First Bamboo

On Sunday, my friend took me to Schulz nursery on Broadway to get a bamboo plant.  I had previously called, and they said they had Bambusa Alphonse Karr for $99 at 6 feet.  When we got there, I didn't see any Alphonse Karr over 5 feet, and the yhad lots of brown leaves, but fortunately the price was only $59, so I got one.  My friend helped me install.  She said the pot had been watered, so it didn't really need more watering, but I soaked around the plant thoroughly for 5 minutes with a garden hose.  It always seems to me that women are too much afraid of overwatering, or perhaps obsessively concerned about water waste, and rarely water new grass or plantings sufficiently.  I shared this observation with my friend.  At least she agreed I could water as much as I wanted, so long as I didn't blame her for killing the plant from overwatering.  Back in 2008 when I had 5 cu of lawn grass installed, I measured how long it takes to get to 1" of water over a small area.  It takes far longer than most people imagine.

Then, the following night, there was a very heavy thunderstorm, so even I have to concede the plant got enough water for good installation.

I think my watering may have also helped secure the plant by getting the potting soil (lining the hole and above it) to meld with the native clay soil.  I'm not saying they are thoroughly melded yet, that will take a year or so, but some good stiff waterings help. And I think this may also have been part of the reason the plant did not blow over in the very heavy thunderstorms (which came with high winds and tornado warnings) the day after planting.  The picture above was taken two days after the thunderstorm.

With a maximum height of 30 feet and average height of 20 feet, Alphonse Karr is ideal for my privacy hedge.  I need at least 12 feet for good privacy, but way beyond that is unnecessary.  Other Bambusas such as Kimmei, one of my favorite looking ones, can grow up to a maximum of 55 feet and average 30; that would be way too high for my small lot.  And Bambusas are the sun tolerant clumping bamboos, the kind best suited to me and my location.

I've placed this first plant in the sight line from a neighbor's shed (three houses north) and my workshop window.  That shed looks to be about the same size as my workshop, and has a doorway and window facing my shed window.  At night, it's even lit up, so there might often be someone in there.  Because of the slope of the street, the rows of privacy fences in between us do nothing.  Like most such things, this may not be a real privacy issue.  The neighbor probably doesn't look my way much and they probably can't see much, especially when I'm inside the workshop, even when they do.  But inside my workshop, looking out the window, it's unnerving to see someone else's window staring right back.  When this bamboo plant grows above the 6 foot fence, it will help block this view for a better feeling of privacy inside the workshop.