Hi everyone i was thinking of getting some bamboo for
my garden but some of the more unique varieties get
quite expensive. I was thinking of getting one or two
stems then air layering them off. Is this done the
same way you would air layer a woody plant? Do any
of you have any tips? Is it much more difficult then
rooting or air layering a bush or tree?

Thanks
Ben Griffin

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Hi everyone i was thinking of getting some bamboo for
my garden but some of the more unique varieties get
quite expensive. I was thinking of getting one or two
stems then air layering them off. Is this done the
same way you would air layer a woody plant? Do any
of you have any tips? Is it much more difficult then
rooting or air layering a bush or tree?

You should read up on bamboo before you take this step. Some bamboos
are very invasive (the running, rather than the clumping types), and
should only be planted within contained areas.

Bamboo is divided, not air-layered.
--
Nina Shishkoff

Frederick, MD

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Hi everyone i was thinking of getting some bamboo for
my garden but some of the more unique varieties get
quite expensive. I was thinking of getting one or two
stems then air layering them off. Is this done the
same way you would air layer a woody plant? Do any
of you have any tips? Is it much more difficult then
rooting or air layering a bush or tree?


Nope.

Bamboo is closely related to the grasses, though it is no longer
considered to be a grass. It grows by seeds and runners. Air
layering won't work.

You really do want to think carefully about adding bamboo to your
garden. Most bamboo are highly invasive (and even those that
aren't thought to be can be tough to control). They can send
runners 30-40 feet, under cement and asphalt, and appear suddenly
in a neighbor's yard -- even on across the street! This will NOT
endear you to your neighbors.

Even keeping them in pots can be a problem if the pot sits on the
ground and has drainage (which it would have to have; they don't
care for wet feet).

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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Ben,
I used to grow many species of bamboo and after many attempt I could not get
any to root from cuttings. Breaking up a clump with roots was the only way I
could propagate it.
I never tried air-layers but I suspect it won't work.
Let us know if you succeed.
Jerry Meislik
Whitefish Montana USA
Zone 3-4
http://www.bonsaihunk.8m.com/
Hi everyone i was thinking of getting some bamboo for
my garden but some of the more unique varieties get
quite expensive. I was thinking of getting one or two
stems then air layering them off. Is this done the
same way you would air layer a woody plant? Do any
of you have any tips? Is it much more difficult then
rooting or air layering a bush or tree?

Thanks
Ben Griffin


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In article m,
(Ben Griffin) wrote:

Hi everyone i was thinking of getting some bamboo for
my garden but some of the more unique varieties get
quite expensive. I was thinking of getting one or two
stems then air layering them off. Is this done the
same way you would air layer a woody plant? Do any
of you have any tips? Is it much more difficult then
rooting or air layering a bush or tree?
Thanks
Ben Griffin

After seeing all the responses saying that air layering won't work, I
must tell you that I did once use it to get a stand started quickly and
cheaply and it certainly worked for me. I just "air layered" around a
node, using moss held in by plastic sheeting. In a month or so new
roots began to show at the plastic surface and I just cut it off below
the node. I actually did several on one branch and hence got several new
plants from it. I had to make sure that there was not too much growth
above the cutting because those tended to dry out and die too easily. I
must admit that I added some #2 rooting compound to the moss, but I am
not sure that it was necessary. I used the technique to get a row of
banboo going quickly in one year. In a few years the rapidly spreading
shoots would have provided new plants much more easily. In fact I had
to take an axe to the spreading roots this year. It put up quite a
fight, but we humans always win provided our hearts can take it.

Elmer

Are any of you familiar with these types of bamboo or
seen either of them in person? I have heard like some
of you mentioned that bamboo can be quite invasive.

Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon'

Phyllostachys nigra 'Bory'

I was thinking of building a small retaining wall in
the soil to control it.

ben


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Phyllostachys are runners and thus invasive. I used galvanized metal 14
inches deep and overlapped with two feet of metal. The bamboo still found
its way out!
Jerry Meislik
Whitefish Montana USA
Zone 3-4
http://www.bonsaihunk.8m.com/
Are any of you familiar with these types of bamboo or
seen either of them in person? I have heard like some
of you mentioned that bamboo can be quite invasive.

Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon'

Phyllostachys nigra 'Bory'

I was thinking of building a small retaining wall in
the soil to control it.

ben



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I hope you all don't mind me brining up bamboo on our
bosnai forum. They are somewhat related as they tie
in with japanese gardening . Just one more quick
question. Are there only two types of bamboo running
and clumping. Or are there other growth patterns
available.

Ben

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I was thinking of building a small retaining wall in
the soil to control it.


