CARE INFO
Care Info
A word of advice from bamboo specialist – John Isaachsen
The worst thing any person/s can do to the global or local reputation of “Bamboos” is to plant or distribute running species carelessly, (without certain certainly controlled use, for a great many years).
Because too many Phyllostachys, Arundinaria, and similar swiftly-spreading, difficult to control bamboos have been planted, especially amongst sand, stones concrete and other materials which blunt tools – and sprays to kill bamboos either don’t kill, or kill everything in the same soil, there is strong, often too-generalised, opinion against “bamboos”. It must be watched responsibly, by all who might use or control it, especially plant nurseries.
Far too many people know bamboos as serious menacing weeds, far too expensive to control or remove. However, properly carefully selected, used and controlled, many can be best plants available.
So the market is fragile and would lessen if you were not very careful.
Because too many Phyllostachys, Arundinaria, and similar swiftly-spreading, difficult to control bamboos have been planted, especially amongst sand, stones concrete and other materials which blunt tools – and sprays to kill bamboos either don’t kill, or kill everything in the same soil, there is strong, often too-generalised, opinion against “bamboos”. It must be watched responsibly, by all who might use or control it, especially plant nurseries.
Far too many people know bamboos as serious menacing weeds, far too expensive to control or remove. However, properly carefully selected, used and controlled, many can be best plants available.
So the market is fragile and would lessen if you were not very careful.
Choose well, and enjoy your bamboo!
Planting & Care of Bamboo
Please choose thoroughly from seeing our mature specimens from our printed information then discuss with John Isaachsen. Choose strengths, shapes, sizes, colours, and timing with your purposes, your climate, neighbours’ needs, soils, moisture, shelter, light after-care and your budgets considered.
Humus
During planting between 10% and 40% of organic content in soil assists water, air and chemical nutrient balances, for healthy roots. Mixed materials like compost, (be careful when applying concentrated chemical fertilisers, and strong (fresh) animal manures in proportion to the amount of water and drainage available to avoid burning by excess especially the delicate roots and stem of young plants), plant clippings, hay, untreated wood-wastes, (sawdust, shavings, peat and seaweed are best. Keep fresh animal and chemical manures slightly away from roots to avoid burning while chemicals are concentrated).
Chemical Manures
Needed are either blood and bone, which gives an organic balanced complete feeding, or another complete mixture giving high nitrogen phosphorous and potash analysis, trace elements, eg: sea manures NPK ratio 10-5-5 is good.
Frequency of Manuring
Depends on your material. With blood an bone, most mixtures, and animal manures, manure principally before warm weather such as in late September and December in Auckland, or more often. If slow-release pellets are used, check whether extra nitrogen is need later. Liquid fees aid early spring growth see when to apply again.
Planting
Keep the roots damp, water before planting (but not left to swim) and until growing strongly, nearing he final size you require. Loosen soil in the site and mix up to 35% humus thoroughly into existing soil, wider and deeper than the roots we supply. Usually at least 300mm deep, much more with good drainage. For a line of plants, prepare a continuous trench of good soil to encourage growth between plants. For best results do not disturb the bamboo roots we send. Cover all roots and attached soil thoroughly, in planting.
We do all needed trimming before plants leave the nursery, unless damage occurs in transport. If you try to divide our plants soon after they leave the nursery, you will lose at least one-third their vigour, and may in final effect kill one or both pieces, of most grades. Remove all plastic to allow water and air circulation. Roots covered for long by much airless water usually die, so keep soil drained. (Open enough for some air movement between soil particles,
Between waterings). This may mean temporary drainage by adding untreated coarse wood-wastes or humus; and other sub-surface methods, maybe with open surface trenches, using the excavated soil to raise planting sites. Avoid putting deep pockets of good soil in wet places. Big plants dry soil later. Pour the best fine soil-humus mixture around the roots, starting capillary action at first. Shape soil surface to control water flow on it, both in summer and winter.
We do all needed trimming before plants leave the nursery, unless damage occurs in transport. If you try to divide our plants soon after they leave the nursery, you will lose at least one-third their vigour, and may in final effect kill one or both pieces, of most grades. Remove all plastic to allow water and air circulation. Roots covered for long by much airless water usually die, so keep soil drained. (Open enough for some air movement between soil particles,
Between waterings). This may mean temporary drainage by adding untreated coarse wood-wastes or humus; and other sub-surface methods, maybe with open surface trenches, using the excavated soil to raise planting sites. Avoid putting deep pockets of good soil in wet places. Big plants dry soil later. Pour the best fine soil-humus mixture around the roots, starting capillary action at first. Shape soil surface to control water flow on it, both in summer and winter.
