Hi Ric,
>>I've seen stands of bamboo of some type that were indeed impenetrable. Are you certain I would be ill advised to use it as a deterrent to poachers?
Bamboo's are clump formers, there's a fair chance gaps will form. If ever you see an old privet hedge, a few lanky limbs grow tall, and anything could skulk between the gaps, under very good cover... A thin stemmed bamboo type might be the more impenetrable barrier, especially if you put clumps of pampas grass in front of the bamboo to dominate ground level, or let brambles run wild through the bamboo...
>>At the very least they wouldn't be able to carry much fishing gear through it and find it difficult to leave in a hurry when I (or my dog) got after them!
I wouldn't chase anything in bushwhack cover... A dog would do it well. You will find foxes go in circles in thick cover and your dog goes round and round, lol
You can move silently among bamboo gaps after dark, but not miscanthus...
>>What can you tell me of water consumption of the plant?
Bamboo's cope fine with drought or moist ground, tough as old boots, if the soil is reliably moist through Summer the bamboo will grow very fast, in a dry shade position it will grow much slower
>>I knew some varieties were aggressive but figured I could control it with a bush-hog.
Bamboo's can be severely invasive, their growing tips are quite brittle and soft, even the most massive bamboo's can be kept in check with a riding mower chomping the growing points regular
Regards, andy
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