How to Grow Bamboo (Without It Taking Over Your Garden)

Bamboo is one of the loveliest garden plants; it’s relaxing and therapeutic to watch it sway in the wind and it’s the perfect way to add height or a focal point to a border.

And with the help of VELCRO® Brand Garden Ties to support the stems, it’s also extremely easy to grow bamboo in almost any condition. Read on to find out how to grow bamboo in a variety of ways.

Bamboo has a reputation for spreading out and taking over the garden (if you’re not careful) and a good way to stop this is to grow it in a container. Place your bamboo in a large container and then sink it into the ground, leaving only the top lip visible above the surface. This will make sure that the bamboo only grows to the size of the container.

If you’d rather plant your bamboo in the ground, dig a hole that is twice the size of the root mass. Place some compost at the bottom of the hole so the roots sit level with the surface of the ground. Then fill it in with compost and water it well.

To grow bamboo from a cutting, cut several 10 inch long cuttings from a new growth that has at least two nodes and two internodes. Dip the ends of the cutting in melted wax, then leave it in water in a well-lit location for several weeks.

Change the water every other day and move the cutting to a pot as soon as its roots are two inches long. For support, tie your cutting to a cane with a VELCRO® Brand Plant Tie to support your bamboo as it grows.

Growing bamboo from seed is the most challenging way to do it – but also the most rewarding. Start by filling a large bucket with seed starting compost, then water it and mix it round until moist. Then fill a germination tray with the compost, place two seeds in each pot and leave the germination tray in a warm place. Bamboo seeds take around 30 days to sprout but this can take longer (be prepared to wait up to six months).

Bamboo is one of the fast-growing plants in the world and certain species can grow up to 4cm per hour. However, most clumping bamboo grows at a rate of 1-3 feet per year and most running bamboo grows at a rate of 3-5 feet per year. Generally, the more established the plant, the faster it will grow.

Certain types of bamboo (such as running bamboo) spread quicker than others so if you want to keep your bamboo contained, make sure you choose a variety that spreads slowly (such as clumping bamboo).

You could also plant your bamboo in a container or install a barrier in the soil to stop it from spreading.