jacko wrote:ok i've had a look and consulted some books and basically a clumping bamboo will spread outwards in diameter slowly but not 'run' because it has a different rhizome structure. clumping bamboos are pachymorph and running bamboos are leptomorph.check this site out for the differences.
http://www.bamboobotanicals.ca/bamboo-c ... pread.html
as for the second question yes bamboos grow from the base and once a new culm reaches its max height in a growing season thats it it wont gain anymore height.culms will get bigger and taller each year as the plant matures.you can prune the height if you wish.more foliage = more energy for the plant.if you prune more than a third of the overall size of the plant it will lose vigour and decline over the years.
Simba wrote:I visited the Rodings yesterday..
They have massive mature specimens of many bamboo including Fargesia Scabrida & Wolong, and I would not be at all concerned about these running rampant.
So as confirmed by the above, clumping bamboo's don't run.
I use the term "run" in the invasive sense. It seems there really isn't a mechanism in place which suddenly turns a clumping Fergasia into a running pest bamboo.
Maintenance as simple as removing unwanted canes, which will always be close to the main plant
"Pachymorph rhizomes that grow upwards developing into a new culm. New rhizomes emerge from buds on an existing rhizome and so forth. This accumulative effect causes the grove to expand slowly around the perimeter"
This has put my mind at ease, as i've read many posts where i'm told all bamboo's are eventually invasive. Did you get any pics Simba of these mature Fergasias?
I fancy planting a load more Fergesia's this year out in the ground, they really are bang for buck
