View Full Version : Bamboo Project Updates, All Growers
Hi fellow bamboo enthusiasts :) ! I've started this thread to give fellow bamboo lovers a chance to show and discuss their handywork with growing and using bamboos of all types. Bamboo is sometimes very surprising. When I planted my Robert Young bamboo, in mid-May 2004, I was told it was an old-gold bamboo with occasional striping... but I never expected striping like this!
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=27260&size=1
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=27261&size=1
After about 5 1/2 years, it's up 21 feet and (hopefully) will make it to 40 feet in the next couple of years!
How about yours!? Would Luv to see pics & info on the bamboos other members are growing... Bamboo newbies included!!
Jananas Bananas
12-01-2009, 06:06 PM
That is really beautiful. Does it stay striped like that? If you cut it to use - will it have a striped coloration? I would be a newbie as I just received two very large roots (about the size of a football each) in a GardenWeb trade. They are: phyllostachys 'nuda' and phyllostachys 'aureosulcata' (yellow groove). I don't even know what they will look like. Eric, should I plant them in the ground this time of year (it is in the upper 40's here right now) or put them in a pot inside out of the weather. Do they like a lot of water or no, or does it depend on the season? I will google to find out what I can, but I know you are the bamboo KING! :) Thanks!!!! ~JaNan
Don't know yet if it will keep it's stripes after cutting. But I do know that the stripes last :) ! The culm in the bottom picture has had these same stripes for 2 years now! But this is the first year, since I started, that I've had any culms large enough to use for lumber. They'll have to be tagged cause they have to feed, from the ground, for 2-3 years before they're strong enough to use.
Nice choices in that trade, JaNan :) ! Nuda & Yellow groove are Super!
The Nuda shoots start out near-black, in spring, and switch to dark-bluish-green as they grow! Height is around 25-30 feet but in your zone, it could get to 34 feet! The culm sheaths are black/reddish-purple and get to 1-2" wide. It's USDA 5-10 and hardy to -10*F. Also, the culms have bright white rings at the nodes. Should be Awesome!
The Yellow Groove is even better! In zone 7 (or higher) it'll get to 40 feet tall with occassional zig-zag dark-green culms (of course with the vertical yellow grooves). That one's hardy to -10*F too (USDA 5-10). The culms will also be around 2" wide.
Both are great for setting up a privacy wall with :) !
If they were mine, I'd be a little nervous about planting outdoors, right now. I know Aureosulcata doesn't like being over-watered & late fall is usually very wet. Getting precise care info, for each species, is hard to do. But definitely give it a shot! Most bamboos like a rich soil with fair drainage. I used 40% compost, 40% garden dirt, & 20% sand. For fertilizer, since bamboo is a grass, any good lawn fertilizer will work great!
Be careful though. Both Nuda & Aureosulcata are runners so, when you do put them outside, you'll need a bamboo rhizome barrier to keep it from getting into everybody else's yards :ha: ! Sorry :o. The thought of bamboo taking over whole cities just gets me going, LOL!!
Better use large pots to keep them indoors over the winter. The runners can get Very long. And you're right! Watering is a seasonal thing. They'll need more water during the hot months & less when it's cold.
Hope that helps :) !!
AV1611Corbin777
12-01-2009, 07:38 PM
Very cool shots. I have never been into bamboo, but that's simply because I have never seen it grown..until now. Fortunately or unfortunately for me my yard is filled and edged with large forest trees. Is there any bamboo that does not get too tall?
sandy0225
12-01-2009, 07:56 PM
My yellow groove is now a 40X10 grove. Not too bad for an original 10 pots 5-6 years ago. it is a runner though, so eventually I'll have to trench around it with Dad's trencher,,,never hurts to have a Dad that's a neighbor and with heavy duty equipment...the rental fee is great. He came down today and moved a triaxle load of gravel for me.
Back to the bamboo, we're pretty limited what we can grow here in zone 5. Yellow groove has been the best. We get culms 17 feet and 3/4-7/8 inch with no babying whatsoever.
