This message is for some of you replying better check your zone tolerances for these species for some of you they will not survive the winter. Not trying to be a smart alec but if you spend alot for shipping you might be disappointed. Thank you boomantoo

Heather, How far from the fence is your bamboo? The new culms will probably appear several inches out in a concentric circle each year if left unchecked. AK will also grow to be 25' tall. (I hope you knew that when you bought it.) Because AK is a clumping bamboo, I wouldn't worry too much about trying to contain it with a physical barrier. It should take about 5 years for it to reach its mature height, but there are some things you can do to slow it down. First, cutting down culms, and removing branches will decrease the amount of leaves providing energy for the plant to grow. Each year, the culms shoot all at one time and the energy they need for rhizome growth and culm growth is provided by the leaves. So, fewer leaves, fewer new culms and shorter new culms. The next thing you can do to aid the process is remove many of new shoots before they ever grow. It will save you all the effort of cutting it down later when it's all bushy. You should be able to snap them off at the soil level with a swift kick or a sharp pruning knife. Do this to *every* new shoot on the fence side over the next few years and eventually the plant just sort of "gives up" trying to grow in that direction. If someone comes to dig out part of your bamboo, make them dig out the half closer to the fence. Digging out the bamboo yourself is not a very good idea, unless you have a huge amount of energy and the right tools. A rhizome saw is a huge help, and I do a lot of digging and moving and hauling of regular garden things (I spread 400lbs of manure this weekend), but dividing bamboo is beyond my physical capabilites. If you leave all this bamboo unchecked, the number of culms is likely to double each year. The old saying goes, the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps! You should be able to cut at least 50% of the culms off at the base and have the plant be totally fine. It's a very vigorous grower, especially here in Houston. And if you're leaving town, you could probably get someone to come over once a year and do the same thing for you. Good luck! -Maggie

I have 107 bamboos in my garden (ground and pots) Bambusa multiplex Alphonse Karr Bambusa ventricosa Bambusa vulgaris (semis) Bashania fargesii Barchystachium densiflorum Chimonobambusa tumidissinoda Chimonobambusa macrophylla f. Intermedia Chimonobambusa marmorea Chimonobambusa pachystachys Chimonobambusa quadrangularis Chimonobambusa quadrangularis Suow Chimonobambusa quadrangularis Tatejima Chusquea gigantea Fargesia denudata Fargesia dracocephala Fargesia fractiflexa Fargesia murielae Fargesia murielae Jumbo Fargesia murielae Lava Fargesia nitida Black Pearl Fargesia nitida Carwinion Fargesia nitida Great Wall Fargesia nymphenburg (from seeds) Fargesia jiuzhaigou 1 Fargesia jiuzaighou 2 Fargesia jiuzaighou 4 Fargesia jiuzaighou 9 Fargesia jiuzaighou Genf Fargesia robusta Campbell Fargesia jiuzaighou Red Panda Fargesia robusta Wolong Fargesia pingwu Fargesia scabrida Fargesia yulongshanensis Fargesia rufa fargesia nitida Gansu (semis 95-2 de Jos Van der Palen) Himalayacalamus hookerianus 'Himalaya Blue' Himalayacalamus falconeri 'Damarapa' Indocalamus tesselatus Otatea acuminata Aztecorum Phyllostachys acuta Phyllostachys arcana Luteosulcata Phyllostachys atrovaginata Phyllostachys aurea Phyllostachys aurea Holochrysa Phyllostachys aureosulcata Argus Phyllostachys aureosulcata Aureocaulis Phyllostachys aureosulcata f Alata Phyllostachys aureosulcata Harbin inversa Phyllostachys aureosulcata Harbin Phyllostachys aureosulcata Lama Temple Phyllostachys aureosulcata Spectabilis Phyllostachys bambusoides Shouzhou Phyllostachys bambusoides Albovariegata Phyllostachys bambusoides Castillonis Phyllostachys bambusoides Marliacea Phyllostachys bambusoides Tanakae Phyllostachys bambusoides Subvariegata Phyllostachys dulcis Phyllostachys Edulis Phyllostachys edulis Gracilis Phyllostachys elegans Phyllostachys glauca Phyllostachys glauca Yunzhu Phyllostachys heteroclada Phyllostachys incarnata Phyllostachys iridescens Phyllostachys kwangsiensis Phyllostachys lofushanensis Phyllostachys nigra Phyllostachys nigra Boryana Phyllostachys nigra Megurochiku Phyllostachys nigra Punctata Phyllostachys nigra Henonis Humilis Phyllostachys platyglossa Phyllostachys praecox Phyllostachys rubromarginata Phyllostachys shanghai 3 Phyllostachys Sulfurea Phyllostachys violascens Phyllostachys violascens Aureosulcata Phyllostachys viridiglaucescens Phyllostachys viridis Phyllostachys vivax (le vert) (Jantonqing cl�ne) Phyllostachys vivax Aureocaulis Phyllostachys vivax Huangwenzhu Phyllostachys vivax Huangwenzhu Inversa Pleioblastus viridistriatus Pleioblastus fortunei Pleioblastus chino Hisauchi Pleioblastus linearis Pleioblastus hindsii Pseudosasa japonica Pseudosasa japonica Tsutsumiana Sasa kurilensis Sasa kurilensis Shimofuri Sasa palmata Nebulosa Sasa veitchii Semiarundinaria fastuosa Semiarundinaria fastuosa viridis Semiarundinaria makinoi Semiarundinaria yashadake Kimmei Shibatea chinensis Shibatea kumasasa Shibatea nanpingensis Sinobambusa tootsik Sinobambusa yixingensis Thamnocalamus crassinodus Kew Beauty Dendrocalamus minor

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