How to Plant Bamboo for Shade

Bamboo grows throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas, in hundreds of sizes and growing styles. This caning and vining plant can grow up to 2 feet a day or remain only 1 foot tall at full maturity. Its hearty, dense growth makes bamboo a valuable landscaping plant, especially useful for privacy and shade screens. Choose a clumping bamboo for shade and plant at the right time, with loose, nutritious soil and plenty of water.

Garden fork
Organic compost
Fertilizer
Mulch

Instructions

- 1
  Plant bamboo rhizomes, or bulbs, in spring before new growth starts. Put the rhizomes in spots that get five to six hours of full sun every day, and give each rhizome 10 to 15 feet to grow. Don't plant bamboo in sites that puddle; these plants like moisture, but rot in standing water.
- 2
  Prepare a 2-by-2-foot site for each bamboo rhizome. Dig into the top 12 inches of natural dirt to break it up, using a garden fork, and incorporate 4 to 6 inches of organic compost. The compost increases soil nutrition and moisture, and keeps soil loose for rhizome and root expansion. Add 10-5-5 fertilizer to the top 4 inches of soil, per manufacturer directions, to give the rhizomes a boost.
- 3
  Water bamboo with 1/2 inch of water every three days to keep the soil consistently moist. Bamboo does not tolerate dry, tight soil. Mulch the soil around each planting with 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch to keep soil moist and warm.

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