I don't know what it would do if we actually took care of it!
Scuba_Dave
12-01-2009, 08:23 PM
I got nuttin'
I do want to grow some bamboo out by the pool
I'm thinking of cutting a hole in the old cement patio around the pool & plant some
I think the cement would keep it from spreading
And in the winter the volume of water would keep the ground slightly warmer
Very cool shots. I have never been into bamboo, but that's simply because I have never seen it grown..until now. Fortunately or unfortunately for me my yard is filled and edged with large forest trees. Is there any bamboo that does not get too tall?
There's at least as many small bamboos as large ones! The mountain types are usually cold-hardy & lots of types & colors to choose from (especially Fargesia varieties). Bamboo can be anywhere from a few feet tall to over 100 feet!
My yellow groove is now a 40X10 grove. Not too bad for an original 10 pots 5-6 years ago. it is a runner though, so eventually I'll have to trench around it with Dad's trencher,,,never hurts to have a Dad that's a neighbor and with heavy duty equipment...the rental fee is great. He came down today and moved a triaxle load of gravel for me.
Back to the bamboo, we're pretty limited what we can grow here in zone 5. Yellow groove has been the best. We get culms 17 feet and 3/4-7/8 inch with no babying whatsoever.
I don't know what it would do if we actually took care of it!
With really good care, yellow groove can get to at least 25-30 feet in your zone! And Very bushy. It's great for making privacy screens!
Btw, for bamboos as large as yours, you'll definitely wanna trench down about 30-36 inches - or until ya hit clay, whichever comes first.
Scuba Dave
Bamboo runners have a bad habit of eroding, even cracking, cement underground. Ya might wanna add a high-density, 6 mil polyurethane lining to protect the cement.
Would depend on the type of bamboo, though!
Would Luv to see pics of bamboo around a pool! That'd be totally awesome, Yes :) !
AV1611Corbin777
12-01-2009, 08:45 PM
Why did you tell me this. I am already going to have a very busy spring time planting which in turn leads to a busy fall as well. Well at least with the bamboo I can just plant and watch! I blame you for any future bamboo purchases I make. =]
:waving:
Why did you tell me this. I am already going to have a very busy spring time planting which in turn leads to a busy fall as well. Well at least with the bamboo I can just plant and watch! I blame you for any future bamboo purchases I make. =]
:waving:
Welcome aboard, Fellow Bamboo Addict :ha: !!
It starts real, real slow. ya see that first tiny shoot coming up & get excited! Ya go to bed & wake up hoping you'll see another... and you do!! Ya come home that night and there's 12 of these cute little shoots!! Ya go to bed, all excited, can barely sleep, wake up and Bang!!
You're now the proud owner of 5,000, 80 foot tall, Bamboo trees threating to overtake the entire world :ha: :ha: :ha: :ha: :ha: :ha: !!
It's Totally Awesome Deluxe!! You're Gonna Luv It :) !!
sandy0225
12-02-2009, 07:21 AM
I wish we could grow the 80 feet tall ones here. I'd have it for sure. Then I'd have new problems I suppose! I guess I'll stick with the yellow groove. Maybe someday I'll have time for care on it. For now it's on its own, but it's real bushy and thick and healthy looking anyway. It did make a hole in my rubber lined pond, so we dug it all out of there with the backhoe, we stripped it out a piece at a time until it was all gone. Took like an hour! I only have it in one place now, and it's fine there.
I really don't know much about bamboo...I just like it a lot. I've got both the regular P. negra and the 'Daikokuchiku' (guessing at the spelling). There are a few others, but basically if it gets over 2" in diameter it is 'Daikokuchiku' and although it is supposed to turn black faster than the regular...not by much and I think there are some varieties that turn black faster but stay the smaller size. I also have 'Robert Young' and although it has grown very few shoots, for a small clump the culms are really very large. I have P. vivax 'auriocallus' and it is very similar but eventually should get much bigger. So far it is smaller, but sends up a lot more culms. I've had trouble with my moso...it always loses the first round of culms to late freezes and sends up a smaller second round. I've heard that it outgrows this trait and the guy that I bought mine from lives not too far away and his does wonderfully (but also lives at slight elevation while I live in a slight bowl that collects cold air).
