Our Sugi Bamboo Planters feature a stylish trapezoidal design, made especially for bamboo containment. Each planter is hand crafted using high quality Japanese and Western Red Cedar and reinforced with with 60 mil HDPE Bamboo Barrier. Invented by Lloyd Dubois, Planter Studio and hand built on site at Bamboo Garden. Please note, there is usually a 2-4 week wait time after the order is placed for the planter to be completed and ready to be shipped.
Maximum bamboo height: 10 to 20 feet depending on which bamboo species is installed.
Dry Weight: about 80 lbs
Weight when filled: 300-400 lbs depending on bamboo and soil type, cost does not include soil or bamboo.
Planter dimensions (outer diameter):
24" long x 22" tall* x 24" wide: $380
36" long x 22" tall* x 24" wide: $380
30" long x 22" tall* x 30" wide: $425
48" long x 22" tall* x 24" wide: $510
60" long x 22" tall* x 24" wide: $525
72" long x 22" tall* x 24" wide: $625
*note: height does not include brick footings
Custom sizes available! Give us your dimensions and inquire for details. Available in clear or black finish.
bamboo@bamboogarden.com 503-647-2700
Our new Sugi Bamboo Planters provide a great alternative to planting bamboo directly in the ground. Some areas, such as gravel parking strips and patios are obviously not suitable for planting in the ground, yet tall screening is often desired. Cold hardy varieties of bamboo can quickly grow into a 10 to 20 foot evergreen screen. They are lined with 60 mil rhizome barrier for added protection.
- The bottom is a metal grate with landscape fabric to hold the soil in place. The metal grate is help in position by three pressure treated 2x4s that span the width of the bottom of the planter. The bamboo can be pushed out from the bottom of the planter with this unique, open bottom design. YouTube video of us removing and dividing a bamboo from the trapezoidal planter
- Planters provide space for 10+ years of healthy bamboo growth. Wood is a good insulator against the heat and cold.
- Pre lined with 60 mil rhizome barrier, fastened into the cedar along the top, bottom, and corners.
- Maintenance required is once or twice per year: pull rhizomes away from outer edge of barrier, thin and remove older canes to maintain good health
- We recommend installing a simple drip irrigation system to assure that the bamboo gets the water it needs during the summer. Bamboo in containers are less drought resistant, especially when they are very well established.
- Fertilize 2-3 times per year with a high nitrogen fertilizer.
- We can fit 4x planters on one pallet for a reasonable shipping rate (rates vary depending on location) Contact us for a shipping quote or come to the nursery to pick up your planter.
- It takes 5x bags (2 cu. feet ea) of potting soil to fill a planter (10 cubic feet). We recommend 4x bags of potting soil and 1x bale of organic compost. Larger bamboo obviously require less soil to fill the planter. Soil not included in list price.
Scroll to bottom of page for more general care information.
Below: Our new Extra Tough Root Pouch is a great, lower cost alternative for growing bamboo in containers. It is approximately 65 gallons in volume, and is 31 inches in diameter and 18 inches tall. With a 5 year estimated life span it is possible to grow bamboo to 20 feet in height, depending on species. After 5 years, you can transplant the bamboo into the ground or another Extra Tough Root Pouch or Bamboo Planter.
Root Pouch products are innovatively made out of a specialized fabric that comes from recycled plastic bottles. This design was made especially for bamboo growing. The fabric is about twice as thick and much stronger than the standard Root Pouch material.
$60 each including shipping.
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden
Extra Tough Root Pouch for growing bamboo.
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden 2020
Step 1) Area is leveled and 6x brick footers are carefully placed at each corner and two in the middle.
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden
Step 2) Landscape fabric is folded out along the bottom of the planter to hold the soil.
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden
Step 3) 1-2 bags of potting soil are spread over the bottom and packed down against the wire mesh and weed fabric.
