posted 11 years ago
Giant grey henon and golden bamboo are both quite drought tolerant once established. I would plan on keeping the soil moist the first couple of years. My rubromarginata stand is my source of tomato stakes as it produces 25' tall canes which are more than an inch in diameter. The moso colony is producing 2" diameter canes after 5 years of growth and is about 25' tall. All of the species mentioned will produce strong canes for staking, poles, ect.
I bought field grown divisions from Lewis Bamboo, and had a 100% survival rate, once a colony establishes and produces runners, you can dig up canes that pop up in the wrong spots and pot them up. I find that it takes a few months to an entire summer to find out if the potted up plant will survive. Once it sends up additional canes, you know the division is viable. It takes a while, but is a cheap way to get strong, healthy divisions for free.
Rubromarginata is so tough that I have pulled up rhizomes and planted them elsewhere under a 1' of mulch and some have survived to produce new plants.
Bamboo's love a thick mulch.