We need urgently a fast growing evergreen windbreak.
I have planted some clumping bamboo last year but they have only grown to 1.5m or so. Even they are considered to be the fastest growing plants in the world.
I read that they need plenty of nitrogen perhaps that was is or maybe our climate is just a bit too cold for clumping bamboo to grow fast enough. We are getting up to -5°C (5 below freezing) at some winter nights. What do you think?
Bamboo seems to be ideal otherwise because it is no fire hazard like pine trees or gum trees they work in winter too and it grows in the shade. There are alder (?) trees too, but they are incredibly brittle and they son't break the wind on the soil level, they are decidious as well.
BTW, I just phoned they guy from the bamboo nursery and he say lots of nitrogen, fertilizer with 10-13% nitrogen. He recommends lawn fertilizer.
He says bamboo is a grass and grasses need a lot of nitrogen, sounds reasonable (like corn)
Lawn fertilizer is not very organic, but I really think of cheating this one time because the winds are so fierce and I want to protect the garden. What do high nitrogen fertilizers do bad if I put them on my bamboo? Or which organic fertilizers have such a high nitrogen content? Maybe chicken droppings?
Maybe, if you have enough, take a pee in a bucket and mix this with water. Fertilize bamboo with that every day?
I'm also thinking about fast growing windbreak, and bamboo came to my mind. But my winters are much colder, what could be the problem for young bamboo.
Why didn't I think of that? That is what's recommended for citrus too.
For colder climates there are the running bamboos, but these are weedy. However, some of the best edible bambooos are
ruuners, and I could sell bamboo shoots at the local coop, but when no one wants to buy them I'm stuck with a weed problem.
I actualldon't know if you can manage a runnign bamboo simply by harvesting.