Thanx for the info on the Phyllostachys nigra :) ! I'm wanting to try it in-ground in Oklahoma but think I'll wait till spring to try that. Never tried the Vivax or Vivax 'auriocallus' but they do sound sweet! The Robert Young does start out slow, at first, but speeds up after the first 3-4 years. Mine's growing like madcats, now, sending up tons of new culms!
Btw, would totally Luv to hear how your Moso does! I have a Moso-rated 300 foot bamboo barrier, in-ground, and would Luv to grow that here! If ya have any more info or any pics, sure hope you'll share!
PkiJake
12-02-2009, 11:51 AM
I would really like to plant some Bamboo at my new house in Kentucky but, are there less agressive runners that aren't as hard to control? I would really like to try Robery Young, but any will do.
Jake
I would really like to plant some Bamboo at my new house in Kentucky but, are there less agressive runners that aren't as hard to control? I would really like to try Robery Young, but any will do.
Jake
Robert Young does have the advantage of bein kind of slow, at first. But gets pretty aggressive about the 3rd year. You'll probably end up havin to put in an underground barrier for any runner type. Also, the cold-hardy bamboos I know about are all runners.
If anyone knows of a less aggressive runner bamboo OR a cold-hardy clumper, we could use some info :).
stevelau1911
12-02-2009, 06:04 PM
I've been growing bamboo for over a year now and most of mine were them were planted this spring. Here are some pictures, please enjoy.
Moso planted June 2008, picture taken August 2009, you can clearly see how much taller this year's culms are
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/3840634173_b35362eda3_b.jpg
Fargesia rufa planted May 2009, picture taken July 2009- new shoots
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3580/3776708622_9fb3e5899e_b.jpg
Phyllostachys dulcis planted May 2009, Picture taken June 2009
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/3599861426_8c1459250c_b.jpg
Phyllostachys Atrovaginata planted December 2008, Picture taken December 2009
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2735/4150928521_8fff456c1e_b.jpg
Phyllostachys Parvifolia planted May 2009, Picture taken November 2009
http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/1056/dsc00233.jpg
jwmahloch
12-05-2009, 08:36 PM
I planted 4 yellow grove bamboo plants in May 2008. I bought from bamboo headquarters in San Deigo CA. Last winter the leaves turned blue and then brown so I cut the plants back the ground in March. By May each plant was 4 feet tall, by the end of the summer one was 6 feet tall and the other 7 feet tall. Each plant started sending out some runners in the summer. Here are a couple pictures.
conejov
12-06-2009, 12:33 AM
Woo HOO bamboo! Right now I have my Buddhas belly growing in a pot since I grew it from seed. I think this spring it will be big enough to plant in ground. Im also thinking of getting some Gold Goddess and plant it along the fence facing the street, Dont mind if its a runner. But I havent decided between that or Nigra. I've always loved the black bamboo.
Woo HOO bamboo! Right now I have my Buddhas belly growing in a pot since I grew it from seed. I think this spring it will be big enough to plant in ground. Im also thinking of getting some Gold Goddess and plant it along the fence facing the street, Dont mind if its a runner. But I havent decided between that or Nigra. I've always loved the black bamboo.
Great to see ya back :D ! I still have the info from when ya started the Buddhas belly seed project. Any chance of pics of the Buddhas belly? Would def Luv to see how that's done, so far!
