Marcus Chen · April 30, 2026
If you’ve never loaded a wheelbarrow with freshly cut bamboo culms, let me paint you a picture. Green bamboo is dense, awkward, and deceptively heavy. A single 20-foot Moso culm can weigh 15 to 25 pounds depending on age and…
Marcus Chen · April 29, 2026
If you’ve been reading this site for any length of time, you know I grow bamboo seriously. Fourteen species, a few commercial plots, and a steady stream of neighbours who’ve inherited someone else’s running bamboo nightmare. That last part alone…
Marcus Chen · April 27, 2026
If you’ve got an unwanted bamboo stand in your yard—whether it’s an escaped ornamental clump or an aggressive running species like Phyllostachys—you need to pick a removal method that fits your actual situation, not just the one that sounds easiest. I’ve tested most of them, and they vary wildly in cost, labor, time commitment, and … Read more
Marcus Chen · April 26, 2026
By the end of year two, I was ready to give up on the south grove entirely. I had planted a mixed stand of Phyllostachys aureosulcata and Phyllostachys nigra in what I thought was decent ground — slightly acidic, good…
Marcus Chen · April 25, 2026
Three years into growing bamboo, I cut my first real harvest — about 40 poles of Phyllostachys vivax — stacked them against my barn, and had absolutely no idea what to do next. I’d read everything I could find online…
Marcus Chen · April 23, 2026
The call I dread most comes in spring. A neighbour — usually a new homeowner — rings to tell me their yard is being eaten alive by bamboo. Last April it was a woman two streets over who discovered running…
Marcus Chen · April 22, 2026
Three years ago, a neighbour two streets over knocked on my door in a panic. She had just bought her home and discovered bamboo pushing up through the gravel under her garden shed. The previous owners had planted a golden…
Marcus Chen · April 21, 2026
I’ve spent the last 15 years growing bamboo — commercially and on my own 3-acre property in the Pacific Northwest. I currently cultivate 14 species, sell poles and plants to landscapers and homeowners, and probably spend 30 to 40 days…
Marcus Chen · April 20, 2026
Key Takeaways Bamboo drought tolerance depends heavily on maturity — established plants (3+ years) can survive moderate dry periods, but new plantings require consistent moisture.Tropical clumping species such as Bambusa oldhamii and Bambusa textilis are more drought tolerant than temperate…
Marcus Chen · April 18, 2026
Key Takeaways Most bamboo species thrive between 60–90°F; sustained temperatures above 95–100°F trigger measurable heat stress responses.How heat stress affects the growth rate of bamboo plants involves a cascade of physiological changes — including stomatal closure, reduced photosynthesis, leaf curl,…