Pseudosasa japonica

Pseudosasa japonica, or Japanese Arrow Bamboo is one of our 3 favorite bamboos for creating privacy screens and hedges. (compare with green temple and golden). Whether you use potted plants, raised beds, in ground plantings and Rhizome Pruning Methods, or use commercially available Rhizome Barrier, this easy to control bamboo creates a lush vertical hedge. This is one of the few bamboo species that works well as an indoor plant.

We have Pseudosasa japonica available two ways, dependent on the time of the year-

Potted- Available all year- Potted bamboos are what are most commonly available, and work well for planting at any time of year. Benefits to potted plants are that they already have an established root system, and growth has been stabilized.  Common pot sizes available are 1 gallon, 3 gallon, and 5 gallon.  Occasionally we have some larger sizes, up to 30 gallon.

Divisions- Divisions are ONLY available in the early spring, February to the end of March, and are available as either regular divisions- that is, a section of the plant, with the canes and leaves, dug, bagged, and ready to be planted, or as a large cane division, which is a thicker cane, cut back to 5' to 7' tall. here is the difference:

Here you can see a regular division on the left, the large culm division on the right

For most purposes, a large cane planting will give you a thicker screen, faster, than a hedge planted by regular divisions.  Large cane divisions will send up shoots which will help to fill in the hedge, as well as send out branches from each node (joint) on the cane.  a regular division will also send up shoots, and fill in, but because the original canes are smaller, the new shoots, which will be smaller than the one planted, will be smaller as well.  the only drawback to a large cane planting is that you do not see the leaves on the plants for several months.

Care requirements for Japanese Arrow Bamboo

• • Light- does best in dappled sun, but will tolerate a wide range, up to full sun if watered well

  • Water- Moderate water requirement

  • Temperature- down to -5F

  • Size- Pseudosasa japonica can reach 18' tall in ideal conditions, but more commonly reaches 15'. canes can be up to 3/4" diameter. Can be trimmed shorter like a standard hedge.

  • Running Bamboo- use containment methods to control growth as needed- Rhizome Pruning Methods

Want more photos and information? Click this link- Pseudosasa japonica

Ordering Info:  most bamboos we have are available in one gallon, three gallon and five gallon nursery pots.  Not all sizes of all species are available at all times, so the best way to order is to email us from our contact page with the species and size you are interested in.