Growing & Planting Bamboo in Arizona

Arizona receives both frosty winter temperatures in the north and hot, dry summers in the south. The state encompasses hardiness zones 5 to 10, which means that different types of bamboo will work best in different corners of Arizona. Bamboo plants provide restful greenery and can work as a privacy hedge, natural fence or landscape plant. Most bamboo prefer full sun but some grow well in shade. The biggest challenge to growing bamboo in Arizona is providing sufficient irrigation.

Shovel

Bamboo plant

Water

Mulch

Select a site that offers full sun unless your bamboo cultivar specifically prefers other growing conditions. In southern Arizona, bamboo can be planted any time of year, while gardeners in zones 5 to 7 should plant in the spring so the plants become acclimated for winter.

Dig a hole twice the width of your bamboo plant and just as deep as the plant's container. Remove weeds, rocks and sticks from the hole.

Pull your bamboo plant from its container and break apart the roots before planting. Unwind any roots that have become tangled. Then place the bamboo in the prepared hole so it sits at the same depth in the soil as it did in the container.

Fill in the hole with soil to plant your bamboo.

Water the newly planted bamboo until the soil becomes saturated.

Mulch the soil under your bamboo with at least 4 inches of organic material. Mulching enriches the soil, which helps the bamboo grow.

Continue to water your bamboo twice a week. The American Bamboo Society recommends giving 5-gallon bamboo plants 1 gallon of water each time. Mature bamboo plants need less water but young plants require intense irrigation, especially in dry climates like Arizona's.

Select a cultivar of bamboo designed to grow in your hardiness zone, using the suggested bamboo types for the southwest from Lewis Bamboo (see Resources). They recommend Decora for southern Arizona.