Custom sizes available! Give us your dimensions and inquire for details. Available in clear or black finish.
Made in USA. We sell the "King of Spades" root cutting spade (13" blade, long metal handle). This is a professional grade tool for cutting roots and rhizomes, or digging bamboo. These spades are extremely tough and built to last, plus you will find many other uses for them beyond bamboo. We have been using this shovel for many years at the nursery. We highly recommend it for any bamboo grower, general landscaper, hobbyist or professional. One rubber foot pad included.
Area is leveled and 6x brick footers are carefully placed at each corner and two in the middle.
Landscape fabric is folded out along the bottom of the planter to hold the soil.
1-2 bags of potting soil are spread over the bottom and packed down against the wire mesh and weed fabric.
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.
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.
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:
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
Bamboo grown in containers are less hardy than if grown in the ground. Container bamboos, especially those that are not well adapted to the 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.
We recommend watering your containers when the top of the soil appears dry until water comes out of 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.
Bamboo is happiest in 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.
Depending on the size of the 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.
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 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.
