Many gardeners battle with rocky soil in their garden. Everyone wants to grow trendy, beautiful plants and trees, but not all garden soil is created equal. Rocky soil in particular can be problematic because it retains fewer nutrients and water. Bamboo loves fertile, well-drained soil, so can it thrive in your rocky landscape?
Bamboo is a hardy plant that can grow in a wide variety of conditions. However, rocky soil presents a couple of obstacles that make it more difficult than normal for bamboo to grow to its full potential. Luckily, you can grow bamboo in rocky soil if you take a few steps to amend it and thereby increase your bamboo’s chances of success.
If you have rocky soil in your landscape, you’ll need to amend your soil or prepare raised beds to make the growing conditions more favorable. In this article, we’ll take a look at rocky soils and just how you can grow bamboo in them. We’ll also recommend a few hardy bamboo species you can grow successfully in amended rocky soil.
What is rocky soil?
Rocky soil is not an uncommon issue for farmers and homeowners alike. It describes a type of soil that has a higher proportion of rocks of varying sizes that, small or big, can make it difficult for plants’ roots to penetrate the soil and grow deep. After all, despite the fact that roots are strong, they can’t quite break through rock!
Although rocky soil is known to be well-draining, this also means that it doesn’t retain water well. This usually results in dry, hard, and nutrient-deficient soil. If you find that digging in your garden soil is a challenge due to the amount of rocks you encounter, you’re likely dealing with rocky soil.
Generally, rocky soils have the following characteristics:
- Semi-impermeability: rocky soils are semi-impermeable, the surface of the soil makes it very difficult for planting and growing
- Fewer plant-accessible minerals and nutrients
- Drains very easily/poor water holding capacity
- Usually has a light brown or gray color
One common fix used by landscapers dealing with rocky soil is adding about 4-10 inches of topsoil on rocky landscapes. If you dig up your garden soil to get ready for planting, only to hit rocks in every direction, you’ll need to learn how to deal with rocky soil.
Why is rocky soil bad for growing bamboo?
Growing bamboo in rocky soil is undoubtedly a challenging exercise. Bamboo plants love fertile, humus-rich soils with plenty of water and nutrients. Unfortunately, the hard surface of rocky soil makes it difficult for bamboo to take root, spread, and absorb nutrients from the soil.
While some bamboo species are drought-tolerant when mature, most bamboos, especially when young, prefer to be in moist, well-draining soils. Rocky soils drain water easily (a little too easily) and thus have poor water retention capacity. As a result, bamboo planted in rocky soil often ends up in dry conditions, making it difficult for young bamboo plants to survive.
So, you probably shouldn’t try to plant bamboo straight into rocky soil. Instead, there are a few steps you can take to improve rocky soil to make the conditions more favorable for your bamboo to not only survive, but thrive.
How to improve rocky soil so you can grow bamboo
While improving soil of any kind is often a tedious and time-consuming task, the effort is well worth the reward. If you work to improve your rocky soil earlier rather than later, you get to enhance the structure of your soil so that you can grow beautiful plants and bamboo now and in the future.
Tilling and mulching
Tilling and mulching your soil will loosen your soil, remove rocks, and add compost to improve the soil structure. The good news is that this one-time amendment will result in continued improvement in the drainage, nutrient levels, and aeration of your soil.
Recall that the major issue with rocky soils is that they drain water too easily and hardly retain nutrients. To fix this problem, you’ll have to mulch your soil significantly to improve the soil structure and nutrient density. Follow the steps below to amend your rocky soil:
Step 1: Determine and mark out your preferred bamboo growing area on your landscape so you can focus on amending this area first.
Step 2: Prepare compost/mulch that is rich in organic matter. You can create your own compost using leaves, stem trimmings, wood bark, grass clippings, and kitchen scraps.
Step 3: Till your garden soil and remove any larger rocks that you find. Rocks can prevent your bamboo plants from taking root, so it’s better to remove and repurpose them in another part of your garden. The good news is, you don’t have to go too deep as bamboo has a shallow root system. Just make sure to till the growing area down to a minimum of 6 inches to remove surface rocks and weeds.
Step 4: Add about 2-3 inches of the prepared compost and/or mulch on top of the tilled soil. Mix the compost into the top 6 inches of soil with a shovel or garden fork.
Other ways to grow bamboo on a rocky landscape
If amending your existing rocky soil isn’t an option for you, there are a couple of other methods you can use to grow bamboo in your garden. These alternatives are not necessarily faster, but they might be easier for you. There are two methods you might consider:
Grow bamboo in raised beds
You can use raised beds in your rocky garden to grow bamboo relatively easily. You’ll need to create or install a raised bed from materials such as wood, concrete blocks, or bricks. If you choose wood, you should either pick a clumping bamboo or line the raised bed with a barrier. Running bamboo may break through the cracks since it grows rapidly.
Raised beds are usually open on the bottom, so deep roots can grow into the available topsoil (even if it’s rocky).
