Running bamboo vs. clumping bamboo

I've searched through the forums and haven't found anything about bamboos with regards to the different types.... so:

Does anyone have experience with running and clumping bamboos and the respective varieties? Or does anyone know of where I can get some decent and clear information?

...it's been a while since I've been reading on the internet about bamboos but there seems to be a lot of confusing information about which ones are running and which ones are clumping, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

well, i've just found that there is a post related to this (don't know why it didn't come up on my previous search)

https://permies.com/t/62197/Running-Clumping-Bamboo

but still no specifics about the different varieties which apply to each of the two types of bamboo

I'm a bamboo artisan and I know just a little bit about bamboo taxonomy.
When buying bamboo seedlings at nurseries check the scientific name or binomial name, especially the genus (the first word of the scientific name). All bamboos of the same genus are all of them running or all clumping bamboos. For example, Phyllostachys aurea is from the genus Phyllostachys, and all Phyllostachys are running bamboos. Dendrocalamus asper is from genus Dendrocalamus and all of this genus are clumping bamboos.
Usually after knowing the genus is easier to find that information on the internet (if it is running or clamping bamboo).
Beware that a very few genus are semi running bamboos like the genus Guadua. That means that although it is a running bamboo, it does so at such a low pace that makes it easy to control the growth.
Sorry for my bad english!

Here’s a listing of bamboo genera with their running or climbing habit mentioned.  

https://www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/bamboo-genera

Sergio Cunha wrote:I'm a bamboo artisan and I know just a little bit about bamboo taxonomy.
When buying bamboo seedlings at nurseries check the scientific name or binomial name, especially the genus (the first word of the scientific name). All bamboos of the same genus are all of them running or all clumping bamboos. For example, Phyllostachys aurea is from the genus Phyllostachys, and all Phyllostachys are running bamboos. Dendrocalamus asper is from genus Dendrocalamus and all of this genus are clumping bamboos.
Usually after knowing the genus is easier to find that information on the internet (if it is running or clamping bamboo).
Beware that a very few genus are semi running bamboos like the genus Guadua. That means that although it is a running bamboo, it does so at such a low pace that makes it easy to control the growth.
Sorry for my bad english!

That's the kind of pointer I needed, thanks Sergio!! Makes things easier

Mike Turner wrote:Here’s a listing of bamboo genera with their running or climbing habit mentioned.  

https://www.guaduabamboo.com/blog/bamboo-genera

And together with this, things start to get going... thanks Mike!

I have about thirty years experience of growing different bamboos here in North Florida.  It has been quite a learning experience.  We started off by getting about 15 different varieties of bamboo from various places.  What we soon learned is that there is a fair amount of difference between the different varieties,..  Mostly this had to do with things like their ultimate height, color, diameter of the culms, thickness of the side-walls, growing habit (upright or weeping, clumping or running) etc.  Also it soon became clear that some of the bamboos were just  better suited than others for our area and growing conditions.  Some can handle saturated soil, others can't.  After getting established, some of the bamboos just went into a slow decline and ultimately died away... (not sure why).   Things have ended up with about 5 of the varieties being well established and happy here..  Something to consider are that many animals like to eat the shoots that come up in the spring..  This can be a big problem especially when the plantings are just starting...
    I don't actually use the bamboo for anything other than for its visual appeal... To me a large area of running bamboo seems somewhat magical...   I do find it to be the only tall form of "shade" that I like to have within falling distance of my house..  It can grow 40' tall and provide me with visual screening and much appreciated shade without endangering the house..   Some people are scared of  "running" bamboo but it can easily be controlled by mowing the perimeters a time or two in the spring which is the only time it puts up new growth.  
     Yesterday I  planted about 30 clumps of bambusoides spectablis along a fence line to screen out a neighbor's building...  I wish I had done it years ago...

Bamboo leaves are very effective at transpiration, so the whole bamboo grove acts as a giant swamp cooler, with the measured temperature inside the grove easily 7 degrees F below ambient temperature.  It makes the bamboo grove a pleasant place to be on a hot summer day.  My sheep and guardian dogs also appreciate the cooler temperatures in the interior of the grove and spend a lot of time resting there in the middle of the day.  

If you have livestock, it is easy to contain running bamboos since the livestock will eat every bamboo shoot they can find.  So if you place the running bamboo grove in the middle of the pasture and keep the livestock fenced out of the grove during the spring shooting season, the livestock will keep the grove contained to the fenced area.  Running bamboos can only run a distance slightly greater than they are tall, so the pasture grove needs to be at least that distance from the perimeter of the pasture.

I recently went to a nice bamboo farm near Richmond Virginia and selected half a dozen varieties to bring back to my mountain farm in Southwest Virginia.

I took the tour that the seller offered and learned so much about the different uses for the bamboos. I selected one that grows tall with lower branching and will grow quickly to make a screen to foil the neighbors across the creek who like to shoot deer in my field

I selected another variety that makes good furniture, due to its clean lines and strong walls. Might want to use that for a teepee or fencing.

I picked out a couple more that are well known for their tender and tasty shoots. All bamboo have shoots but not all are good to eat.

Another selection was beautiful, with lovely stalks as well as nice canopy that would look good from a distance. It will serve as a focal point near my pond.

And I bought 2 plants of a type that is known to thrive in my area, as a backup in case the others have problems.

I will have to pay attention in the spring to ensure my goats and horses don't mow down sprouts before they can harden.  With over 150 acres here, I'm not really concerned about the bamboo spreading.

There is a genus of bamboo, Arundinaria, which is native to North America. While it is technically a running bamboo, and while it does need some planning in terms of site, it does not spread with the speed of invasive running bamboos.

If you are in North America and haven't considered an Arundinaria for your purposes, I hope you would.

I planted 9 species of running bamboo on our property 12 years ago. All were timber bamboos ranging in mature height from 25 to 70 feet. The genus Phyllostachys are all running bamboos that grow in a temperate climate. Bamboos in the genus Fargesia will grow farther north and are clumpers, but their mature height is about 12 feet.

I wanted timber bamboos with strong wood and enough size to be useful for building anything that came to mind. It has taken 10 years for P. nigra Henon to mature, and now I think it has gone into flower, though I have not seen mine do so yet. When bamboo flowers and sets seeds, it will usually die back to the ground. Most bamboos in the genus Phyllostachys flower on a 100-year cycle. I planted many different species, for just that reason. P. bambusoides went into flower in the 90's, but the flowering times of most bamboos are not known.

The clumping species of bamboos, excluding Fargesia, are all sub-tropical or tropical, and will barely grow north of the gulf coast. They will try, but usually die back to the ground in the winter after a hard freeze. I want to try Bambusa Oldhamii or others in the genus, but I just don't think that I can keep them alive in the Atlanta area.

I planted: P. nigra Henon, P. aurea, P. vivax, P. rubromarginata, P. bambusoides, P. edulus Moso, P. viridis Robert Young, P. makinoi, P. lithophila,

The makinoi did not thrive in our heavy clay soil and has done nothing since planted. The aurea, Henon, and Robert Young have gone crazy, and are growing to full size over a few thousand feet each. The bambusoides and Moso are very slowly reaching maturity, but not even half their full size yet. The rubromarginata, has grown very little. It was supposed to be one of the best growing bamboos for this area of the country. Vivax seems to have died out in the area in which it was planted. Lithophila is still growing, but slowly.

So, three out of nine species are thriving, four out of nine are very slowly growing to maturity, and two species just gave up. These were all started as one gallon pots, except for the aurea, and received no care beyond the first year.