I’m often asked whether clumping bamboo is “safe” and whether running bamboo is the real problem. On paper, the distinction sounds simple. In reality, it’s one of the most misunderstood aspects of bamboo planting in New Jersey.
True clumping bamboo varieties generally do not survive New Jersey winters well. Most of the bamboo that thrives here is temperate running bamboo, which spreads through aggressive underground rhizomes. Where confusion arises is in labeling. Over the years, I’ve seen many homeowners told they were planting clumping bamboo, only to discover years later that what they had was a running species well adapted to local conditions.
I’ve been on jobs where homeowners insisted their bamboo could not be spreading because they were assured it was clumping. In one case in northern New Jersey, bamboo planted near a deck was believed to be contained because it appeared tight and upright. When we excavated, we found rhizomes branching in multiple directions, extending far beyond the visible growth. The bamboo wasn’t behaving unusually — it was doing exactly what running bamboo does in this climate.
If you accidentally planted a running bamboo instead of a clumping bamboo. We can help.
What homeowners are rarely told is that the difference between clumping and running bamboo matters less than whether the plant can survive locally. In New Jersey, the bamboo that survives winters is almost always capable of spreading. That doesn’t mean bamboo can never be managed, but it does mean assumptions based on labels often lead to problems later.
When people ask me whether bamboo can be planted safely, I tell them that the real question is whether they are prepared to manage the underground system. Without that understanding, even well-intentioned plantings can eventually lead to removal projects. Many of the NJ bamboo removal jobs we handle started with bamboo that was believed to be harmless at the time of planting.
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