A Problem Plant That Isn’t Worth It

Two for the price of one is a popular marketing tactic. It leaves the buyer with the sensation of getting a real bargain.

In landscaping this concept is usually seen by the homeowner as getting blooms and foliage from plants. If searching for a border plant this combination is challenging, except for fishermen.

There is the temptation to use golden bamboo. It produces a dense growth and, in a few years, cane poles which can be used for fishing, especially if kids or grandchildren are involved.

Bamboo is literally the tallest grass in north Florida. There are more than 700 species of bamboo worldwide, ranging in height from 12 inches to 100 feet or more in ideal growing conditions.

Golden bamboo quickly becomes a nearly impenetrable thicket. It is a cheap source of fishing poles and home crafts, but the expense of control far outweighs any benefits.

In the U.S., only two species occur naturally (Arundinaria gigantea and A. tecta). Neither of these two plants are used for human food, but other bamboos are dietary staples or flavoring condiments in Asia and Africa.

Bamboo holds two impressive records in the plant kingdom. In addition to being the largest perennial grass on the planet, it can be the fastest growing plant under the right environmental condition.

It has been deliberately propagated and used as an ornamental plant for many years in Florida and other locations. The wide variety of colors and shades, combined with the exotic-shaped and delicate leaves, adds to the landscaping appeal.

Generally speaking, the two native bamboos are not extremely weedy and are relatively easy to manage. However, there are scores of imported bamboos which are highly invasive and exceedingly difficult to contain in a limited area.

The most common invasive bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) is commonly known as fishing pole or golden bamboo. It was imported into this country in the 1880’s as an ornamental, being popular as a cold-hearty and quick growing privacy screen.

Because of its weight and relative strength, it became an inexpensive and popular source of cane fishing poles. Curiously, bamboo flyfishing rods are usually made from a less common, but stronger bamboo species native to China.

This and other invasive bamboo varieties have large and complex underground root systems called rhizomes. These shallow roots maintain the plant’s viability by storing and distributing large volumes of nutrients.

Once an invasive bamboo is established, the root system supports rapid growth and expansion. Other plants are quickly overwhelmed and pushed out.

To control these invasive varieties, the entire rhizome network must be exhausted and killed. This makes control or eradication of golden bamboo expensive, intensive, time consuming and difficult.

Being a grass, bamboo easily tolerates occasional mowing, but regular and intensive shearing is much more effective for destroying this plant. The cutting frequency is similar to that used on home lawns if success is to be achieved.

The removal of the plant’s above-ground portion is required to deplete the rhizomes and control or eliminate the population. It usually takes one or two seasons of rigorous mowing before complete control is achieved.

So, it is easy to justify the activity of fishing with a cane pole since it removes an invasive plant. Sceptics may not accept the rationalization, but does it really matter?