divaqs's Blog

Sweetshoot Bamboo (Phyllostachys Dulcis)
Apr 29, 2007 | 9:07 PM PST
Tags: bamboo , sweetshoot , Phyllostachys Dulcis , edible

I had an area in my yard in which seemed really exposed to the view of my neighbors, not that I try to hide anything, but it is sometimes nice to have some privacy. So, some sort of privacy screen or fence made sense. I decided that a grove of bamboo would be a good option, since it would make a natural privacy screen.

As an edible landscaper, I am always asking myself, how edible is it? Most bamboo has edible shoots, which are used in Asian cooking. There are some kinds of bamboo that are considered the better tasting ones, including, but not limited to:
Phyllostachys nidularia 'Smoothsheath'
Phyllostachys flexuosa
Phyllostachys nuda
Phyllostachys vivax (vivier's bamboo)
Phyllostachys Dulcis (sweetshoot)

After doing more reading and talking with a couple of experts at bamboo nurseries, I settled on the sweetshoot variety, since it was reported to be the absolute best tasting. It is also reputed as being among the most beautiful, with its masses of large drooping leaves, thick culms and a white ring at each node. It is very quick growing and gets very thick for its height, up to 3 inches in diameter at 30 feet in height. It is hardy to minus 10 F. Plus, like all true bamboo, is evergreen.

My next problem was that the area that made sense to put the bamboo as a privacy screen was like a swamp. You couldn’t walk through that area without sinking about five inches into mud.

I resolved the swamp problem, plus the problem of how to contain the bamboo, by digging a three foot deep trench around the area I wanted the bamboo to grow. I put in drain pipe in the bottom of the trench and a thick bamboo root barrier. This was a real challenge, since the trench walls kept collapsing due to the swampiness of the area, but I persisted and after about nine hours of exhausting work, finally got everything in place. Within weeks, the swamp dried up.

The bamboo root barrier is really important, since bamboo can take over whole areas and be very difficult to remove once it is established. I really doubt my neighbor would like a grove of bamboo taking over his yard. To keep it under control, I’ve seen many people grow it in large pots, though that wouldn’t have been enough bamboo to fulfill what I was envisioning. So, I opted for a ¼ inch thick root barrier that was three feet tall. I then used wood and screws to join the two ends of the root barrier, in an attempt to eliminate the possibility of the roots being able to push through. I also left a little bit of the barrier above ground, since I've heard reports of roots sometimes getting over the top of root barriers.

I planted five culms of Phyllostachys Dulcis, spaced about 3 feet from each other, figuring that they would fill in between each other in something like 5 to 10 years.

That was 2 years ago.

Here is a current picture;

In the picture you can see the bamboo in-between the black fence that separates my yard from my neighbor's yard and a gazebo in my yard.

I’ve heard that the first couple of years you shouldn’t expect much growth from Bamboo, but that by the third year you will see a leap of growth. Each year of the first two years my plants seemed to double in size, both in number of canes and in the height of those canes. This is the year I am expecting to really see something happen and have the chance to cut my first bamboo shoot and get a sense of what it tastes like. Young shoots are harvested, for eating, in spring before they exceed 12 inches tall, ideally just as they are about to pop above the ground.

I am also really looking forward to starting to be able to use my own bamboo canes in my garden. I think they add a really nice natural look to things made out of them, like trellises, garden towers, barriers, and more. However, this is still a ways out for me, since my grove hasn’t started yet growing canes to anything near their full size, and after that, canes take several years for the wood to achieve maximum hardness and durability.