Growing a Fargesia rufa Bamboo Hedge

[piechnik99]

Hello All,

I am looking at growing this type of bamboo as a hedge to block out the neighbours 6ft ish lleylandi at the back of our garden.

I bought 12 pots of Fargesia Bamboo from B&Q in the recent sales (£1 per pot) and although small, have been assured by fellow forumites that these will in time bulk up to form a nice hedge.

I have been advised to plant them in the ground, but after looking at it further I was thinking of planting them in pots instead of the ground (the neighbour is a funny butter, and the ground is full of said conifer and old cherry laurel roots I chopped to ground level a few years ago).

I need some advice re the pot size. I know they can grow upto a metre across. I was thinking of 40 or 50cm bell planter with a brick in the bottom (to save it blowing over). Would these be too big? Too small? What would be the best growing medium?

Thanks!

[Yorkshire Kris]

Get them in the ground otherwise they need daily watering in the summer and regular feeding. I've planted a row of F robusta against conifers last year and they are just starting to put up new culms now.
Cordyman has some excellent year on year growth photos.

[Mr List]

carrots the neighbour it is your garden, plant them in the ground !

or build a large trough the length of the hedge site and make it wide and deep enough to hold plenty of moisture.

these bamboos don't grow that tall in my garden, about 4-5 foot in the ground and only 3 in pots

[flounder]

Not trying to put a dampener on things, but won't rufa be a little 'floppy' for the desired effect? It's a very arching type. Robusta is better but if it's rufa you've got cheap, rufa it is. Also, 6ft is probably the top of their range. I'd go for a square or rectangular planter for a bit more stability and to give a bit more height ...although I would plant them myself

[Nigel Fear]

If your neighbour has Leylandii in their garden you're going to need a taller screen.
Also,If close-bye, you're probably going to struggle with dry, impoverished soil unless they keep the height as it is now.

[cordyman]

Get them in the ground otherwise they need daily watering in the summer and regular feeding. I've planted a row of F robusta against conifers last year and they are just starting to put up new culms now.
Cordyman has some excellent year on year growth photos.

I asked here too when I needed advise on a strict bamboo hedge

http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... =1&t=10841


Rufa is very floppy, Fergasia Robusta Campbell very strict and currently at 12ft...


















I need to go and check as its probably throwing up culms now too as noticed Mr L's was in one of his thread!

[Neil Ziemski]

I agree totally regarding pots, it's a no.
I have loads of Rufa, my potted one last year struggled along, it's now in the ground.
Regarding hedge material, I think it's well suited , although it can be floppy, over time it bulks up really well and can be shaped due to its high culm production.
You could trim it like a privet hedge in time, also I gave a small piece 5 years ago to someone and it is now 8 foot!
Neil

[samtobuk]

So why do they struggle in pots? Got two decent diameter pots of F.scabrida (only 2ft tall though) and was planning on transferring to some much wider pots to get some spread while letting them increase in height. I'm a bit impatient though, so don't want to have a lean year if potting them in some nice horse/mushroom compost won't float their boat.

Is it the warmth in the ground that helps, or no specific reason but just something people have experienced?

Did see some great Fargesia mureliae Superjumbo on the weekend - huge pots of it, packed full of culms, about 4-5ft tall, £49.99 ........ tempted!

[Yorkshire Kris]

So why do they struggle in pots? Got two decent diameter pots of F.scabrida (only 2ft tall though) and was planning on transferring to some much wider pots to get some spread while letting them increase in height. I'm a bit impatient though, so don't want to have a lean year if potting them in some nice horse/mushroom compost won't float their boat.

Is it the warmth in the ground that helps, or no specific reason but just something people have experienced?

Did see some great Fargesia mureliae Superjumbo on the weekend - huge pots of it, packed full of culms, about 4-5ft tall, £49.99 ........ tempted!

Most plants do better in the ground than in pots but bamboos are right up there are being one of the most needy types of plant that need constant access to food and water to grow to their true potential. In a pot they are reliant on you for all their needs and you simply can't keep up.

[piechnik99]

build a large trough the length of the hedge site and make it wide and deep enough to hold plenty of moisture.

these bamboos don't grow that tall in my garden, about 4-5 foot in the ground and only 3 in pots

Good idea - about 50cm depth, 25cm height and width as long as the run?

[Neil Ziemski]

Reason against pots
Rufa are very thirsty and dry out too quickly and begin to look shabby.
if in the ground you can get two series of culm production in a year, unlikely in pots.

[Neil Ziemski]

Good idea - about 50cm depth, 25cm height and width as long as the run?[/quote]
Why not forget the depth, like most bamboo they root shallow and use a barrier the length of the hedge

[cordyman]

So why do they struggle in pots? Got two decent diameter pots of F.scabrida (only 2ft tall though) and was planning on transferring to some much wider pots to get some spread while letting them increase in height. I'm a bit impatient though, so don't want to have a lean year if potting them in some nice horse/mushroom compost won't float their boat.

Is it the warmth in the ground that helps, or no specific reason but just something people have experienced?

Did see some great Fargesia mureliae Superjumbo on the weekend - huge pots of it, packed full of culms, about 4-5ft tall, £49.99 ........ tempted!

I rarely lose plants *touches wood/touches black* but even I manged to kill a bamboo in a pot

http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... =1&t=19580



also the boo's in the ground are far far far more vigerous, even with OCD watering of the potted specimens. In the ground, same species, more height, more flushes, more culms, taller, thicker

[samtobuk]

Fair enough, that's decision made then ........ don't really need to know why, but can't help the scientist in me coming out!!

Best work out where to put them then - will plant them separately and let them race eachother!

Any guesses how long from 2ft to a really good height? 3 years?

[piechnik99]

Yorkshire Kris - The growing in the ground makes sense, I nearly killed my potted phyllostachys aurea last winter by not watering it for most of last winter

Flounder - No dampener, I now its a bit floppy, but yeah, I got the rufa cheap!

Nigel - Not only is it the conifers, but also got the issue of the old cherry laurel roots on my side of the fence

Cordyman - Nice photos - did you go for the Scabrida? I've seen this red stemmed bamboo and like the look of it

http://www.jparkers.co.uk/plant-0005577 ... ed-bamboo/

Neil - Makes sense regards the watering....

Yeah, to echo samtobuk, looks like the ground it is!

- About 50cm from the fence boundary?