How to Grow Tonkin Bamboo

Barrier

• 1

  Dig a trench 34 inches deep all the way around your intended planting zone by hand shoveling or using a backhoe or trencher. Angle the trench slightly outward to encourage runners to come up and out of the ground where you can see and eliminate them.

• 2

  Lay the 40 mil thick HDPE plastic sheet in the ditch so that it lies along the ditch from the bottom to 2 inches over the top of the ditch. It should follow the slight contour angle of the ditch.

• 3

  Overlap each piece of HDPE plastic sheet by 3 feet and seal the sheets to each other, every 6 inches with double-sided sticky tape. Run the tape all the way from the bottom edge of the HDPE to the top edge and press the tape firmly in place.

• 4

  Refill the trench with the material removed during the trench digging. Firm down the soil by walking on it or using a tamper every foot. Use the subsoil on the bottom and then add topsoil on the top. This is another method to lure the running rhizomes to the surface.

Planting

• 5

  Select a site for planting your Tonkin cane bamboo that has well-drained soil and where the temperature doesn't drop below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The site should also receive full to partial sunlight with a wind barrier.

• 6

  Plant your Tonkin cane bamboo in the spring in areas that reach below freezing. In other regions, such as Florida, plant any time of the year.

• 7

  Dig a hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the container holding your bamboo.

• 8

  Create a mixture of soil from the hole and peat in a 1-to-1 ratio. Mix together with a shovel.

• 9

  Fill the hole with the soil/peat mixture leaving room for the plant. Remove the plant from the container by spreading the fingers of one hand and threading them around or between your bamboo stalks at the crown to support the soil. Turn the pot over and shake it a few times to get the bamboo out of the pot.

• 10

  Place the Tonkin cane bamboo plant in the hole so that the soil is at the same level as it was in the pot and fill in with dirt. Press the soil in place around the plant gently to provide support for the plant without breaking the roots.

• 11

  Water the new bamboo plant with a gallon of water per 5-gallon size pot. If the pot is smaller, water less. After planting, water frequently, two to three times per week, to keep the bamboo from drying out too much until the roots are established. Do not fertilize at this time.

• 12

  Apply a layer of mulch to retain the soil's moisture and water two to five times a week and any time the bamboo leaves curl.

• 13

  Fertilize only after the plant is well established to allow the roots to catch up with the foliage so the plant doesn't fall over. Use a high nitrogen fertilizer.