The Difference Between Clumping Bamboo and Running Bamboo
If you have ever had the chance to visit a bamboo nursery, you have probably come in contact with two different kinds of bamboo: clumping bamboo and running bamboo. Though most people consider bamboo to be a type of wood, bamboo is actually a type of grass. As the names imply, the clumping type of bamboo sticks to where it is planted. The running type of bamboo spreads quickly and will invade places you may have never imagined.
Clumping bamboo is the type of bamboo that stays put. It will grow similarly to any shrub you would plant, though some species can grow quite quickly. Many people use the clumping variety of bamboo as decorative in their gardens as decorative fences, for instance. When planting the bamboo that clumps together for a fence, it is recommended to plant them anywhere from 1 to 3 metres apart from each other. Since bamboo grows so quickly, but the end of the first year, you should have a very noticeable hedge forming.
The other type of bamboo is running bamboo. It is called such as it has the potential to run out of control. What happens with this type of bamboo is that it sends out underground shoots from the mother plant that grows into their own bamboo plants. Before you know it, you could have bamboo growing everywhere. Some people do like this type of bamboo as they prefer a more natural look on their property.
If you are interested in either type of bamboo, contact a bamboo expert.