pruning bamboos

[jacko]

yeah i'm looking into it.i'm probably going to go for a very light coloured screen either willow or split bamboo and'or paint the screen a pale colour.and then maybe a black screen behind the yellow spectabilis.

[Simba]

Another way to show off the culms to to plant two opposite colours close to each other, ie black culms alongside yellow culms...etc etc...

I am planning on planting a P.Nigra alongside a Y.Maculata in the same raised bed and let them run wild....theory is I will get black and blue culms popping up all over the place...

[jacko]

good idea simba,i'm also looking into mirror panels aswell.i've seen some good ideas using mirrors in the garden on the net whilst googling.

[Trudytropics]

That's a coincedence Jacko, I have been pricing acrylic mirror sheets for my garden, I plan to fasten to fence behind planting already there to give the impression of depth to the planting and hopefully will make my garden appear a little bigger. I know it's bad for the birds, but mine will be tucked right behind the plants, so birds would not fly into anyway. There are quite a number of companies selling it but prices vary quite a lot

[Simba]

I have seen it used at the side of a small pond, which was such a clever idea, cos it makes the pond look twice the size it really is....

[Andy P]

Any idea how long these acrylic mirrors last? I`m also thinking of putting some behind a lot of Bamboo i`ve just recieved. I know glass mirrors wouldn`t last outdoors as the silver backing on them peels off in time when exposed to the elements. i`ve read that you can get ` marine acrylic mirrors`. But do they end up doing the same??

[Trudytropics]

I don't know how long they last Andy, never thought of that, just know they have a degree of flex so can be fastened to a fence and are light weight compared to glass. I did read that anything over 1m should be secured to a board first before mounting, to try and avoid distortion, this does not bother me as the plants will be in front. you can get different coloured acrylic mirrors also if you so wish

I think behind bamboo they would look brilliant, make everything appear denser, I suppose they would be protected from the elements to a degree also.

[karl66]

Jacko, they look really good. I'm newish to bamboo & was wondering what the best type of tool to use for stripping the canes?, also if you take a couple of sticks of bamboo out of a grove & want to plant it elsewhere, does it transplant and take up new growth easy. The reason i ask is that i must have at least 15 clumps of different types of bamboo planted in the ground around the garden & i need some for screening on a patio area but they must stay in pots on patio, do i buy more bamboo or take some canes out the ground & pot up. I dont want to end up with more bamboo than i need in the future. karl.

[Trudytropics]

Can't answer that question for you Karl, however some bamboos are happier in a pot than others. I was thinking of finding a nice bamboo for some pots, If you know what you have look to pot the best one for the job

[pdid]

Jacko, they look really good. I'm newish to bamboo & was wondering what the best type of tool to use for stripping the canes?, also if you take a couple of sticks of bamboo out of a grove & want to plant it elsewhere, does it transplant and take up new growth easy. The reason i ask is that i must have at least 15 clumps of different types of bamboo planted in the ground around the garden & i need some for screening on a patio area but they must stay in pots on patio, do i buy more bamboo or take some canes out the ground & pot up. I dont want to end up with more bamboo than i need in the future. karl.

Secateurs to strip canes.

You can`t take a couple of canes, the best bet is to remove from pot (or dig up) and split the plant down the middle with a couple of forks or a knife, ensuring a good amount of rhizome with each plant. If the plant is big enough you will be able to get multiple divisions ie. cut into 4 rather than 2.

When stripping bamboo the smaller (weaker) canes are pruned out from the base just below soil level.

Your boo`s are looking awesome Jacko

[Yorkshire Kris]

The mirror lasts for years and year. I've had one on a fence panel for 5 years. Cracked it a few times when trying to drill into it though.

[Trudytropics]

I bought 2 x 4ft x 2ft mirrors yesterday to go behind planting, hoping for a good effect

I wonder if they go more brittle after being outside for a while and thats why they have cracked Kris, I have read they are quite easy to drill and cut (acrylic type) etc, although yours may be a glass mirror?, in which case no wonder it cracked

[jacko]

yeah i use secateurs to prune up the canes.others have beaten me to it to answering your questions karl

[Kristen]

Naive question I'm sure, but:

By "use secateurs" you mean snip off each individual "leaf" and "sheath"? Not some sneaky way of just sliding them down the cane that strips off all the redundant material?

[Trudytropics]

Snip off each one Kristen, I started a thread myself on this last year. I have just cleaned out my boo's taking our thinner canes and some dead ones and whilst I was in amongst them a stripped the very bottoms. Its easy, just time consuming but the effect as you see from Jacko's is brilliant, it also allows more light into the centre of the plant, better for growing