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
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