If you do, be certain that the "retaining wall goes AT LEAST 12
inches below the surface of the soil. It doesn't matter at all
how tall ABOVE the surface it is.

That's a lot of work. I doubt that it's worth it.


Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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I hope you all don't mind me brining up bamboo on our
bosnai forum. They are somewhat related as they tie
in with japanese gardening . Just one more quick
question. Are there only two types of bamboo running
and clumping. Or are there other growth patterns
available.

That's it.

Mind you, "clumping" just means they spread a bit more slowly
than "running."

I would avoid bamboo at all costs.

That said, I have about an acre of bamboo that I'd gladly give
you. FREE.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . .

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According to all the books I have there are only the two distinct types
of growth running (Leptomorph) and clumping (Pachymorph). I have found
that even this classification is not always reliable. My Phyllostachys
aureosulcata Spectabilis is supposed to be clumping but was planted in
very well enriched soil and watered regularly. The result is a 12 foot
wide clump in four years from a single 5 Litre pot. A friend's clump of
the same variety, at the same age has barely doubled the area it
occupies.

I learned from this experience and planted my P nigra and P nigra
Boryana in sol with good drainage but less animal fertiliser. These have
both grown well and remained in a neat clump for three years. They still
need watching though.

A small retaining wall must be very deep in the soil if you are to have
any chance of stopping the more vigorous rhizomes. They will puncture
pool liners, asphalt, weak mortar and can even "jump" over a low barrier
if not closely watched!

There are some excellent new books on Bamboo. I can heartily recommend
The Gardeners Guide to Growing Temperate Bamboos by Michael Bell on
Timber Press - beautifully illustrated and very well written.

The right one in the right place with the right care can be a dramatic
and very enjoyable addition to a garden. They do require work, but what
garden plant doesn't?

Cheers

Kev Bailey


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Ben:
You had better set your wall about ten feet below soil level and
surround the Bamboo with a thick wall......

Carl L. Rosner

Ben Griffin wrote:

Are any of you familiar with these types of bamboo or
seen either of them in person? I have heard like some
of you mentioned that bamboo can be quite invasive.

Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon'

Phyllostachys nigra 'Bory'

I was thinking of building a small retaining wall in
the soil to control it.

ben





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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Ben,
Check out this site with information on bamboo bonsai and much more.

A HREF="http://www.bamboos.com/bonsai-instructions.html"http://www.bamboos.com/bonsai-instructions.html/A

and information on the bamboo you mention below:

http://www.bamboos.com/burt_13.html

Luis Fontanills
Miami, Florida USA


In a message dated 4/10/2003 4:58:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

Are any of you familiar with these types of bamboo or
seen either of them in person? I have heard like some
of you mentioned that bamboo can be quite invasive.

Phyllostachys nigra 'Henon'

Phyllostachys nigra 'Bory'

I was thinking of building a small retaining wall in
the soil to control it.

ben



************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

i was thinking of getting some bamboo for my garden but some of the more
unique varieties get quite expensive. I was thinking of getting one or two
stems then air layering them off. Is this done the same way you would air
layer a woody plant?

1. Where do you live? There are only a few species of bamboo that are hardy in
Zone 5.
2. Unless you live in the South, you are limited to running bamboos for the
garden. These are extremely dangerous, as invasive as a kudzu vine. if you want
to plant them, you will have to restrain them with a concrete barrier or a
piece of sewer main pipe.
3. Bamboo is a monocot, a member of what we now call the Liliopsida. You can't
air layer it. It is sold by the clump, and even the clumping type bamboos will
multiply fast enough. The running type reproduce by runners, faster than the
brooms of the Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

I agree with Nina,
My neighbor planted bamboo a couple of years ago and now it is all over the place. It has encroached into my yard and my other neighbors property. It is extremely difficult to kill. I don't know what variety he planted but it is more of a weed than a decor
ative plant.

Al Polanco
NY
----- Original Message -----
From: Nina Shishkoff
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2003 2:07 PM
Subject: [IBC] Bamboo Propagation/Air Layering


Hi everyone i was thinking of getting some bamboo for
my garden but some of the more unique varieties get
quite expensive. I was thinking of getting one or two
stems then air layering them off. Is this done the
same way you would air layer a woody plant? Do any
of you have any tips? Is it much more difficult then
rooting or air layering a bush or tree?

You should read up on bamboo before you take this step. Some bamboos
are very invasive (the running, rather than the clumping types), and
should only be planted within contained areas.

Bamboo is divided, not air-layered.
--
Nina Shishkoff

Frederick, MD

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************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

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