Moisture
You must be sure water always reaches the roots, as failure to do this in dry weather kill more than anything else. Water in warm dry weather, almost daily initially; then two or three times a week and less often later, if applications are thorough, enough to dampen all soil deeply for one to two metres around and below every plant, always. Container-grown bamboos need more water than other plants, using saucers. Maybe twice daily on hot dry days to those with much foliage and limited roots.
Weeding
As plants may lose much growth by competition for moisture, plant food and light keep other plants from near and over young desirable plants. Remember well sheltered plants also grow best.
Trimming, Control and Removal
Chosen well, bamboos usually need no cutting back above soil, for several years. Many are never cut back or trimmed, though such may develop gaps, and do waste space, after 10 to 30 years. All bamboos benefit from removal of old dying stems, and surplus width, as near soil level as possible. Leave some young stems throughout length, yearly.
Trimming
Is best done just before warm seasons, to allow new growth again to cover stems left bare, (though grooved species only make most growth in late spring, and never grow new branches on existing stems).
Cutting Wood
To avoid unsightly dead ends, or dangerous hard points, and sharp-edged split stems, cut each piece finally square across, just above a node, bud or branch. As only very sharp (acute-angled) tools cut bamboos, keep rocks, pebbles and other hard objects away from bamboos, above or in the soil. We sharpen tools very carefully, which eases the work wonderfully.
Tools
Select from SHARP: widely-set saws, hatchets, spades, pruning shears, secateurs and powered hedge-cutters, or (our favourite for quick big jobs), light swift chainsaw with vibration damper, and the chain as tight as practical. A chainsaw cuts any bamboo stems, branches and leaves together, leaving rough split ends above. Big rotary slashers, (on highest rotor speeds, and blunt to avoid sharp firm snags in the ground, in tyres) devastate small and sparser medium bamboos, using low ground speeds.
Disposal
Debris rot if moist. Burning makes sharp cracking noise. We sweep up stems and branches off 100metres of hedge in 10 minutes with a grader blade. To unload decks easily, tie a rope underneath before loading and pull over the top, to roll stems off.
Controlling Running Bamboo
Varieties with underground stems, which go far beyond existing stems and have buds for new stems, runner and roots, MUST BE CONFINED ALL ROUND BY:
- JUDICIOUS PLANTING.
- Grazing or mowing every 6 weeks or less, on all sides, for 10 to 15 metres, and much wider still for tall species, in spring and through to March.
- Regularly cutting off all deep runners by spade, mole-plow, or deep hoe, at least twice a year, (down into infertile soil). A narrow deep trench with a vertical side next to the bamboos allows regular access for cutting of runners beside and below; but be sure no-one can stumble into it. Some species dive deeply, seriously.
- Bamboo wood and roots in stale permanent liquid water cannot live long. Such include saturated soil and open drains, streams and ponds; (but not warm aerated intermittent moisture, containing plant foods which supports growth).
- An excavation deep into infertile or dry subsoil is lined with 75mm or thicker, strong underground concrete, all around, sloping out from the bottom to the top, to turn runners upwards. We then cut off every jumping runner before it reaches down to the soil outside, twice a year, or broaden concrete at the top to turn runners back into the plantation. A very strong buried plastic drum with bottom centre draining and top edge left in holds most kinds.
- Close frequent mowing and grazing always weakens bamboos, but don’t stop it entirely.
- Planting in containers with hard sturdy sides: involves frequent thorough watering, more than the average will provide, daily in dry weather, onto big plants.
- Adapt methods from below, to confine yours.
- We offer both advice on, and other help with bamboo control at appropriate hourly rates.
Killing and Removing Bamboo
If any live wood is left, it may grow again. It may grow again into soil. Roots under 3mDiameter cannot survive without bud-bearing wood, so can be ignored usually.The following kill bamboos: the quickest, most reliable and expensive first:
- cut out all underground bamboo wood, with much muscle, skill and sharp (preferably special) tools; or remove all bamboo wood with extra strong machine excavators or blasting; then dump bamboo. We can help. We do consult and contract to do this.
- spraying: after cutting, or burning all stems to ground level, allow several months of regrowth. Spray this thoroughly between November and April, so absorption is best through active tissue, repeat spray, after more regrowth, leave again, and spot spray or dig out, all remaining life for several years, completely to kill the wood, consistent persistence is most successful.
Chemicals found to be helpful are:
- Total vegetation weed killers, like Sodium chlorate. Which travel with water, to damage all plants they reach in soil. Beware!
- Glyphosate, Amitrol and Sodium thiocyanate mixtures, Yates “Amdal”, damage bamboos and other plants by travelling through and persistence in soil, roots and leaves.
- Glyphosate (“roundup” or “network”) travels through all plant tissues only and persists. It is destroyed soon without residue, by soil.
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