Select the spot or spots in your garden where you’ll grow your bamboo. Make sure to select a spot that provides the light requirement of your preferred bamboo plant, a north to south-facing raised bed should give you maximum sunlight. Next, prepare the soil for your bamboo. You can purchase soil mix in garden centers and add compost and/or mulch to boost the amount of organic matter.
Raised beds are a great option because they’re easy to maintain and they’ll save you a lot of work, stress, and space. You can even reduce potential damage from pests by lining the bottom of the raised beds with a metal mesh.
Grow bamboo in planters or pots
Not all bamboo lovers find potted bamboo plants to be fascinating, but they are really lovely and gorgeous especially when grown in the right conditions.
Keep in mind that most bamboo species are vigorous growers, so only a few bamboo species will thrive in the contained space of a planter or pot. You should select smaller-sized species and learn how to best care for bamboo in pots.
When you grow bamboo in planters, you can enjoy your garden without having to spend so much time and energy amending your rocky soil. You can grow bamboo in several pots or planters and position them to add texture and beauty to your home and garden.
Best bamboo to grow in (improved) rocky soil
If you’ve taken the time and effort to improve your soil, we’ve prepared a special selection for you! Generally, the better the growing condition of your bamboo, the faster and healthier it will be.
However, the following bamboo plants are particularly hardy and can thrive in your now enhanced rocky soil:
| Species | Height | USDA |
|---|---|---|
| Phyllostachys parvifolia | 23-40 ft (7-12 m) | 5a-10 |
| Phyllostachys atrovaginata | 40 ft (12 m) | 5-10 |
| Phyllostachys heteroclada | 25 ft (7.6 m) | 6-10 |
| Sasa veitchii | 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m) | 6a-11 |
Phyllostachys parvifolia ‘Anji Golden Bamboo’
- Type: Running
- Height: 23-40 ft (7-12 m)
- Stem diameter: 4 in (10 cm)
- USDA zones: 5a-10
- Hardiness: −6 to −15 °F (−21 to −26 °C)
- Light: Full sun, part shade
- Watering: Moderate
Phyllostachys parvifolia is a tall timber bamboo species that can grow up to 40 ft (12 m) in ideal growing conditions. It’s a colorful and elegant bamboo that you can easily plant in your landscape. This bamboo has upright, thin-walled culms with purple stripes on the brown shoots, creating a tropical effect.
Phyllostachys parvifolia is usually grown for hedges, walkways, privacy screens, and as an ornamental plant. It’s a cold-tolerant bamboo that thrives in most soil types, including somewhat rocky soil. However, it’ll require regular fertilizing for best results.
Phyllostachys atrovaginata ‘Incense Bamboo’
- Type: Running
- Height: 40 ft (12 m)
- Stem diameter: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
- USDA zones: 5-10
- Hardiness: 5 °F (−15 °C)
- Light: Full sun to partial shade
- Watering: Average
Phyllostachys atrovaginata is a vigorous growing, evergreen bamboo that makes an excellent privacy screen, growing up to 20 ft in just a few years. The culms of this bamboo are strong and upright. When the culms are rubbed against each other, they give off a fragrance of incense. Hence, its common name of Incense Bamboo.
Incense Bamboo has lance-shaped, dark green leaves that will undoubtedly add texture to your landscape. This bamboo spreads very quickly, so it’s important to install bamboo barriers if you intend to plant this variety. Incense Bamboo needs even more sunlight and it can survive in soggy soils, but it detests cold conditions.
Phyllostachys heteroclada ‘Water Bamboo’
- Type: Running
- Height: 25 ft (7.6 m)
- Stem diameter: 2 in (5 cm)
- USDA zones: 6-10
- Hardiness: -10 °F (−23 °C)
- Light: Full sun, part sun
- Watering: Regular
Water Bamboo is another option for your improved rocky soil. These beautiful bamboo culms turn gray-green when mature. If you’re looking to grow privacy screens or hedges, this is an amazing choice for you!
Phyllostachys heteroclada has air channels that are adapted for wet soil conditions. It can survive even in standing water. This bamboo is valued for its solid stem which provides incredible protection even in extremely windy conditions.
Sasa veitchii ‘Kuma-Zasa Bamboo’
- Type: Running
- Height: 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)
- Stem diameter: 0.5 in (1.2 cm)
- USDA zones: 6a-11
- Hardiness: 5 °F (−15 °C)
- Light: Full sun, part shade
- Watering: Regular to moderate
Kuma-Zasa Bamboo is one of the most sought-after Sasa species. It’s loved and grown by bamboo enthusiasts for its beautiful dark-green leaves that form unique white edges in fall and winter. It’s a small yet stunning bamboo that’s guaranteed to brighten up any landscape.
Kuma-Zasa forms clumps of thin culms and is best grown as a ground cover. It’s a shade lover that does very well in part shade but can even be grown in full sun. It’s a strong and versatile bamboo that can withstand the cold and survive in relatively wet conditions.
