Bamboo in Sun vs Shade | The 10 Year Unintended Experiment

Every spring I look forward to seeing the grove send up it's new growth and watch it expand. I also hope to see larger and larger canes as long as the winter wasn't too harsh. Maybe one day ill have enough to use the canes to build something. It's been a long road and I am finally at the point with this grove where it won't need much attention or protection going forward.

If you want to grow bamboo in cold climates, pick a type that can withstand the cold. Cold hardy does not always mean in will tolerate your climate. If you want to grow bamboo specifically so that it grows tall, the "above ground" growth needs to survive over winter. Stay away from clumping types in zone 6 or further north. They don't do well in cold climates with hot dry summers. Clumping types are tropical and running types are temperate. Running types are suited for non-tropical zones.

Playlist -    • Growing Moso Bamboo From a Single See...  

Bissetii - Max Height 40', Tolerant to -10F or Colder (Depending*), Average Height Zone 5B 12-18ft, Does well in drought. Spreads Fast (Phyllostachys Bissetii)

Red Margin - Max 60', Tolerant to -5F, Average Height Zone 5B 12-30ft, One of the fastest spreading types and does well in shady or wet areas. (Phyllostachys Rubromarginata)

Vivax - Max Height 70ft, Tolerant to 5F or Colder (Depending*), Average Height Zone 5B 12-30ft, Gets large fast, but produces less canes. Breaks easy under snow/Ice load. Even if top growth dies or is damaged over winter, the new canes that emerge in the spring will still be large unlike other types of bamboo. (Phyllostachys Vivax)

Moso - Max Height 75ft or Taller*, Tolerant to 5F or Colder (Depending*), Establishes Slowly, Average Height Zone 5B 10-30ft, New shoots that emerge are not tolerant of frost. Bad choice for Zone 5. (Phyllostachys Edulis) Largest on earth.

Incense - Max Height 25ft or Taller*, Tolerant to -5 or Colder (Depending*), Average height zone 5B 8-18ft, Does well in wet areas, slow spreading. Takes a longer time to reach mature heights. (Phyllostachys Atrovaginata) used to be called "Congesta."

*Max height of bamboo is only stated as best case scenario growing in the proper zones. Just because its capable of being that tall doesn't mean it ever will be if grown in more northern zones. Cold tolerance depends on the duration of a certain temperature and how resistant certain types of bamboo are to cold dry winds. The roots of the bamboo will always be more cold tolerant than the stated tolerance and thus will send up new shoots in spring if a winter kills the bamboo. Usually if the bamboo dies over winter the new shoots that emerge in spring will be shorter. This sets back the maturity of the grove. The average height for the zone its being grown in is based off the maturity of the grove. Certain bamboo spreads and matures slower than others. The mature height for your zone is referred to as the average height stated above. If you have a bad winter it will extend the time it takes for the bamboo to reach mature heights. In some cases a few shoots can be taller than the expected average height for your zone if you have mild winter. Fertilize with high nitrogen to help reduce the time it takes to reach maturity. Expect 3-10 years for bamboo to reach mature heights after transplanting (depending of how big it is when purchased). Use 2-4 inches of wood chips on top of the soil to insulate the ground over winter. It will also help retain moisture in summer. Newly transplanted bamboo will have less cold tolerance than specified. You may want to protect it for the first winter.

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