I want Bamboo

[blackhawk]

The one thing I dont have that I want for my prep. list is bamboo. Has any one had any luck growing it or is to much of a problem?

[qrprat77]

People grow it as a hedge around here, there are a lot of different varieties. Will a native switchcane grow in your area? You may get too cold during the winter, but there may be cold weather varieties too.

[Karen]

It grows out of contorlin my area. be careful where you plant it. We planted a small bamboo plant in our fromt yard several years ago. It started spreading but my husband was nervous about the bamboo taking over so he dug it up. Bamboo can be pretty invasive around here and often takes over a large area wherever it is planted.
I was told that not even round up will kill it.

[blackhawk]

karen that was really my question does the good out weight the bad in shtf times. so many things you can dowith it or will over take my land like a bad sci-fi movie.
1.build shelter/home
2.fence for small livestock
3.make furniture
4.weapons
5.booby traps
6.control the growth and have border fence
7.ladder
etc.etc.

[Karen]

It depends on how much land you have and how much work you are willing to do. Bamboo is a great resource for the things you mentioned plus it makes a great screen to block your home/property from the view of casual observers/neighbors. If you have plenty of land and don't mind sacrificing some of it to the bamboo, then go ahead and do it. You will need to plan on spending a good amount of time digging up the unwanted runners tho. It can take over your whole property if not properly managed.
If I had the space and time to keep it under control, I would grow some.

[rice paddy daddy]

karen that was really my question does the good out weight the bad in shtf times. so many things you can dowith it or will over take my land like a bad sci-fi movie.
1.build shelter/home
2.fence for small livestock
3.make furniture
4.weapons
5.booby traps
6.control the growth and have border fence
7.ladder
etc.etc.

The reason Vietnamese make extensive use of bamboo, for things like you mentioned, is because they have sooooooo darn much of it.
And you forgot food. The young shoots when only a foot or so tall can be boiled and eaten. But remember, under ideal conditions some species of bamboo can grow 18 inches PER DAY!
I personally would never plant it. Very invasive specie. Not to mention that on dark nights, if a breeze rustled the stalks together, it may be bad for my anxiety levels.:D

[goatlady]

Plus snakes and nasty bugs LOVE living in bamboo clumps.

[MustangGal]

I believe I have read that if you bury a barrier around the bamboo it won't spread, so I suppose it depends on how much you need - as to if that is feasible for you.

[Grinnan Barrett]

Don't do it. The stuff is like Kudzu and you cannot get rid of it. GB

[eeyore]

I believe I have read that if you bury a barrier around the bamboo it won't spread, so I suppose it depends on how much you need - as to if that is feasible for you.

I agree with you, it is a very useful product, but use a barrier (some form of edging) to help contol it.

Or i guess you could plant it on the neighbors place and offer to help harvest it when you need some for a project. lol

[Gordon]

If you can find somebody that has some. they will likely let you take all you want. Like Bro. Barrett said, the stuff is like kudzu.

[Karen]

Edging won't help. Not even if it's cement. It will break thru any border you use. And yes, it is possible to remove it, but it has to be dug up since not even round up will kill it. If you dig it up and you miss a few pieces of the runners, it WILL come back. Some varieties are more invasive than others so do your homework about the variety that you choose to plant. The varieties that spread by sending out runners are the most invasive.

[miked2345]

Does it require a warm climate? We usually have cold winters here in Michigan. My wife has a small plant growing in a planter in the living room, but if it starts sending runners behind the sofa, I'll have to put an end to it! :cool:

[Karen]

We have ice storms here in the winter and it doesn't have any effect on the bamboo.
My husband dug ours up and planted it in large containers but it grew so much that it busted the containers and became root bound. The roots filled the containers so water would just run right thru it. It died from lack of water.
This would probably not be a good way to kill it off if it's planted in the ground. It's a very hardy plant and would probably just send out longer/deeper runners to find water.