Bamboo Trees, Yay or Nay for Your Home?

Our house came with bamboo planted all over the property. It was really nice in the beginning when they were not mature yet. We soon realized that it's hard to manage. A lot of leaves fall and you need to rake almost everyday. Good thing we fenced most of them in planters because they keep replicating. If we didn't they would have probably grown all over our lawn. 

A lot of people say they are low maintenance. They are not. They need to be trimmed often and they attract pests too. Cats also climb on them and they end up in places you don't want them to reach. Big plus though is they provide your home a sense of peace. I like it when the wind rustles their leaves. I also re-use dried bamboo for my plants that need a pole. 

We decided to clear up the nook beside our garage. It used to have a big fern beside the bamboo. It died though and the area became unruly. Cats used the area as their toilet area and they would climb the bamboo to reach the garage roof. We tried to also get rid of the pests, but they're bottomless. Plus we are also concerned that the bamboo might destroy the wall of our house, so we decided to uproot it.

It's a difficult process to uproot bamboo. Their roots can go really deep, so it will take awhile before we finish clearing up the area. I plan to move the trees I'm propagating to the nook since it will get enough sunlight during the day. Maybe we'll re-plant the bamboo in big pots. Hopefully, they'll survive. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plantita Saturdays: Bamboo for Your Garden, Yay or Nay?

We were surprised our home came with bamboo planted all around the garden. It was pretty and it would sound very calming whenever the wind went through it. The bamboo was planted beside the wall and has been providing us with a nice shade. It's the type of plant that's very resilient. You just need to water it a few times a week and put fertilizer sparingly (I put only when I remember). When one stalk dies, another one usually grows.

We learned a few things about caring for bamboo. It gets gnarly to take care of. Here's what you have to watch out for if you plan to use bamboo for your garden:

• They grow really fast. We've watched shoots grow from a tiny nob to a foot in less than two weeks. Sometimes we get surprised it's already over a meter. 
• There are shoots that grow almost 2x taller than average. Some outliers grew taller than our house! And because they can grow really tall, they tend to bend at some point. It's been covering some of our solar panels for our lights which has been a bummer. 
• Bamboo produces a LOT of leaves. That means they also shed a LOT of leaves. You will definitely get a work-out from sweeping every few days.
• The other side about the shade bamboo can provide is it keeps the sun away from plants you're trying to grow! It's partly why some of my plants died (i.e. tomatoes). 
• It's hard to control where the shoots sprout. We have bamboo growing outside of their "row". I'm also trying to figure out how to wrangle out the shoot that grew inside one of my tumeric plants. By this time they're probably so intertwined haha. We were advised to fence in the bamboo to keep them from growing everywhere. 

Well, despite all the work that comes with taking care of bamboo, we're keeping it. I might try to clear out a row so I can grow veggies properly. I'll have them transferred to my Mom's or maybe have them planted in some bald spots. 

If I had space though, I'd rather have a tree :)

#BeKind #StaySafe