Anyone have bamboo planted?

[VINMAN]

Anyone have bamboo plants on their property?
I want to plant some along a fence to get a little more privacy. But I am hearing nitemare stories about how it takes over everything and is impossible to control.
Anybody with experience with this stuff?

[jtfreels]

My in-laws neighbors planted some, within a year shoots were popping up 30 feet away in the in-laws yard. Nasty stuff to get rid of. It is a grass/weed

Jay

[bivenator]

Just paid money to have mine removed. Good privacy plant but will dominate all plants in vicinity. In 3 years our modest stand grew out of control.

[gaijindabe]

Got a friend in Red Bank. Backs on to a little creek.. There is an Imperial Army private hiding back there. Good thing he is out of ammo.

[scottmandue]

I hear there is a type that doesn't have runners, if your going to plant it make sure it is that type or it will take over the yard as described by others.

Good news is it is a grass so a spraying of roundup kills it dead.

[nineoneone]

I have about a ¼ acre of it next to my small lake and it stays about the same size if I take out the dead ones new ones grow right back. Nothing over say 1½" most around ¾". To control it you have to dig down about 6" and make a border (like lawn edgeing)that the roots can't cross and they are shallow. If done properly you can control it. hope this helps.

[slodave]

Bamboo implants? That has got to hurt...

[id10t]

All depends on what kind of bamboo you got. I've got 3 kinds on my property, 2 are a major pain and one is "good". The painful ones are both running and clumping. Clumper is a pain because of its location, and it gets *big*. Runner is a pain because it runs everywhere, and it is causing problems with my septic tank.

The "good" stuff I have is a runner also, but it is black bamboo, and the only reason I call it "good" is because it doesn't seem to grow/spread so fast.

[VINMAN]

Thanks guys. just what i was looking for. I know there are alot of different species are not supposed to spread. I'm basically looking for something that will cover the top of a 6' stockade fence. About 2- 3 feet over it. I was going to go the Arborvite route but I really hate those bushes. and I have about 60' of fence to cover.

[madmmac]

Plant them in garbage cans just below ground level.

Leylandi cypress is a good fast growing blockade.

[livi]

Works perfectly in our Swedish climate. Planted two bushes ten years ago. They were about two feet high. They still are. No discernible growth what so ever. You would think they must be dying. But no, as green as ever. Begin to think they are made of plastic..

[jyl]

Looking at using bamboo for similar purpose. Talked to some friends who do landscaping. There are slow-running or clumping bamboos that don't spread or don't spread too much. Check bookstore or online for details. Personally am thinking about planting in containers, but I don't have as much fence to cover as you do. One friend has big stands of a clumping-type bamboo in front yard, said they got occasional runners pop up 4-6' away but not many, and not hard to keep under control, their yard has defintely not been taken over.

[fastpat]

I was going to plant some clumping bamboo, but my wife says no. It's the only plant she won't allow on the farm here.

[VINMAN]

The Leyland Cypress was my other choice. I'm looking for a shrub with overall height of about 8-10 feet.

[Drago]

Originally posted by VINMAN
The Leyland Cypress was my other choice. I'm looking for a shrub with overall height of about 8-10 feet.

Leyland Cypress will get bigger than 8-10 feet. Not sure how much bigger though. I've seen several over 20 feet.

[azasadny]

We had some bamboo in our yard in Fallbrook, CA and it sent shoots under the driveway and withing several weeks had almost completely destroyed the blacktop driveway.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Drago
Leyland Cypress will get bigger than 8-10 feet. Not sure how much bigger though. I've seen several over 20 feet.

Leyland cypress will get considerable taller than even 20 feet, at least 50 or more.

I think a dwarf Alberta Spruce might fill the bill, but as with most dwarf trees, it's a slow grower. You'd probably want to start with a 4-5 footer, which aren't cheap.

Another tree, which has hundreds of unique cultivars, is the Japanese maple. I have several with red leaves, and one with lime green leaves and dark coral pink bark. My varieties will mature at about 20 feet, but there are quite a few Japaniese maples that mature to less than 10 feet. Being deciduous, you loose the privacy they might provide in the winter, though.

[Les Paul]

Another alternative is trumpet vine. It grows fast, is very dense, and if you keep it trimmed it looks good. Plus it blooms all the time.

[azasadny]

How about hops? I grow hops to brew beer with and they grow fast, like lots of water and sun and will go like crazy, if you let them. I trim mine back with my lawnmower! They like to cover fences, walls, etc... like a very clingy vine and they smell good.

[VINMAN]

Pat, how tall do the Dwarf Albertas spruces get?