Bamboo For You!

[Johnny Pneumatic]

What is/are some species of bamboo that will grow super tall, big around and fast in Arkansas? Also what kinds would do that in tropical climates? I love bamboo, just not Yellow Bamboo martial arts cult.

 

[richardm]

A quick google indicates that your January temperature goes as low as 4° Fahrenheit. If that's accurate, then I suspect that many of the really massive bamboos are not going to enjoy it very much. Things like Dendrocalamus brandisii, which gets used for making buildings, can grow to over 100 feet tall with stems over 8 inches across, but would probably not survive.

You might try Phyllostachys makinoi, which will quite rapidly grow to somewhere around 60-70' and is very cold tolerant. It will put out runners though, so beware! It's a very frondy bamboo, which is quite attractive. Or possibly Phyllostachys viridis 'Robert Young', which has appropriate yellow stems, and will grow to about 40'.

The fastest of all plants is Bambusa oldhamii, which can apparently grow as much as 4 feet per day if the conditions are right. Arkansas conditions are probably not right though, I don't think it's hardy enough and would probably keel over in the first winter.

 

[Dymanic]

Be a little careful with bamboo. There are some 'trash' varieties that can become quite a nuisance. I once dug up some rizomes from a riverbottom and planted them in my yard. Later, in a gardening book, I found a pretty good description of the variety I had chosen, along with admonitions which summed up to: "Don't even think about planting this stuff". Despite considerable effort on my part, that grove was still the dominant landscape feature in the neighborhood when I moved out.

 

[Jeff Corey]

The American Bamboo Society has an Arkansas chapter. Also, check out the Ozarks Bamboo Garden.