permaculture

["Lisa Rollens" <rollens@fidnet.com>]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to share some observations from my farm.  I have written with 
questions before and really appreciate the feedback.  So perhaps this might 
be useful to someone else.

We all know that bamboo is a good permie plant...many uses.  I bought some a 
few years ago and put it down near, but not too close to, a small spring 
pond, so I could water it when needed.  Basically it has done little or no 
growing, but it's still alive.  The next year I bought another pot of the 
same, presumably, and put it in my "nursery area" for pots, which happens to 
be under a black walnut tree close to the house.  I cover the ground with 
split used black plastic bags and put pots on top.  The very first winter I 
attempted to pick up the pot to put it in the storm shelter.  It had rooted 
into the ground....surprising to me even then because it's only about 6 feet 
from a large walnut tree.  It survived the winter and the very next spring 
put out a couple of shoots outside of the pot.  I left them.  Again another 
winter, and this spring the bamboo has gone crazy.  It has at least 13 shoots 
coming up all over the place.

This has all surprised me greatly because I would never have thought that 
bamboo had any juglone resistance.  I've never read anything about this in 
any of the permie books, and I wouldn't have suspected that bamboo and black 
walnuts evolved anywhere near each other to develop any resistance.

I am going to leave this plant right where it is.  It has chosen the spot 
where it prefers to grow.  I imagine it will stay somewhat in control because 
we ususally have drought in this part of the country.  But, the fun part is 
that I really don't know what will happen!

If anyone else has bamboo close to black walnuts, or tries planting some, 
please keep us posted on the results.  I see plenty of potential here.

Lisa, in the MO Ozarks