I think your right... I should just get a plant.
It seems the success rate for rhizome's isn't real good from what I've read so far.

Thanks for your help!!

Hope it works...just wanted to prevent you from having too high of expectations. Give them a couple months to see if anything happens...then report back, please.

So I noticed a nice green little sprout!!
And a week later I noticed it dying. It was nice and green then now it's turning brown.
Not sure if it was too much water or not enough. Sheeez!

I'm not sure if I was supposed to let it dry out or keep it consistently moist.

Where's my green thumb when I need it!

Bamboo want to be moist...not dry, not swimming. In addition, the beginnings of the shoot you saw may have aborted for some other reason. Keep it watered and keep looking. Maybe something else may appear. However, as I mentioned before, this is not the easiest way to grow a bamboo.

You are so right.... it got my hopes up seeing that little shoot!

Still going to try and care for it and see what happens. But I'm going to start looking online for possibly a 2-3 gallon size bamboo plant to get me started.

I'm not sure what bamboo's will work well here in San Antonio... Let me know if you have any ideas on that.

I'm going to remove bamboo that has gone bizarre. Previous owners said it was contained but as fall turned to spring and spring to summer, it's everywhere. A company hired to thin & manage said it was probably the worst they've seen. It's a mix of running & clumping w/the running just out of control. Clumping is contained w/trenches. Planted approximately 15 years ago.
So, I would like opinions of how I perceive the plan of attack. I am going to hire someone w/experience (and heavy equipment), however, even among the "professionals" there are discrepancies and I'd like opinions of what "I've" come up w/while talking w/professionals & research I've done:

1. On the west side (50' long -- running), I plan to dig down 2.5 - 3 feet and just scrape and haul away all the soil. I'll leave a 1.5 foot wide stand to act as a screen. Will install a barrier between screen and drainage ditch.

2. On the north (60 x 4 -- hedge screen) and east side (front yard & gravel area for cars), remove all the bamboo and install barrier. Recycle the gravel -- it's granite.

3. On the south side, w/rock stairs & unfriendly, non-communicative neighbor, removal and barrier; need to redo stairs.

I will haul in dirt to fill.

But what type of barrier?
40mil plastic which most use, but one person said really didn't work or metal (what kind) or pressure treated wood? concrete?

I was going to replace the rocks/gravel in the front rock garden, however, since it could take 3 years to eradicate. I'm thinking about seeding for grass instead (in the hedge row as well) as I could easily watch for regrowth and if present, will be easier to remove.

Please let me know what you think of the above. I have also posted this on the Pacific Northwest Forum as well.

1. Welcome. I see you have just registered here, so I am going to tell you the number one rule: start your own post. You will get more pertinent answers and you won't annoy others by hijacking someone's thread. You should also not post to more than one forum unless you are getting no answers after a couple of days in the original one. Having said that, I will still give you some info.

2. Why are you removing so much dirt? Bamboo does not spread from fragments. You would need to leave behind a pretty good chunk of viable rhizome for it to continue to grow. You may have an out-of-control installation, but that doesn't mean you have to resort to unnecessary or extreme measures to deal with it.

3. The only barrier that will work well, and not rot or rust or be penetrated because it is too thin/weak, is real bamboo barrier which is made of high density plastic. I buy mine from a place on the West Coast, but you can get it many places (such as other bamboo nurseries).

Here is a link that might be useful: Barrier

I just bought the same plant as Miss Cindy and looks like we're neighbors, and for the same reasons as herself . I found myself here and wondering what ever came of her plants? I wish I had done my research first, but it looked like such a beautiful plant and any hoo, a few years have past since her post and I was just curious as to the results, seeing that I'm now where she was in 2013, although my plant won't be here for a few more days so I was hoping to find some tips and ideas.. Thank You ....

It's been my experience that you should always buy leaved rooted containerized bamboo plants. I never lose those.