MacTech
04-23-2006, 10:50 AM
Last Summer, midway through the season, i planted a pot of Fargesia Rufa (http://www.bamboogarden.com/Fargesia%20sp.%20'Rufa'.htm) clumping bamboo in the border of the field and the lawn, this was an area that we had previously used as a horse manure pile, there's none there now, *but* the soil there is rich and dark with lots of nutrients, and it gets a nice balance of sun and shade
Rufa is a fast-growing clumper, and it grew easily 3-4" taller since i planted it over last summer, it's total height was about 4 feet tall at the end of the summer, and the clump was a good 10 inches across , it's also hardy and can withstand temperatures down to -15, so with prodigious mulching, it survived our cold Maine winter quite well....
yesterday, i went up to clear away the mulch around the base and found a nice ring of new shoots, the shoots themselves were about 2" tall already and starting to show leaves at the tips of the shoots, with this new growth, the clump is now about 12-15" in diameter, every year it'll add a few inches to it's diameter until it reaches it's maximum clump diameter of 6-8 feet
if you've never experienced live bamboo, it's an awesome plant, a member of the grass family, there are some species (like the Moso) that can grow 60-75 *FEET* in a YEAR, and have culms (shoots) 4-6 inches thick (sadly, Moso isn't hardy enough for Maine winters....
if you've watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the fight they get into in the forest is performed in a forest of 80 foot tall Moso bamboo
Bamboo is up to 3 times more effective at cleaning the air of pollutants than *trees*, when you sit next to a clump of bamboo, the air actually seems fresher and a few degrees *cooler*, it's not psychosomatic, i tested a few people, had them sit next to the Rufa, every one reported feeling cooler and the air tasting cleaner.....
and the quiet rustling sound of the wind through the leaves and culms is very calming and peaceful.....
i can't wait to see how much more growth will happen this year, i mean it's only April and the bamboo's already started growing like crazy.....
Rufa is a fast-growing clumper, and it grew easily 3-4" taller since i planted it over last summer, it's total height was about 4 feet tall at the end of the summer, and the clump was a good 10 inches across , it's also hardy and can withstand temperatures down to -15, so with prodigious mulching, it survived our cold Maine winter quite well....
yesterday, i went up to clear away the mulch around the base and found a nice ring of new shoots, the shoots themselves were about 2" tall already and starting to show leaves at the tips of the shoots, with this new growth, the clump is now about 12-15" in diameter, every year it'll add a few inches to it's diameter until it reaches it's maximum clump diameter of 6-8 feet
if you've never experienced live bamboo, it's an awesome plant, a member of the grass family, there are some species (like the Moso) that can grow 60-75 *FEET* in a YEAR, and have culms (shoots) 4-6 inches thick (sadly, Moso isn't hardy enough for Maine winters....
if you've watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the fight they get into in the forest is performed in a forest of 80 foot tall Moso bamboo
Bamboo is up to 3 times more effective at cleaning the air of pollutants than *trees*, when you sit next to a clump of bamboo, the air actually seems fresher and a few degrees *cooler*, it's not psychosomatic, i tested a few people, had them sit next to the Rufa, every one reported feeling cooler and the air tasting cleaner.....
and the quiet rustling sound of the wind through the leaves and culms is very calming and peaceful.....
i can't wait to see how much more growth will happen this year, i mean it's only April and the bamboo's already started growing like crazy.....