugs and pest, cold or heat, not enough sun, etc.

• What is the best plant to use as a windbreak?  

A well designed and properly planted bamboo barrier is the best plant to use for a windbreak. A bamboo wind break can reduce soil erosion and provide many other benefits such as protection from the wind. When planting a bamboo windbreak, consider windbreak orientation, length, height and density. Tighter spacing on your bamboo plants would bring more wind protection quicker. How much space should be left in between each bamboo plant for a windbreak depends on many factors. More specifically the variety of bamboo that will be used for the windbreak. Bamboo varieties have many different characteristics that should be looked at when purchasing your wind break. Some bamboo plants droop which you can space further apart. Some bamboos are straight growers which should be planted with tighter spacing. Other bamboo characteristics include tall, short, exposed lower canes, thick canes, thin canes, cold Hardiness, bug resistance, speed of growth, and different foliage densities. The size of the yard or area of the desired wind break should be taken into account when deciding on your windbreak bamboo variety. Planning the perfect windbreak requires the consideration of all of these factors, which are influenced  by the bamboo species that make up the windbreak.  We recommend that you text us a picture of the area you would like the windbreak Ocoee Bamboo Farm 407-777-4807 let our bamboo experts design the perfect wind break for you. 

• Can I grow bamboo in my area?

Our bamboo nursery supplies and installs bamboo plants all across the state of Florida and lower Georgia. Most bamboo plants that we carry are cold hardy for North Florida and Southern Georgia. When purchasing bamboo it is best to seek the advice of a bamboo expert to find out what bamboo plants are good for your area. We recommend using our Bamboo selector.

 

• How do I plant my bamboo?                 

Dig the Hole You plant your bamboo by first digging a hole twice the width and 4-6 in. deeper (or twice as deep if possible) than the pot that your plant came in. We also recommend loosening the soil around the hole. Doing both of these will allow the bae seeds that I have seen for sale are for running bamboo and illegally imported from chinamboo’s roots to easily spread and take hold of the soil.