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Finding The Right Bamboo

6/26/2018

6 Comments

 
Instant Jungle has over thirty years of growing experience with bamboo. Our bamboo plants are guaranteed pest free and well groomed, with beautiful and lush foliage. With thirty different species of bamboo available for purchase at our Irvine and Santa Ana locations, we understand that finding the right one for your project can feel overwhelming. Below you will find information to help you narrow down the search. 
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 What to consider before shopping for bamboo:

1. Location
Where is it being planted? In the ground? In a concrete planter? Near a neighbor's fence-line? These factors will help us determine which species is best for your application. ​
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Phyllostachys nigra (Black Bamboo) planted in an above-ground concrete planter.
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Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr' planted in ground near a shared fence line.
2. Space
Some people want instant height when they plant their bamboo, but if you only have a 2’ x 2’ area to plant in, you will need to start off with a smaller container, which usually means a shorter plant.
Measure the width, length and depth of your planting area before shopping. This will also help determine how many bamboo you will need to purchase. Instant Jungle offers bamboo in 15 gallon containers all the way to 36” boxes. Our experienced sales team can help you determine how far apart to plant your bamboo plants. 

3. Design/Coverage
Are you trying to create a dense screen between your yard and a neighbor's? Does your courtyard need one really spectacular specimen plant? Is there a particular landscape theme you have in mind? Our sales team would be happy to walk you through the best options for any type of application. 
Style matters! Does the color, shade, or shape of your bamboo matter to you? Do you prefer striped bamboo, green bamboo, black bamboo, straight bamboo or curvy bamboo? Did you even know there were so many types of bamboo? Fret not, we have detailed pictures of all the varieties we carry HERE.
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Get familiar with the basic bamboo anatomy before shopping. This can make it easier for you to describe the look you're going for.

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The culms of Phyllostachys aureosulcata (Yellow Groove Bamboo) are very straight, upright and green with a distinctive yellow stripe.
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The culms of Bambusa ventricosa 'Kimmei' (Striped Buddha Belly) are golden with green stripes. The internodes have the ability to become swollen or "bellied" if water is restricted.
4. Height 
How tall do you want it to get? Will you be able to trim your bamboo? Are there power lines you need to watch out for? Instant Jungle carries bamboo that grow to a variety of maximum heights. Our bamboo descriptions HERE will tell you the maximum height of each species we carry. 

​5. Clumpers vs. Runners
Instant Jungle carries two different types of bamboo, clumpers and runners. 
The biggest difference between these two is the way the root systems work. ​The roots of clumping bamboos are short and grow close together in a circular pattern, at a very slow rate. The roots of running bamboos are rhizomes that can “run” underground, spreading far and wide at a fast rate. ​
Bamboo Guide
File Size: 69 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Download our Bamboo Guide to view the names of all our clumping and running bamboo species. 
Clumpers:
Clumping bamboo is recommended for those looking to plant their bamboo in the ground without risk of it becoming invasive. If you want easy installation without fear of your bamboo growing into unwanted areas, go with a clumper! 
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Details of Bambusa Multiplex 'Alphonse Karr,' our most popular clumping bamboo
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Benefits of Clumpers: 
  • ​Noninvasive 
  • Low maintenance
  • Grow tall quickly
  • Make excellent specimen plants/accents   

Runners: Runners are great for those who are planting their bamboo in a concrete planter, or are willing to invest in installing a root barrier.* If you want bamboo that spreads fast, and creates a dense screen, running bamboo is for you. 
* Root barriers are plastic liners used to redirect or block roots from growing into unwanted areas. Instant Jungle has root barrier available for purchase.  We do not install it. 
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Details of Phyllostachys nigra, our most popular running bamboo
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Benefits of Runners:
  • ​​Spread wide more quickly 
  • Make great privacy screens
  • Larger variety of species available

6. Maintenance
​All species require ample sunlight, drainage, and water.  Make sure your bamboo has access to all of these before planting. Both clumpers and runners require regular maintenance to keep them from overgrowing an area or becoming unhealthy looking. We recommend trimming and thinning out your bamboo every few months.