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden
Step 4) Bamboo is taken out of their containers and evenly spaced in the planter. In this case we used 3x #10 size Fargesia scabrida.
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden
Step 5) 3-4 more bags of potting soil are packed around the bamboo and mixed with 2.5 lbs of our custom 8-2-2 Bamboo Fertilizer.
photo copyright: Bamboo Garden
Step 6) Bamboo is watered in generously, 10 gallons per plant for the initial installation. 1-2 gallons per plant, three times per week during the growing season is adequate. Project complete in 1 hour. Neighbor's trampoline is blocked from view!
Bamboo is an excellent container plant. It provides an upright, evergreen screen for many applications. We have developed a specialized container for growing bamboo called the Sugi Bamboo Planters as our flagship offering. They provide containment for up to 10 years before the bamboo needs to be transplanted. Other options include galvanized metal stock tanks, cedar boxes, and large fabric pots (Root Pouch). The following are key points to consider for long term health and maintenance:
Expected height/culm diameter - Restricted root space = restricted height & smaller culm diameter. In general, the expected height would be 1/2 to 3/4 of the maximum height. For example,Black Bamboo (a Running Bamboo) can grow over 30 feet tall in the ground but often won't top 15 feet when grown in a container. Clumping Bamboo will often achieve 10 feet in a planter, as opposed to 12 to 15 feet in the ground. Clumping Bamboo are shade loving
Hardiness - Bamboo grown in containers are less hardy than if grown in the ground. Container bamboos, especially those that are not well adapted to hot sun and cold winters, require more care in placement, as they can be damaged if the pot overheats or freezes. A bamboo hardy to 0 F in the ground may suffer cold damage at 10F when grown in a container. The larger the container, the more cold hardy your bamboo will be.
Watering - We recommend watering your containers when the top of the soil appears dry, until water comes out the drainage holes at the bottom. Always monitor your plants for signs of dehydration such as curling leaves. We often water our bamboo every day during extreme heat, but in normal weather, we water 2 to 3 times per week during the summer, or during extended dry periods. 1 to 2 gallons of water per session is usually sufficient, but this amount increases if the container is larger or the bamboo is root bound.
Soil/Fertilizing – Bamboo is happiest in a neutral to slightly acidic, well draining but moisture retentive potting soil. We recommend fertilizing 3x per growing season (Spring - Summer) with a high nitrogen grass fertilizer, for example: 20-5-10 (NPK) with added iron. We also offer an 8-2-2 organic Bamboo Fertilizer (this is a custom blend we have developed at Bamboo Garden) for mixing in with the potting soil. Always follow package directions in regards to how much & how often to apply.
Re-potting/Dividing - Depending on the size of container, you will need to re-pot or divide every 5-10 years to maintain optimal health & vigor of the bamboo. With our Sugi Bamboo Planters, bamboo can grow well for up to 10 years. If not maintained, root bound bamboos may escape or even break their container. Repotting/dividing is best done in the springtime. “Dividing” basically means cutting the bamboo root-mass in half and re-potting the divisions into separate containers. Smaller divisions can be made at this time as well. With our Sugi Bamboo Planters, the bottom can be detached so that the bamboo can be pushed out from beneath which is a big advantage for ease of transplanting.
Containers - We recommend using our Sugi Bamboo Planter because it offers good insulation from heat and cold, and ease of maintenance because of the trapezoidal shape and Bamboo Barrier lining. If metal stock tanks are used for bamboo, we recommend insulating the inside with Bamboo Barrier. Metal stock should have extra drain holes (1/2” diameter and ~2 per square foot) as well to provide adequate drainage. We suggest placing any container on brick footings to avoid the eventual blocking of the drainage holes or degradation of the container.
Bamboo Barrier - Bamboo rhizomes can adhere to porous surfaces, such as wood or clay. Therefore, we recommend lining any container with Bamboo Barrier to help when removing your bamboo and increase the life of the planter. Bamboo Barrier also provides additional insulation from heat and cold.