19 March 2014 - making a new black bamboo patch to balance the South side of the front yard with the patch on the North side of the yard.

FIRST thing is to construct a "containment ring" as bamboo (even 'clumping' bamboo) will wander out and get into trouble if you let it.  I had/have lots of scrap aluminum sheet bits from building the art-car, tearing down trailers etc.  I pop riveted a bunch of pieces together:

THEN, I made a  37" diameter `18" deep ring of it;

I used a small sharp square end spade and dead blow hammer to cut out 3 large and hearty canes from the old black bamboo patch on the North side of the front yard;

Which I took over to the prepared hole in the center of the containment ring on the South side of my yard;

Then I filled around the containment ring.  Filled inside with the good soil from the top of digging  the hole.  Then a few buckets of mulch and a bucket of water and VOILA!

Soon it will be as big and vigorous a stand of  black bamboo as the mother patch.  Below are the tools I used, minus the pop riveter (which had got itself put away);

For closer inspection, click any picture to biggify it.