Question: I am planning on planting 15-gallon bamboo (Bambusa types) in my backyard. Do you have any good advice? Is it a good time to plant bamboo this time of year, mid-October? Is bamboo really a good plant for our desert climate in Henderson?
Answer: Bamboo covers such a large group of plants it is rather intimidating to answer general questions regarding it. An excellent source of information on bamboo can be found at www.bamboo.org/abs.
Bamboo can be grown from the hottest areas of the tropics to subfreezing regions of the world. There are more than 1,200 different species. If you are thinking about planting a lot of them, I would recommend testing a few before investing in a large number. Common bamboo is considered invasive and I would not recommend planting it.
Common bamboo might also be called the vulgaris type. Of the 1,200 species there are clumping types -- frequently the cold tolerant ones are clumping -- running types and reed types. The more common are the clumping and running types. The ones that gardeners frequently like the most are the running types, which are usually tropical and can't handle freezes without dying back. That doesn't mean they will die out, but they will die to the ground when it freezes. The clumping types are usually less of a problem of containment than the running types, which can get out of control in moist soils.
Although some bamboos can be quite drought tolerant, as a general rule they respond quickly and prolifically to water and fertilizer, particularly nitrogen. They need to be watered and fertilized regularly during the first year of establishment.
I wish I could give you general recommendations about where to plant your bamboo but there are those that would be tolerant of full sun and those that prefer shade. Hopefully the nursery will have written material on your specific bamboo and what kind of microclimate would be best for it in the desert.
Plant them like any other non-desert plant; lots of soil organic matter and wood mulch or leaf litter on top of the ground. If there is a threat of a freeze, mulch them heavily to protect them as much as possible.
Fall is a good time to plant bamboo as well as spring, if they are planted from a container. Spring would be better if they are not rooted, but unrooted propagules.
Q: I just put in new sod in my front and backyard. Some of the sod has been in for about a month and some for about as recent as two weeks. Do I need to winterize it now? Do I need to overseed it as well?
A: You didn't tell me what kind of sod, whether the soil was prepared and if it was fertilized. I am guessing it is tall Fescue and that you prepared the soil and put a starter fertilizer down.
If the soil is prepared well before planting then go ahead and fertilize it through the end of November. Next spring, aerate the sod and continue to mow as high as possible if it still looks good. This will encourage deeper rooting and better drought tolerance.
New sod should not need to be overseeded.
Q: Last winter we protected our first year bougainvillea from top frost with plastic. We still lost three plants. Is there anything else we can do? Also, is pruning beneficial? And if so, when and how?
A: Plastic won't do it. You have to use mulch and surround the plant several inches deep. You can use an inverted nursery container with the bottom cut out and the side slit. Then pack it full of mulch as soon as night temperatures get into the 30s.
Water once a week during the winter if it is the first year. Unpack it after all danger of frost is gone, usually by mid-February.
Generally prune bougainvillea to shape it. Remove crossed branches. Be creative. You won't hurt it.
Q: I had my backyard desert landscaped over a year ago with lantanas, palms, and mesquite trees. I'm concerned about how I should trim them without damage. They have grown very large. Some spread across the stone and some have grown upward. How much do I trim off? Are there photos that show you how to do it?
A: I am afraid there are no specific pictures demonstrating how to prune these plants. You would be pruning this winter or very early in the spring. If the plants have flowers that you like then prune just after they finish flowering. If they flower all through the summer then prune them in the late winter or early spring.
First, when making a plant smaller you identify which limb or stem is in the way or too long. Follow this limb or stem back to a crotch -- the spot where two limbs or stems come together. Generally speaking, when making plants smaller by pruning, you would be making cuts at these crotches by removing the longest and leaving the shorter of the two. Keep in mind that these plants will be growing next year so remove enough so that they grow back to the size you want. Give them room to grow.
Remove crossing and rubbing -- picking the least desirable of the two -- broken or diseased branches and those growing straight up or down. Leave enough branches to shade the trunk and larger limbs if the plant has any.
Leave branches on the trunks that are smaller than pencil-sized if they are healthy. Remove them when they get bigger than pencil diameter if they are to be removed at all.
Shearing cuts, the types given by a hedge shears and not at a crotch, are used to make a plant more "bushy" or more dense and not usually done unless the plant is unusually thinly branched or you are making a formal hedge.
Palm leaves are removed when they begin to die.
Q: This morning I noticed in your column that we should turn the water back for our plants and bushes. I have 2-week-old planted pansies, snapdragons and daisy plants, in addition to 1-year-old bushes in my garden, all on the same sprinkler control. As far as frequency of sprinkler watering, would you water every three to four days? Also, how many times per day? Could you recommend how many days in addition to how many minutes a day we should now be watering? Also, I fertilized all of my flowers and plants two weeks ago by following the directions on the back of the bag, which says every six weeks. Did I mess up, and if so is there any thing I can do about this?
A: As soon as I started reading your e-mail, I said, "Oops." I forgot to mention new plantings, and that's right after the previous week I told people fall is the best time to plant. Those plants need to be watered frequently as they get established.
You are getting your pansies and snaps in late. The temperatures are dropping now and they probably won't get the size you would like unless they are in a very warm location in the yard, with southern or western exposure and near a reflective wall. Other plantings, woody plants, are great to plant now.
Your irrigation system is like many others. There are usually lots of plants on a single valve so we have to overwater other plants to get enough water frequently to get them established.
The ideal way in an ideal world is to cut back on watering but hand water those newly plantings more often. But that puts extra work on you so that you can conserve water. Most likely the plants won't die unless you have really poor drainage.
The fertilizer application will be fine. Don't worry about it. It is a good idea for the flowers but perhaps not the best time for the other plants, but they will be fine.
As far as watering, I am assuming the soil has been prepared so that it is loose and "fluffy" -- you can scoop it up with your hands -- then a starter fertilizer was added and then mulched. Then every three to four days would be fine. Back off to once a week in about three to four weeks. Fertilize lightly once a month on winter annuals like flowers.
Bob Morris is a horticulture specialist with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
