Growing Ornamental Bamboo

[tim armstrong]

I wonder if anyone has tried to grow different varieties of ornamental bamboo here. There seem to be many, and most suited to the Thai climate. The websites I've looked at overseas no doubt have a large customer base, but I can't find a specialist nursery in Thailand. Best Regards.

[oodii]

There is a bamboo nursery in Chiang Mai, "Chiang Mai Bamboo Nursery" (สวนไผ่เชียงใหม่) which has over 150 different bamboo species/varieties: commercial shoot production bamboos, commercially used bamboos for construction, furniture, bamboo weaving, bamboos for biomass production, but the majority are tropical and subtropical ornamental and feature bamboos. They have limited stock as they started running business recently.

You can find their website, just google "Chiang Mai" + "Bamboo" + "Nursery".

Also, you can easy find their location in Google Maps under "Chiang Mai Bamboo Nursery".

The nursery is part of a resort area, where several of their best ornamental bamboos are planted out in a natural environment.

[tim armstrong]

Thanks oodii - Its a great website, with a large variety of bamboos. I will go and see them. There are a few ornamentals from other countries not mentioned but its good. There goes another money making idea of mine down the gurgler. Regards

[ProThaiExpat]

Many bamboo varieties have adventitious root systems that travel rapidly horizontally and pop up like gophers usually where you don't want them. Do consider some form of durable container system to control the roots of the spreading varieties. I have made concrete trenches or canals in the past to control my border bamboo to keep it out of my lawn areas.

[tim armstrong]

Many bamboo varieties have adventitious root systems that travel rapidly horizontally and pop up like gophers usually where you don't want them. Do consider some form of durable container system to control the roots of the spreading varieties. I have made concrete trenches or canals in the past to control my border bamboo to keep it out of my lawn areas.

Thanks Pro Thai. We were going to grow them mostly in large concrete tubs - for sale, as the wife wants to try a tree nursery. But like many Thais she thinks we have to grow the same stuff that everyone else tries to sell. Its quite hard to convince Thais that variety is a good thing, and everything doesn't have to be planted in rows. So that was partly my reasoning behind ornamental bamboos which tend to clump rather than spread. But your point is well taken.

Recently I have seen some very beautiful varieties - one with a bright reddish stem near Mae Sot, and another that had black and white horizontal stripes. There is also a spectacular Mexican weeping bamboo with bluish foliage. None of them are very big and can be confined quite well. If we do get some going, they will be well contained and away from buildings.

Cheers, Tim