If you have considered all of the above, you are ready to start shopping for bamboo! If you have any further questions or concerns, our experienced sales team is available to help you.
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Author

Kathryn Newman

6 Comments

Finding the Right Plant Wall

12/6/2017

4 Comments

 
As an organic art form, plant walls connect us with nature, create harmonious home and work environments, and provide green spaces to urban sprawls.  We construct living plant walls for customers who wish to bring natural beauty into their everyday spaces.   

Instant Jungle has completed interior and exterior plant walls for both corporate and residential locales. Our plant wall services include design, planting, installation and maintenance. Each custom wall comes with the option for built-in irrigation. You have the choice to customize your own plant design, or allow our professionals to create one for you. 
​

Whether you want a small area of your backyard or the entire side of an office building covered, we will work with you to create a beautiful one-of-a-kind plant wall.
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Why live plant walls?
  • Increase productivity in the workplace by 15%
  • Help sequester toxins and produce oxygen
  • Decrease noise pollution in the home and workplace
  • Make it possible to add greenery to interior spaces lacking floor space and exterior spaces lacking grounds space 
  • Create natural insulation and protect buildings from water damage and UV Rays
  • Provide a biophilic design that attracts customers
  • Improve building’s chances to become LEED certified ​ 
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Which wall is right for you? 
 
​
We are proud to work with Tournesol Siteworks
 to create the most durable and sustainable live plant walls available today. Below, you will find information on  the different systems we work with to create gorgeous custom plant walls; the VGP, VGM and TerraScreen. 
​

VGM
The VGM module is our go-to for commercial properties and succulent plant walls. The steel mounting rails can be connected to any structurally sound wall and the system is designed and tested to withstand extreme wind loads.
​
The recycled plastic modules are filled with Tournesol’s VGM3 Media Block, a lightweight growing media that allows plants optimum growth and stability. We recommend a grow-in period of 1 to 3 months to allow plant roots to become established within the system before on-site installation. Instant Jungle assembles, plants, stores and maintains systems so that they look their best before installation.  


We highly recommend this system for succulents, but micro-conditions (temperature, sun, exposure, wind), desired maintenance schedule, soil profile and overall look of the wall should be considered before choosing plants. ​
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  • Best option for a succulent plant wall
  • Can be used for both small and large-scale commerical projects
  • Easy mounting makes maintenance simple
  • Open back lets plant roots grow without restriction
  • Available in 6” or 8” soil profiles

TerraScreen
We recommend this system for most interior plant wall installations because of how easy it is to design and maintain. 
The system allows 6” plants to remain in their nursery grow pots and be placed in the cachepots, rather than planted directly in the wall. This makes transplanting and plant maintenance a breeze. 

Our favorite plant varieties for this wall are those that cover a large surface area such as pothos, spider plants, croton, ivy, marantas, philodendron, bromeliads, or tradescantia.
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  • Ability to change plants out seasonally 
  • Comes with or without irrigation 
  • Option to be stationary or mobile 
  • Best option for an instant lush, green plant wall  
  • Available for plant wall rentals 

​VGP 
Recommended for residential and light commercial use, the VGP is the most versatile of plant wall systems available. Made of 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, the VGP trays can hold two 4” plants or one 1g plant and can be hung at 6” or 9” intervals. Trays can be hung with the VGP mounting panel, standard welded mesh wire or along rods or stainless steel rope. Walls look best upon arrival if planted one to two months before installation.

Our favorite plant varieties for this wall are those with full foliage or length such as ferns, pothos, marantas, liriope, tradescantia, spider plants and philodendron. This is also the best option for those seeking a plant wall to grow their kitchen herbs in. 
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  • Directly plant into trays
  • Most versatile plant wall system
  • Can be used for interior and exterior applications
  • Water-efficient irrigation

Silk Walls 
When live plants are not an option we have a large selection of artificial plants available to create a gorgeous "plant" wall for you.  Silk walls do best indoors, or in full shade. 

We have a variety of foliage and succulents available, and can create any design. We have used the Tournesol VGM and TerraScreen systems for silk walls in the past, but we can create a custom silk wall in any frame of your choosing. 

​Silk walls are also available as rentals. 

Author: Kathryn Newman ​
4 Comments

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Instant Jungle LLC
1700 N. Batavia St.
Orange, CA 92865
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  • Home
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      • Exterior
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