Bamboo Services 

Bamboo Sourcery provides expert bamboo selection, delivery, installation, and individualized consultations.  We also offer custom construction to create gorgeous planter boxes and other landscaping systems to display and contain your bamboo. On a case-by-case basis, we also offer maintenance and removal/containment services.  We may be interested in harvesting your bamboo if it is a species useful to us for propagation. If you have bamboo that you want harvested, please send us photos, along with your contact information and address.

The first step in getting your bamboo project done right is to contact us so that we can discuss your needs and advise you how to proceed. If appropriate, we will send you an intake form that will ask the most common questions we will need answers to.

Delivery

Bamboo Sourcery offers curbside delivery services throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. We carefully hand-deliver live plants in a manner that keeps them healthy and ready for planting. We also provide plant orders to commercial sites for large scale landscaping projects.

Fees vary according to your location in the Bay Area. We charge a flat rate for the trip regardless of how many plants are purchased. We are sometimes able to combine deliveries in a particular region and may offer a “piggyback” discount to you if you can be flexible about the time and date of your delivery.

You are also welcome to visit our nursery and personally select your bamboo plants for yourself. All you need to bring is an appropriate vehicle, a tarp, and some rope. If you need help assessing what size vehicle you will need for your anticipated order, feel free to give us a call.

To receive a delivery quote and schedule a delivery, please call our office. You can also schedule delivery when you’re here selecting your bamboo. We do everything we can to accommodate your needs and preferences, but some flexibility on your part is always helpful!

NOTE: We don’t ship live plants! Bamboo needs to stay hydrated, especially smaller plants in portable containers. Shipping has become more expensive and dries them out so they often arrive at their destination very wilted, stressed, and unhealthy. Plus, the strain of travel (via a system where they might be mishandled) may bruise or break canes, knock off leaves, or even kill the plant! We want you to be happy with your purchase, and that means we only sell directly from our nursery, and hand-deliver our bamboo to the greater Bay Area. We can offer a trucking service for long-distance deliveries – call for a quote.

Consultation

Bamboo Sourcery provides expert consultations at your site. The basic fee of $200 includes travel time, assessing your project, and creating your estimate. If you end up using our services to install or maintain your bamboo, we will subtract the consultation fee from your final invoice. Our owner, Joe Ruffatto, will visit your home or work site to assess your needs and discuss the aesthetic choices available to you. He will recommend a planting method and containment options, measure and plan the planting, and observe the area and exposure in order to make an ideal species recommendation. If you have existing bamboo that needs maintenance, a consultation is needed to determine the scope of work and the estimated cost. Bamboo is a unique, beautiful and useful plant, but it does have special considerations (some can be quite invasive without proper containment). Many people, even landscape professionals, are not well versed in how to properly plant and contain running bamboo to ensure future security and a lifetime of healthy plants. We have over 30 years of experience in developing and using effective, safe methods of containment and control. When we do a planting job, we do it right from the beginning. A proper planting from the start makes bamboo much easier to maintain and enjoy in the long run, so it is well worth the time and effort to make sure it’s done right. We pride ourselves in providing our customers with the best service and advice to keep your bamboo healthy and under control now and for years to come.

Please give us a call us to schedule a consultation. 

Note: As an alternative, we offer remote video consultations as well.

Installation/Planting

Want to install a beautiful bamboo privacy screen or ornamental accent in your landscape but don’t have the time or knowledge to do it successfully? Let our trained staff and bamboo experts properly install your bamboo plants for healthy plants and happy neighbors!

If you have chosen a running type bamboo, we will contain it with our time tested rhizome root barrier, or in planter boxes to prevent any escape (with proper care.) Clumpers and runners alike will be carefully placed to allow for easy maintenance and to ensure maximum growth potential.

Sometimes the best solution is container planting. We fabricate and deliver custom redwood planters designed specifically for bamboo. We also sell galvanized tub planters in many sizes. In addition to installing your bamboo, we can also install simple, cost effective irrigation systems to keep your bamboo properly watered with little effort! We provide and deliver any and all necessary materials to get the job done right, including soil, gravel, irrigation parts, root barrier, containers, fertilizers, and more.

Our courteous and responsive crew will perform your install quickly and professionally to give you a lush and long lasting bamboo planting in your home or business. We always leave your site clean and beautifully transformed. Call us today for a custom quote and recommendations for your space.

Custom Planter Boxes

We build attractive, custom designed,  well-draining redwood or Corten steel-faced planter boxes that last a lifetime. Our planter boxes are specifically designed for the care and maintenance of bamboo, with easy access and removable faces for splitting and maintenance. Our custom boxes start at $150/foot; click here for photos and inspiration: Containers & Planter Boxes for Bamboo

Maintenance

Properly maintaining bamboo, especially older stands, will ensure the longevity, beauty, and fire safety of your planting.  Bamboo needs annual pruning, thinning, and depending on the species, barrier edge checks.  Irrigation systems should be routinely monitored to ensure all emitters are working properly.  We recommend fertilizing quarterly.  Division of pot-bound plants is needed occasionally.

We take on maintenance projects on a case by case basis; depending on your location, the scope of your project, and what is needed, we may be able to help you. 

If you think you need maintenance, or are concerned about the health of your bamboo, you can start by emailing us some photos, with a description of your concerns. We will also need contact information and your address. If we can’t help you, we may be able to offer you a referral in your area.

We assess each removal or containment project job on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us so that we can discuss your needs and advise you how to proceed. If appropriate, we will send you an intake form that will ask the most common questions we will need answers to.
Joe the owner can be available for expert consultation regarding removals and containments. The fee is $125/hr for his time and expertise, including travel time.  If you need any written reports of the work required, we are happy to provide that for you and the parties involved, for an additional fee.  In some cases, we may even be able to connect you with a local landscaper who has experience doing this kind of work.  Depending upon the species requiring removal, we might be interested in harvesting bamboo that is of use to us for propagation.

Please call to inquire our about expert consultation services regarding removals and containments.  To determine if we are interested in harvesting your bamboo for propagation, please send us pictures to bamboo@bamboosourcery.com.