When dried, bamboo is a lightweight material with a hard outer
covering that repels water, making it resistant to decomposition. Because of
these qualities, bamboo makes a very good construction material for fences.
Bamboo fences can be used in any climate and are available from many garden
supply centers or ordered online. Some fences have been coated with a light or
dark stain. Bamboo fences are constructed with bamboo poles, canes, woven in
bundles, or of split bamboo.
The most sturdy of these fences is the bamboo pole fence. Bamboo
poles are approximately 1” diameter, while canes are approximately 1/2”
diameter in size. Typically bamboo poles, which are a heavier weight, are
drilled and strung vertically with galvanized wire, which doesn’t rust. Bamboo
canes are bundled together with galvanized wire.
Woven bamboo fences are made of bundles of small bamboo canes tied
together with galvanized wire. They do not last as long as pole or cane fences,
usually about 10 years. Split bamboo fences also have a 10-year life span.
Split bamboo slats (the outer surface of bamboo canes) are about 1/2” wide and
1/8” thick and are tied together with galvanized wire.
Installation
Bamboo fencing is available as either panels or rolls in standard
fence heights such as 3’, 6’, and 8’. While lengths of rolls vary, 6-foot
widths are typical for panels. Bamboo fencing that comes in rolls is typically
made of bamboo canes or poles and is fairly flexible, easily adjusting to
uneven slopes or maneuvering around corners. Rolled bamboo fencing is also the
easiest to install, and can even be used to cover an existing chain-link fence.
Simply
unroll the bamboo fence and attach it to the chain link fence with galvanized
wire. To dress up your bamboo fence, place a cap on top of the fence
either split in half or whole bamboo pole.
Installing a bamboo fence as a stand-alone fence or as panels is
more complicated because it requires using posts and horizontal stringers to
create a frame for the bamboo fence. Posts should be constructed of 4” x 4’
pressure treated wood or cedar and spaced every 6 feet or the width of the
bamboo fence panel. Stringers can be made of the same wood used for the posts
or you can use large bamboo poles. Use three stringers for a 6-foot high fence.
Bamboo
fencing
should not rest directly on the ground as the moisture may cause it to rot.