How Fast Does Clumping Bamboo Grow?
If you are a landscape professional or architect considering adding bamboo to a customer’s landscape, you are probably wondering, “How fast does clumping bamboo grow?” No doubt this stems from what you have heard about running bamboo, but Palmco has all the answers you need!
Palmco has been proudly growing the highest quality selection of field grown Florida Fancy (FF) palms and clumping bamboo varieties for more than 30 years and is one of the largest palm and bamboo plantations in North America, with over 600 acres in production.
Growth Rates of Clumping Bamboo
When grown in zones 8 and above, clumping bamboo is considered the world’s fastest growing plant. And, in optimal weather, there are some varieties that are known to grow two inches per hour. That’s incredibly fast!
The truth is, when you provide your bamboo with the right growing conditions, it is quite feasible for them to reach their mature height in as little as 4 years. Thankfully, clumping bamboo will stay in contained and fairly tight circles, making them easy to maintain.
Choosing the Right Clumping Bamboo
Knowing how quickly they will grow is a great first step in choosing the clumping bamboo that’s right for you and your customers. Palmco currently offers 14 different clumping bamboo varieties, and we’d love to share some of our favorites with you:
Oldhamii (Bambusa oldhamii)
Indigenous of China, this variety can reach extraordinary heights of 60 feet tall. The culms are quite large, growing to 4 inches in diameter. With medium sized leaves, this variety serves as a great windbreaker. It’s beautiful, low maintenance, and quite hardy.
Oldhamii is a particularly popular bamboo. It’s cultivated around the world from South America to Germany and used in various places in the United States, including Florida, Texas and Southern California. It is the most commonly grown bamboo in the US and is a preference of Orlando, Florida’s theme parks.
Seabreeze (Bambusa malingensis)
Branching occurs on the Seabreeze at its lowest internode and continues up the 40-foot tall culms. Its clumping pattern is tight and erect with small leaves. Seabreeze is a bushy and hardy bamboo with blue-white canes. Its tolerance to salty breezes and high winds make it a great option for coastal areas in Texas, Florida and Southern California.
Though considered a mid-sized bamboo, the Seabreeze’s height makes it a great option as a windbreaker and for screening installations. It should only take a year for your clients to appreciate its ability to block out noises and nosey neighbors when utilized for its screening abilities.
Timor Black (Bambusa lako)
Another very tall bamboo, Timor Black can get to be 40 feet tall. Its culms are nicely spaced and average about 3 inches in diameter. There are no lower branches and the leaves are a medium size. This variety is most utilized as a specimen in landscaping installations.
Timor Black gets its name from its place of origin, Timor Leste, and its black color. The culms are a shiny chocolate black color with green stripes. This makes for a breathtaking specimen and is by far the best black bamboo available for landscaping to date.
“How fast does clumping bamboo grow?” should not be the only question on your list when searching for the right bamboo for your clients. Thankfully, you can get all the answers and products you need from Palmco. Just give us a call at (239) 283-1329.
