Scott, I no longer live in Tulsa, nor did I grow bamboo there. But, back when I lived in Ponca City I planted a tiny clump of bamboo (about a five gallon size clump, maybe even smaller).

Within 5 years I had about a 5x7 foot area of bamboo.

For me it wasn't a problem, as like you I wanted it. But I wonder what the current owners of that house/yard think of it.

I found the best way to contain it was to dig a trench around it every year and dig out any roots I didn't want.

Moni... who now lives in Edmond

Scott,

I've linked the website of the Texas Bamboo Society for you. They're a wealth of info on bamboo. (There's an American Bamboo Society, too, by the way.)

A neighbor of ours had bamboo in Fort Worth when I was a kid/teenager. When they finally took it out, they had to hire a backhoe to remove it (and it was quite an ordeal). Then, they still had to dig up any new growth that sprouted for several years after that (and they had rocky, caliche soil so it wasn't easy.) Their variegated white/green bamboo was beautiful though.

Clumping bamboo probably would be easier to contain than running bamboo, and some of the black clumping varieties are gorgeous. Unfortunately, it is the running bamboos that are, for the most part, more cold-hardy but some of the clumping ones ought to be cold-hardy anywhere in Oklahoma.

When you plant bamboo in an urban area, you are advised to enclose it with a barrier....I think heavy-duty pond liners are commonly used, but it's been years since I read a magazine article about "How To Plant Bamboo", so I am fuzzy on the details. Since you are on acreage and have lots of space, you probably wouldn't have to worry about a barrier as long as you plant it far, far away from anything that is important in your landscape.

I love bamboo, but I won't plant it here. There are some people here in Love County fairly close to us that have some and I have watched it basically engulf a huge portion of the front yard over the years. (It is near a gas meter, so I think maybe they planted it to hide the meter. Now it effectively hides the entire house.) I think if it ever started going wild in our hard clay soil, we'd never be able to get rid of it.

Good luck,

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Bamboo Society

Scott,

I have a friend here in Tahlequah, who has a regular collection of bamboo. He gave me a start of yellow bamboo (a.k.a. fishing pole bamboo) which he highly recommended. I planted it and it hasn't advanced at all in three years. Just this year I had one of those "head slapping moments." I figured out why it wasn't advancing! We have GOATS! They eat the young shoots when they pop up in spring!

I'm going to plant some along the fence near the road, in our front yard. My friend controls his by mowing the young shoots wherever he doesn't want it. He also has some bamboo with 8-10" diameter trunks!

If you ever want to make a trip to Tahlequah, I bet we could get you a couple starts for free.

George

I'm going to have to try it. I'll do some more research and maybe take you up on that sometime George.

Thanks for the information everyone.

Sorry to hijack your thread, Scott. Please forgive the intrusion. Found it by google.

George,

I am a Tulsa artist and I am looking for some bamboo poles to use in a project. I know nothing about bamboo. Would you mind emailing me? I'd like to bend your ear a little if you don't mind.

Thank you!

And thanks to you too Scott.