Bamboo

[Belldiver]

I'm going to start another offshoot from JohnT's earlier post on poolside plants.

I'm interested in planting some bamboo around one side of my pool. I know alot of folks complain about how rampantly it spreads, but this will be in a contained area that can't really get away very easily. Anybody have some experience with varieties of bamboo in the deep south? Preferable types that don't shed too much. I can deal with the once/year shed, but don't want something that constantly drops.

Will bamboo roots get strong enough to do damage to PVC plumbing or cause problems with 4" concrete decking? The area I'm planting in has my skimmer returns but they are about 20" deep.

Thanks...

 

[sammm]

Bamboo will spread like wildfire. Once you plant some it's near impossible to get rid of all of it if you change your mind.

 

[Belldiver]

sammm,

I do keep hearing that and it's the only thing holding me back from actually doing it. I don't really have to decide until June or July when everything should be ready for landscaping.

I need some type of tall plant that can fit in a 3' wide by 24' long bed. Preferably tropical-ish in nature...

 

[midtngal]

belldiver, you do absolutely have to be very careful about the bamboo. It can be extremely invasive. However, there is a clumping bamboo that is NOT invasive that may work for you. I don't know whether it sheds or not though. Here's an article on HGTV's web site about it -

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_gras ... 56,00.html

Hope this helps!

 

[Exchemist]

Even clumping bamboo will spread -- it just does so much slower. A patio is not a container for bamboo. It will easily spread under the hard surface. A three foot deep barrier is recommended to prevent bamboo from spreading.

Do yourself a favor and plant something else.

 

[Vegasmom]

Or if your heart is set on it, do what I'm doing. Put it in containers. Funny, mine is going kind of in the same place, I've got about 3' x 60' that runs behind the pool wall, and wanted to do black bamboo for about 14' of it. I bought lg. containers from Lowe's today to plant them in. Gardener says they'll be good in there for about 3 yrs. Not sure if I believe her, LOL...but we'll see. All my plumbing runs under there, too. No way will I plant anything in the ground that would be invasive.