Beware!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by kurt

Another"beware".For the longest time it was all the rage for the wood bamboo floors.The will suck up water like a sponge and buckle like a roller coaster.For us down here is humid land nobody uses it anymore.Be careful around exterior doors,on the ground floor top of concrete applications and in kitchens,around bathrooms,Will stay good until wet.

Concrete has to cure for a year a vapor barrier needs to be put down and you don't put it below grade.

Even then you can't get it wet.
.
I use good old white oak and other exotic tight grained woods like teak for floors.

Bamboo is best used on a traditional joist floor above grade and at least a 1/2 gap on the edges.
Like all wood floors it should aclimate to the room it is to go in for at least a month.

This said with how fast they put up houses I would be reluctant to let someone else do it.

I do these things myself for quality controle reasons.

Worth

[jennifer28]

Originally Posted by kurt

Unless you have a million acres of land and then 5 more do not plant bamboo!Bought a small plant the wife thought was "cute"Today my 5 vacationing nephews(all strapping young bucs)and I spent all day removing the "cute"8yr old 20ft square ball,40-50ft high stand of mass jungle.We used chain saws,sawzalls,axes a ditch witch and power augers.Now I have a hole that is about 6ft deep and a torn up yard.Trust me just look at pictures of the "cute plant.

My friend has bamboo in her yard. It is HORRIBLY invasive. I've read that you need to dig a trench and put in a concrete barrier several feet down to stop it from spreading. Bamboo goes everywhere. You may think you have dug it all up but it will be back. That's all I have to say - ugh. bamboo.

[BarbJ]

Running (RUNNING) bamboo is horribly invasive. It is the stuff everyone is afraid of. Everyone planted it in the 60's and beyond and now it's ruined bamboo's reputaion. Running bamboo was the first kind planted in any large amount because it was cheap to propagate cause it, well grows fast. lol!

Clumping (CLUMPING) bamboo is great!! It has many uses and is very well behaved, like Worth said. There are dozens of kinds of CLUMPING bamboo in various colors of green and various heights. It's a great screen for narrow areas, it give a light and airy feeling, it's very useful as focal points. In short, CLUMPING Bamboo is awesome!!

Poor, poor CLUMPING bamboo. Running bamboo ruined it's reputation and it didn't even do anything to deserve it. Please don't paint all bamboo with the same brush. Running bamboo is a thug. Clumping bamboo is NOT. Enjoy clumping bamboo without fear.

[jennifer28]

well my friend probably has the running kind of bamboo. It does shoot out random runners in the middle of the yard. we can agree to disagree, though. I just do not like bamboo. I love blueberry bushes, to the point where i have more than 20 on my property. my neighbor hates blueberry bushes and thinks I am insane. I would not agree with her on the hating blueberries part, but yes, I may be insane.

[lakelady]

Kurt, I am with you TOTALLY. My neighbors with the tiny yard planted bamboo like 15 years ago, ALONG MY FENCE. I have been cursing them ever since. I have had to dig up my stone retaining walls, my shrubs, that junk has overtaken a big part of my side yard and I cannot kill it. I've dug it up as much as possible and it always comes back.

I'm sure there is a "good" bamboo, but for anyone who's had the bad stuff, it makes you want to back away holding your fingers in a cross sign, it's EVIL stuff.

I feel terrible for you. I hope you only deal with it once, because I just can't get rid of it permanently.

[Worth1]

Don't plant the so called snake plant in zones that don't freeze.
It will take over yours and you neighbors yard.

Too bad about peoples idea of bamboo.

Worth

[Rockporter]

Snakes like bamboo around here so we try to take it out whenever possible. That stuff had a whole den of copperheads in it by the pond last winter. Eek!

[Worth1]

Jennifer your friend HAS running bamboo.

Clumping stays in a tight clump.

I have a clumping timber bamboo that can get to 70 feet tall and 4 inches around.

It is still a baby at this time and the cold may not let it get that big but we shall see.
It is called oldhame or something.

A beutiful bamboo.

Worth

[kurt]

Don't get me wrong,I love the plant.When it sheds its leaves take a long time to decompose so you have to rake them up.We have a place called Fairchild Tropical Gardens that has a whole section devoted to bamboo.There is a black bamboo that is gorgeous with purple hues that is my favorite.I have seen in my travels in the Orient where they use bamboo for scaffolding on commercial sized buildings.And I see them in shops here as tiny papers that must really be hard to write on

[wmontanez]

I was interested in clumpling bamboo that resists my -10F winter weather to make a privacy barrier. I found one in a 1 gal pot for $70 (too pricey) then decided to wait. Should look again, any varieties that you recommend?

[kurt]

http://www.bamboogarden.com/Hardy%20clumping.htm Plenty sites on web.

[wmontanez]

thank you

[Tom Atillo]

Why would anyone dislike blueberrys?
Freakey?

[Tom Atillo]

Horseradish can kick your ★★★ too......but there is always a solution.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Tom Atillo

Why would anyone dislike blueberrys?
Freakey?

The same kind of person I wouldn't even care to know or get along with.

You let someone tell me they hate cats and its all over with me.

Worth