Bamboo sticks provide firm support for plants. Many gardeners and homeowners are increasingly using bamboo canes as stakes. The sticks are small, strong and blend incredibly well where they are used.
There are many other fantastic uses of bamboo sticks. We covered the common uses in the garden, read on to find out.
Buy bamboo sticks for supporting plants
The bamboo sticks can support a variety of plants, shrubs and trees in the gardens and pots. They are best for staking new plants and giving them the best possible start.
Many gardeners stake the plants or create frames for them to grow on. There are many options for using bamboo sticks.
If you have a bamboo grove, you’ll have an endless supply of bamboo sticks, but if you do not have a bamboo plant, you can buy the bamboo sticks online or at the nearest DIY shops.
Here are some possible places to get bamboo sticks for plants online or in shops.
Bamboo canes great for vines and new plants
The bamboo sticks are tall, slender, rounded, tough and strong. They are the perfect support for new plants, vines, beans and garden and pot plants that need stem support.
The bamboo sticks will last for many years. You can use and re-use the sticks, they are tough, firm and strong. They are also flexible, you can bend them to your liking and create amazing shapes and designs.
In fact, bamboo sticks will form a formidable support system if you use ropes to tie the plants to the sticks or group them together into wigwam climber frames. This has been seen in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian countries where bamboo sticks are used to create stunning garden features.
In the UK, many creative gardeners and homeowners are using bamboo canes to build different support systems for their garden and pot plants.
In addition to their uses in the pots and gardens, the canes are great for making frames for climbing plants such as the trellis, beans, grapes and many other vegetative vines.
How to prepare bamboo sticks?
Gardeners and homeowners who have a bamboo grove know that bamboo sticks are useful. Always handy to have them in the shed when you need them. Bamboo sticks bought from the DIY shops or online markets places come ready prepared. You can use them straight away.
When pruning or thinning bamboo plants, it is important to cut the canes close to the ground. This will give the new shoots an opportunity to grow well. In addition, you’ll get tall bamboo sticks that have tough ‘bottoms’ and can last longer in the soil.
(Use the prep tips on How to use Bamboo sticks in Pot plants and Gardens when preparing bamboo sticks, see below)
Preparing bamboo sticks for use in the garden
How to use bamboo sticks to support potted plants?
When prepping bamboo sticks, always remove the branches and leaves neatly, do not work against the grain. Trim the branches using a pair of secateurs or sharp knives. In addition, use a garden rope to tie the bamboo sticks (see image) into a bundle.
It’s nice and neat as well as light and easy to store and move around when you need them.
Do these 5 preps and your bamboo sticks will last longer in the pot plants.
- Work out how high you want the plant to grow.
- Use a pair of secateurs to cut bamboo sticks (cut close to the nodes, careful not to split the bamboos).
- Use a digging tool to make holes deep into the pot and push the bamboo sticks into the holes.
- Compact the soil around the bamboo sticks.
- Use garden ropes to tie the potted plants to the bamboo sticks.
- *If you are building a wigwam-climbing frame for the crawling plants like the trellis, follow steps 1 – 4 and use smaller bamboo sticks to tie them together)
One practical tip to prepare the sticks is to cut the bamboo canes close to the nodes. Although bamboo sticks have a high resistance to rotting, the exposed ends can disintegrate quickly. For example, the bottom part of a bamboo stick inside the soil will rot when it is exposed to water and moisture in the soil. However, the node provides a barrier and can slow down the bamboo stick from rotting quickly.
Use a sharp pair of secateurs and do a clean-cut at the bottom of the bamboo sticks. Avoid splitting the bamboo during cutting. Your bamboo sticks will last longer, and you’ll be able to re-use the bamboo sticks for many years.
Be careful not to split the bamboo sticks because the splinters are sharp and can cause nasty cuts to exposed skins.
All in all, cut the bamboo close to the ground (during pruning) and close to the node before using it to support your plants in the pots.
Bamboo stakes for garden plants
Bamboo sticks are perfect for runner beans, tomatoes, raspberry and other soft fruit and vegetables in the garden.
Here are some examples of bamboo sticks we used in the garden and in pots. They are a great support system for both the new and growing plants. (Let us know in the comment if you have used bamboo sticks in the gardens. We would be delighted to know)
Examples of bamboo sticks in use in pots and patio
Bamboo sticks for privacy screening
The bamboo sticks and mats are growing in popularity in the UK, especially as natural screens for apartments and terraces. Some homeowners are using bamboo sticks to design stunning natural screens to cover unpleasant and unsightly objects.
In fact, there are many designs for small outdoor places. You can use the large bamboo sticks to build a stable windbreak, or water feature, or create any serene feature in the garden. Furthermore, the bamboo mats are quick solutions for screening for small outdoor spaces. They seal off the unpleasant sights and views and create instant personal spaces.
If you want to create a natural hedge screening in the garden or plant bamboo in pots for privacy screening balcony, porch, patio or deck, read this article, linked. It is packed full of information for growing bamboo plants in pots and containers.
Potted plants grow into dense screens within 3-5 years.
What is the best bamboo for bamboo sticks?
Both the running and the clumping bamboo plants are perfect for harvesting bamboo sticks. Running bamboo provides long, upright and slender canes. The running bamboo canes are the best sticks for supporting garden plants and pot plants.
The clump-forming bamboo plants are often slender and arching. Their culms will form dense clusters and produce canes, ideal for supporting plants in gardens and pots. Here are some recommendations.
If you want slim and tall bamboo sticks, grow Phyllostachys aurea. It is also called the Fish-pole bamboo because of its long, slim and strong canes used as the fishing rods in South-East Asia and Pacific regions.
The Phyllostachys aureosulcata aureocaulis, Phyllostachys aureosulcata spectabilis and Phyllostachys bissettii are tall bamboos with thick culms. They are ideal for staking shrubs and soft fruit or large pot plants.
Whether you want slim and strong bamboo canes for pot plants or tall and thick bamboo sticks for garden plants and shrubs, the Phyllostachys bamboos will not disappoint you.
The option for planting bamboo and benefiting from using the canes are endless.
Read about the Bamboo Fencing Screens and how to build them.
Bamboo sticks craft ideas for kids
Not only in the garden, but bamboo sticks are great materials for kids crafts. If you are creative and crafty, you can make a lot of useful and or fun things using bamboo sticks.
It is important for adults to help when preparing the sticks.
The light and hollow sticks, their flexibilities for bending, ease of snap-cutting are features that are ideal for creating fun outdoor crafts.
We used the bamboo sticks to build a mini-raft and it was lots of fun – see the video here. (Let us know what you think).