How to create a smart bamboo

First you need an healthy mature bamboo plant. You can use most species of bamboo but if you want to create a strong hardy smart bamboo, plant bambusa nana is the winner. Wamin Buddha Belly bamboo is right up there too. Bambusa Chungii has turned out to be very hardy as a smart bamboo in the warm subtropical areas.

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HARVESTED CULMS [CANES] OF A LARGE VARIETY OF BAMBUSA NANA

6 steps to create a smart bamboo

  • Step 1: dig last years culm [cane] with the top bud on the rhizome above the cut.
  • Step 2: cut the culm [cane] to the height you want your screening bamboo to be.
  • Step 3: pot the culm into a good medium like coco peat or sphagnum moss. Stand the culm up right in a full sun situation and support by tying to a horizontal brace.
  • Step 4: when using a smaller diameter culms [canes]. Tie 3 culms [canes] together to create a smart bamboo that will be covered in foliage in no time.  This is the most popular form of smart bamboo you will see in Thailand.
  • Step 5: you can plant them out as a screen as soon as you like.
  • Step 6: brace them in place with horizontal bracing for the first year in a windy situation if needed.

Spring is the best time to create smart bamboos but if you have the right environment or have a controlled environment you can do them year round.

Smart bamboos are the future of bamboo screening in Australian’s suburban gardens.

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6 METER TALL BAMBUSA NANA 3 CULMS [CANES] TO A BAG