Bamboo Plants
The bamboo also known by its scientific name Bambusoideae , is a long-lasting plant that has its origin in China, belonging to the family of grasses and can reach approximately 25 meters , as long as it is in the best conditions.
In places with sufficient humidity, this plant has a preference for direct sunlight and at the same time has the ability to withstand the shade very well .
Characteristics of Bamboo
The root of the bamboo takes the form of a rhizome and from which the stems emerge, stems that are constituted by knots and internodes that are quite marked.
Its flowering stage happens after a fairly long time and its flowering consumes a large amount of resources, which usually causes the plant cannot fully recover , even to die.
The bamboo can also be a small plant that can measure even less than one meter in height and the stems can be up to half a centimeter in diameter. Similarly we can find giants with a measure of 25 meters in height and about 30 cm in diameter, however they are somewhat unusual, being the most common is that they reach to measure between one and ten meters high .
Main species of bamboo
In the world we can find a great variety of bamboo , however all these are part of one of the two main species of bamboo, which is quite convenient to know if we want to control its expansion, especially if we grow it in the garden.
The stoloniferous bamboo
This is a bamboo that develops through rhizomes that are thin and elongated that are joined by canes or also called underground stolons .
This type of bamboo has the ability to form a very strong structure that can expand up to about 50 cm deep and many meters away from the ground, causing buds to be born in other areas of the garden or even in the neighboring garden.
If we want to control the expansion of the stolonium bamboo and avoid problems with this kind of species, we have to plant them surrounded by a rhizome blocker that can prevent the stolons from spreading. The rhizome blocker we have to place around the area or the bamboo set and not separately.
The bamboo of cespitose growth
This type of bamboo does not have the ability to form stolons, on the contrary, its development is based on rhizomes that are short and thick forming a large number of buds that are distributed as branches under the ground. Therefore we do not need to place underground rhizome blockers.
The cespitose bamboo produces a large quantity of reeds that are thin and quite close together . They measure between one and three meters high and usually prefer a tropical climate, however they are ideal for growing in the winter.
Care of bamboo
The soil has to be quite loose and have the ability to retain water fairly well, be prepared and at the same time rich, with excellent drainage and at the same time have a lot of organic matter, apart, we have to water very often and with abundant water.
The stage of flowering of bamboo occurs after 80 years, after which the plant dies.
The fertilizer is something that we do not have to forget since it is of great help so that new buds can be born and in turn for the expansion of the plant, so the ideal fertilizer for the bamboo is the organic matter since it is a rhizome , the large amount of nutrients that a chemical fertilizer has can cause serious damage to the plant.
On the other hand, the pests that most frequently attack this plant are the aphid, rust, red spider and powdery mildew .
Propagation of bamboo
The propagation of bamboo can be done in two different ways, which are the following:
By grouping divisions:
It is about having to separate the propagules from the tillers , since said propagules are or have to be in each one of the aspects, complete plants.
From cuts of the reeds
On the part of the vegetative fractions from cuttings of canes that are complete until the cut of mature branches, with arrangements of buds that are bigger or smaller that come from the aerial parts of the plant.
We have to do the multiplication before the annual stage of active growth of the buds begins in the axis that is involved, this happens in the months of March and April . The size of the propagule must maintain the root system of the mature propagule or bud with a minimum of three active buds.
The twigs have to be less than three years old , but if they are propagules of divisions of groups, the age that the rhizome can have is not of great importance.
For the multiplication of this we have to cut bamboo poles, bushes or tillers, then submerge the rods in an aqueous solution of Radix 10,000 at a rate of 1 kg per 200 liters of water .
We mixed the substrate in 40:40:20 proportions; with black earth, earth of leaf and earthworm humus respectively, we fill the container, we place the divided plants or the poles, we arrange the containers in platabandas and finally, the most recommendable thing is that we use programmed irrigations.
How to prevent bamboo from invading the garden?
Bamboo is a wonderful plant that we can grow either in a pot or on the floor of our garden. Its growth is quite accelerated and can reach several meters high in a short time. It is a very resistant plant and does not need much care.
The bamboo apart from being flexible is pretty tough, cane this plant has a lot of uses that can replace or to even improve the classics of wood. All this strength and flexibility comes from its roots , since these roots are so strong that they can pass through the bricks and also through the material of the masonry, however at present there is a material that can be faster, easier place and it’s low cost.
With this we refer to the root barriers that are made of polypropylene plastic of a thickness of one millimeter, barriers that are quite rigid and use them is quite simple, because when preparing the hole where we want to plant our bamboo We have to cover the entire area that we do not want the plant to overcome with this resistant plastic sheet.
It is important to remember that we must install the barrier correctly , in the same way we must take into account that the bamboo roots have the capacity to expand until reaching the ground level.
I am Don Burke, one of the authors at My Garden Guide. I am a horticulturist that cultivates, grows, and cares for plants, ranging from shrubs and fruits to flowers. I do it in my own garden and in my nursery. I show you how to take care of your garden and how to perform garden landscaping in an easy way, step by step.I am originally from Sydney and I wrote in local magazines. Later on, I have decided, more than two decades ago, to create my own blog. My area of specialization is related to orchid care, succulent care, and the study of the substrate and the soil. Therefore, you will see many articles dedicated to these disciplines. I also provide advice about how to improve the landscape design of your garden.
