Plant bamboo in a large handmade container

How to plant bamboo in a custom-made container on your patio.

Material needed for the construction of the tank

Bamboos need a lot of soil. To make a custom-made container you will need:

• 3 joists 18 cm wide for the length of the boxes.
• 2 identical joists to form the width. They will be cut to divide the tank in its length.

1. Drill holes at the base to drain the water.
2. Lay a geotextile canvas at the bottom and on the walls.
3. Place clay balls at the bottom of the tank.
4. Mix universal potting soil and loam and incorporate compost into it . Bamboos are greedy plants. Also combine a special grass fertilizer.
5. An anti-rhizome barrier will be necessary to prevent the rhizomes, most of them creeping, from passing under the tubs and spinning elsewhere.

Planting bamboo in tubs

Then move on to setting up the bamboos. They will appreciate exposure to the sun or partial shade:

• Plant the phyllostachys nigra  (black bamboo) after having soaked them well. The clods can be difficult to remove. In this case use a saw.
• Place the clods on the bed of earth.
• Fill the container with soil up to the stubble.
• It is then possible to add a mulch with pine bark to decorate the tank and maintain the humidity on the surface.
• Water copiously. Bamboos are greedy in water and if their needs are met their growth is rapid. 

10 varieties of bamboo to choose from, from large to small

• Phyllostachys aurea: pale green culms turning yellow

Height: 6 to 9 m

• Phyllostachys nigra: green culms when young and turning black with time and sunny exposure.

Height: 6 to 8 m

• Semiarundinaria fastuosa: dark green culms tinting red in autumn for older plants.

Height: 5 to 9 m

• Hibanobambusa tranquillans: bamboo with broad foliage.

Height: 3 to 5 m

• Semiarundinaria yashadake ‘Kimmei’: elegant yellow culms streaked with green. The color turns purple in the fall.

Height: 3 to 4 m

• Fargesia jiuzhaigou: bamboo with a drooping port. The culms are yellow on older plants and turn red in the sun. 

Height: 2 to 4 m

• Fargesia rufa: bushy and drooping habit. The young culms are slightly pink. 

Height: 1.50 to 3 m

• Hibanobambousa tranquillans ‘Shiroshima’: beautiful foliage with large variegated leaves of cream bench. 

Height 2 to 3 m

• Pleioblastus pumilus: a compact habit from top to bottom with very dense dark green leaves. 

Height: 0.30 to 0.80 m

• Pleioblastus viridistriatu ‘Auricoma’: a ray of sunshine with its bright yellow variegated foliage. It loses its foliage in winter. 

Height: 0.30 to 1.50 m