Post #776971 by tikicoma on Wed, Jun 14, 2017 2:48 PM

Ace, The bamboo you see here is Phyllostachys Vivax I've had it run 15' through good soil in one season then pop up. I was told by Jerry at Jungle Fever Nursery that all Phyllostachy's are runners and I can tell you that stomping on or breaking off the shoots WILL NOT stop it from running it just stops that shoot from growing but the root will go further out and send up a new shoot. Also in terms of timber bamboo not being as bad as smaller bamboo for running, of the running bamboos I have its been far worse! The small ones seem to run a short distance before they pop up so are easier to spot and dig up before they get out of control. And as to controlling them with drought I can't see how that would work when they send out runners to seek moisture (and fertile soil) and will extend to continue the search (I've heard of them going all the way under a houses foundation to pop up on the other side!). Do put in a bamboo barrier for these (angling out from them) you'll be saving yourself a lot of work in the long run and with this type of bamboo I'd extend it 6" above the ground so you can see when the root tries to jump the barrier to cut it off. Moso is the bamboo grown for edible bamboo shoot so yum! Good luck with growing seeds, most of the bamboo I see up here (Washington state) are from new shoots off established clumps.