Help! Bamboo ID needed... may have planted invasive type. (growing plants, grass, butterfly)

[JohnHenrySDM]

I'm in central Texas and have been needing some fast, tall growing plants to block out vistas of pawn shops and title loan establishments. I went to Home Depot and grabbed two 2 gallon pots of "Bamboo". I put it in quotes because that's exactly how it was labeled. That is all the pot said.

Before purchasing, I'd been warned about bamboo, how it's terribly invasive and impossible to control. But after doing some of my own reading I learned about the clumping and running varieties, and how it's mainly the latter that presents problems.

So I did my homework, then got impulsive and ignored what I'd learned. Now that I've planted it in the ground, I need to know if I've made a terrible mistake. So can anyone tell what species this is, or if it's a runner or a clumper? TIA!

[Butterfly4u]

John,
That is a clumper. I don't know the variety, but a clumper.
Remove the rocks and put mulch down around it.
It will fry later in the summer with those rocks there.
Remember to water it real good at least once or twice a week
starting now.
If you really don't feel comfortable having it in the ground, plant
it in a pot and water it at least 2 times a week and it will be fine.

[JohnHenrySDM]

Thank you, Butterfly. That's good to hear. I've been told in an email that it looks like Bambusa multiplex AKA Golden Goddess, which is a clumper... which is great news.

How important is it to remove the rocks? I really like them, but if they'll kill the plant, then I guess they'll have to go.

[hueyeats]

You will need to consistently trim any bamboo if you don't want them invasive.
Bamboo is "grass" & naturally spread like them too!!!

Thus either "potting" them or trimming them keeps them controlled.

I think as with any plants... you will need to "weed" & maintain them to have them the way you want it!!!
Any plants / gardening takes work (little or not).
= why how ANY abandoned structures gets overtaken by vegetation / nature in very little time.

[evilnewbie]

I heard clumpers are still invasive thus requiring you to do maintenance on them every year...

[CptnRn]

There are a lot of good bamboo resources in Austin where you can verify what kind you have. Austin Bamboo Resources

[Butterfly4u]

John Henry,
Please take up that horrible weed cloth stuff you have down and remove the rocks.
All you really need is mulch. That's all.
Buy a bag and throw it down.
That cloth under the rocks is horrible for plants.
It is not invasive, so relax.
What is that drainage pipe you have behind it in the pic?
Do you have a problem with standing water there?
Or is it just that you need something to keep the soil in place?
Bamboo is the very best for erosion, but hates wet feet.
So if the water stands there for any length of time, meaning
the drainage isn't good, the bamboo will not be happy.
By the way, the bamboo looks very nice in your pic.