Susanne Lucas

Bamboo DIY projects succeed or fail before you pick up a tool. Species selection, curing method, and moisture content matter more than your woodworking skills. Fresh-cut […]

True bamboo (Poaceae family) doesn’t survive continuous submersion. The silica-rich culms that make bamboo incredibly strong above water become decomposition magnets below the surface. Those gorgeous

Lucky bamboo thrives in water when you change it every 7-14 days using distilled, filtered, or rainwater, not tap water. The plant (actually Dracaena sanderiana, not a

I killed four lucky bamboo plants before I figured out the problem. Every guide I read gave “bamboo care” advice, moderate light, change the water

Growing bamboo successfully in containers requires clumping species (pachymorph rhizomes), minimum 20-gallon pots, and twice the watering frequency of ground plantings. Running bamboo species fail in

Select bamboo by working backward from your goal. Privacy screens in cold climates need Phyllostachys bissetii or Fargesia robusta. Ornamental specimens work best with Phyllostachys

Removing established running bamboo (Phyllostachys species) requires eliminating the underground rhizome network, which extends 3-20 feet beyond visible culms. Complete removal takes 2-4 years using

You’ve seen the claim: bamboo grows up to 35 inches per day! That’s technically true, for Phyllostachys edulis (Moso bamboo), in subtropical China, during peak shoot season,

Bamboo care requires less intervention than most guides suggest. Established bamboo needs deep watering only during drought, a single spring fertilization, and annual culm thinning, that’s

Plant running bamboo (Phyllostachys species) in early spring before new shoots emerge; plant clumping bamboo (Fargesia, Bambusa) in spring through early summer when soil temperatures reach 55°F.

Bamboo garden structures, arbors, trellises, pergolas, fencing, and decorative accessories, can last 15+ years outdoors or fail in under 3, and the difference isn’t construction

My first bamboo garden design looked incredible, for exactly two years. By year three, the Phyllostachys aureosulcata I’d planted as a “living fence” had jumped its bed,