Would straw bale gardening be suitable for starting bamboo?

by Lori
(BC Canada)

Hi, I live on a lot with heavy clay, little topsoil, but have made a planter filled with lighter growing medium amended with sand, specifically to plant what we hope will one day be a happy bamboo grove. It has been there for several years now and the bamboo has not gone crazy as we'd like to see... Do you think that starting bamboo in straw bales be a way to get these plants happy enough to take off? Or do you think this is an unsuitable medium for them? We have several hardy species of bamboo but any recommendations would be appreciated. We're zone 6, Pacific North West.

Doug says not to bother. Straw bale culture is for short term crops - not for long term establishment of plants. The straw bales disintegrate in a year or two.