Bamboo Ranch

Thursday, February 4, I took a trip to Tucson to visit the Bamboo Ranch. It is near Grant and Greasewood on the west side of town. The term "ranch" is stretching things a bit. There were no Bamboo round-ups, no Bamboo branding and no Bamboo stampedes. But the owner did take me all over the 1-acre "ranch" and he told me about each variety in the clumping type I was interested in.
There are two main varieties of bamboo - clumping and running. Running is a lot like Bermuda grass in that it sends roots out and they start new growths of bamboo. Clumping does not do that but adds new stalks to the clump that it is a part of. To grow new ones you have to remove a part of the root cluster and plant it in a new location.
He showed me several varieties that grew tall and in large diameter, some large enough to build bridges with. He showed me some that were more for shade, some that would make nice barriers, some that were decorative and some that were colorful (and expensive).
It was a fun trip and I learned a lot. I now think I know enough to choose the varieties that I will need to fill in my new spot without infesting the neighborhood with unwanted bamboo.