Alphonse Karr Golden Bamboo (Bambusa Multiplex) – 2 Gallon Pot

 

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Adored for its bold and beautiful golden-yellow culms, and its adaptability and versatility, Alphonse Karr is a non-spreading, clump-forming Bamboo that grows equally as well containers as it does outdoors in the ground, and can be grown as a houseplant in well-lit indoor spaces. Featuring bright yellow canes with random, thin vertical stripes of dark green, Alphonse Karr is a fast grower and culm producing machine that you can expect to reach 20 feet or more in height (35 to 40 feet at maturity) in a tidy clump of 1.5 inch diameter bright yellow culms to about 5 to feet wide in just a few years. The tight clump makes it perfectly suited as a focal point specimen in smaller garden spaces and pots, planters and other containers or as a thick, impenetrable privacy hedge or screen. Can be maintained as a hedge to as low as 6 feet in height. Alphonse Karr loves the sun but will also grow in part shade, will tolerate soggy soils, and is hardy to 12°F.

Containers/Pots:  Excellent! (8-14′ H)

Crafts: Good

Edible: No

Hedge: Excellent!

Privacy Screen: Excellent!

Indoor: Yes, well lit – PLEASE SEE: How To Grow Bamboo Plants Indoors

Ornamental: Excellent

Wood Quality: NA

Alphonse Karr Bamboo is very easy to grow in a moist but well drained soil and full sun to part shade. Faster growth can be expected with more sun and consistently moist soil. In quick draining soils it’s a good idea to mix in some composted organic matter such as composted cow manure and peat moss with the native soil removed from the planting hole. Will tolerate soggy soils. Mulch well to retain moisture in the soil. Feed three time a year in spring, summer and fall with a natural fertilizer, palm food, or good shrub & tree fertilizer.

Alphonse Karr Bamboo is a clumping bamboo that does not require any control to contain it. That said, the clump can grow up to 10 feet wide over time. If you want to contain it to a smaller area this can be done. Bamboo can be controlled in a small area simply by mowing or stepping on the young shoots. Bamboo only puts up new shoots for a short time each year and, when they are “shooting,” the new plants are very fragile and easy to destroy. Root pruning or installing Bamboo Root Barrier are other methods to control spread.