Nuda or Fargesia? Four Common Questions About Our Favorite Bamboo Species for Landscaping

Nuda Bamboo is a plant that has been popping up in landscapes all over America. It may be surprising, considering how many people across the country believe that bamboo might take over and infest their landscapes. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. A well-maintained patch of bamboo can form an incredibly beautiful backdrop for a home and landscape.

In this article, we’ll cover some frequently asked questions about bamboo as well as some concerns about specific bamboo variants. You’ll soon know if bamboo is perfect for your landscape and you can begin to work towards your perfect landscape renovation this spring. If you’re considering adding either Nuda or Fargesia Bamboos to your landscape, be sure to read further!

Is Nuda Bamboo Invasive?

All types of bamboo species grow quickly, though this doesn’t mean that they’re invasive. When a species is overpopulated and begins to harm the environment, that’s when it’s become an invasive species in an environment. However, Nuda Bamboo shouldn’t be considered to be a plant that will easily take over your yard. In fact, it’s quite easy to control!

It’s important to know exactly how bamboo grows. Unlike many other types of plants that may grow in your landscape, bamboo doesn’t spread using seeds or pollen which may be carried by the wind. Instead, bamboo uses rhizomes to spread beneath the ground. These rhizomes are quite sneaky, yet they only grow in the topsoil. This means that you generally won’t see bamboo rhizomes lower than 12 inches beneath the surface. Once the rhizomes form a cluster, they send a shoot above the surface. While the process happens very quickly, it’s a superficial process that can be controlled.

The difference between running bamboo and clumping bamboo may help make the right decision in species selection. Clumping bamboo is one that grows slowly, but running bamboo, on the other hand, is known to be an extremely quick grower. Running bamboo varieties, such as Nuda, need to be controlled to avoid overgrowth.

For bamboo to grow, it needs to have the right soil and consistent weather. The fastest growing bamboo in the world is in areas with rich organic soil and frequent fog and rain. Since bamboo only grows close to the surface, a simple barrier below the surface will often suffice in keeping the spreading to a minimum. This could be a shallow trench, a plank of wood, landscaping fabric, or some tightly-packed rocks. Bamboo is fairly easy to thwart!

How Fast Does Nuda Bamboo Grow?

The growth rate of bamboo greatly depends on the conditions of the soil in your landscape. If the planting area is shady and moist. In the right conditions, bamboo can grow as fast as 36 inches (yes, inches!) per day, though this is far from what you’d see with some garden bamboo varieties. 

During the main growth period, Nuda bamboo has been known to grow on average 4 inches per day, still much faster than any other plant in a typical landscape. The main growing period is typically less than 2 months, so you may see a few stalks begin to approach 20 feet in one season.

The growth of Nuda bamboo can be quite stunning, especially when the plant reaches maturity. Your bamboo patches may even be visibly different day by day. Nuda bamboo is the surefire way to make a landscape feel lush and green after only a few years. Make sure to keep an eye on it because a clump of bamboo that grows too dense may work against itself. 

Is Fargesia Bamboo Fast Growing?

The simple answer is no, not when compared to the Nuda variety. Fargesia bamboo is an incredibly hardy plant that can actually work well in the majority of the United States. This is because Fargesia evolved in the cold mountains of Western China, where it can withstand months of freezing temperatures and snow. It does not, however, fare well in the hot and humid climates of the Southeast United States where more tropical bamboo variants could grow. 

Unlike Nuda bamboo which might grow 4 inches per day at its peak, Fargesia bamboo might only grow 4 inches in the entire season. This slow growth is actually a testament to the climates that it can withstand. 

Fargesia bamboo, given the right levels of sunlight and moisture, can reach its maximum height of 30 feet after about 50 years of favorable conditions. Nuda bamboo can grow slightly higher, to around 38-39 feet, but it does it in a much quicker time of around 3 years of favorable conditions. All types of bamboo grow stalks in a single growing season, which means that a healthy plant will start over and grow taller each year. Nuda bamboo simply takes less time to mature than Fargesia bamboo. 

How Cold Hardy Is Bamboo?

The average person probably associates bamboo with some warm and misty forests in China. While this can be true, many species of bamboo grow all over the region in a variety of climates. Bamboo grows naturally in the misty forests of Sakhalin Island in Eastern Russia, which is a temperate rainforest that receives incredible amounts of snow and rain. The winter that most of the United States experiences every year is definitely one that many species of bamboo can handle. Fargesia bamboo, as we mentioned before, is native to some very cold mountains, showing that it can stand strong against some incredibly harsh winters. 

Although Fargesia is more well known as a cold hardy bamboo, Nuda bamboo can be particularly strong against cold as well. It can thrive despite temperatures reaching well below zero in the winter, just as long as the plant is mature and maintained well.

Keep in mind, however, that almost all bamboo varieties do their best when they’re not subjected to intense sunlight. For the best outcome in your landscape, make sure to put bamboo in shady areas that don’t get a lot of afternoon sun. The heat that bears down in the middle of summer may quickly dry out the bamboo or cause stalks to rot.