I got some Nigra rhizomes, just this last summer, from Cherokee Greg! I've also seen lots of photos. Incredible stuff, for Sure! There were no shoots on the rhizomes but it took off really great! Here's how it looked 30 minutes ago:
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=27502&size=1
jwmahloch
12-09-2009, 11:01 AM
Correction:
My bamboo is Golden (Fishpole) Bamboo not yellow grove bamboo. Maybe I should have planted yellow grove bamboo because its supposed to be more cold hardy. Its supposed to be down to 10 degrees tonight so I will see if the leaves on my bamboo stay green. I sprayed with Freeze pruf a couple weeks ago. Last year the leaves seemed to suffer damager below about 15 degrees. Coldest we have had so far this winter has been 21. Its 22 now and dropping with the strong cold front coming through. :ha:
stevelau1911
12-09-2009, 11:19 AM
I think you might be under-estimating the cold tolerance of temperate running bamboo. My marginal species Phyllostachys edulis(moso) and Phyllostachys Vivax both made it through last winter and held some green without freeze pruf or any of those anti-dessicants.
I'm also in upstate NY in zone 6 where it is common for it to dip into the single digits several times throughout the year.
jwmahloch
12-09-2009, 11:35 AM
You are probably correct, I tend to pamper my plants too much. My wife tells me that. I understand that bamboo and other plants (like my windmill palms) become more cold hardy as they mature. This will be the 2d winter for my bamboo so it should do better than last year. They have some of the same bamboo at the St Loius Zoo and Missouri Botanical Garden that is over 20 feet tall and it seems to stay green all year. It does stay a bit warmer in the city than it does out in the suburbs where I live, but only a few degrees differnce.
I think you might be under-estimating the cold tolerance of temperate running bamboo. My marginal species Phyllostachys edulis(moso) and Phyllostachys Vivax both made it through last winter and held some green without freeze pruf or any of those anti-dessicants.
I'm also in upstate NY in zone 6 where it is common for it to dip into the single digits several times throughout the year.
Moso in upstate NY!? Awesome! I'm in Oklahoma zone 7 and have a Moso-rated bamboo barrier. I wanted to grow it here but everybody told me it wouldn't survive the winters here. If it went through a winter there, without freeze pruf, then it should Def make it here :D ! Thanx for sharing the info!
Btw, saw your Moso, in the other post, but figured you must be in a Lot warmer climate. That's just super for zone 6!
Jeremy! Same here. Only got up to about 25f today & supposed to go down to about 10f tonight, ouch! And your wife's probably right. There's a Lot of really tall bamboos that are Very cold-hardy, even down to -15f.
Here's a list of cold-hardy bamboos according to ABS (The American Bamboo Society): http://www.bananas.org/f8/guide-bamboo-8647.html Check Post-#69.
It doesn't cover all the cold-hardy bamboos but there's a lot there to check out.
jwmahloch
12-10-2009, 05:32 PM
No damage to my golden bamboo at 9F last night. The freeze pruf must be helping because last year I remember leaf damage below about 10F. I will spray again with freeze pruf in a week or 2 when we get a day above 50F.
conejov
12-10-2009, 09:16 PM
well I have to say Im envious Eric! with you collection of bamboo, I hope to collect a few more in the future because buying them from local nurseries isnt cheap. I think the only one that I have seen for a decent price was the Golden goddess.
I think i need to review all the different types of Clumping bamboo out there because iM a bit rusty and I dont remember names any more.
stevelau1911
12-11-2009, 11:22 PM
I am suggesting Phyllostachys Parvifolia as a bamboo for zones5-7
because it can get up to 4inch culms and 40ft tall and still reach
big sizes in cooler climates with it's impressive leaf hardiness. It also looks pretty.
Here's how mine has done since I bought it in the spring(2gallon plant)
showing the cold protection. It has about a dozen rhizomes reaching 5ft away
from the main clump so it will be interesting to see what comes up next spring.
Purchased May 2009
http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/DSC02495.JPG
June 2009
http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/1056/dsc02920.jpg
September 2009
http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/1056/dsc00169.jpg
November 2009
http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/1056/dsc00233.jpg
December 2009
http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/1056/dsc00415.jpg
stevelau1911
03-16-2010, 10:38 PM
Here are my spring updates on some of my bamboos. Both my basjoos turned brown, rotted and died probably due to lack of light, but my bamboos look great. At least it looks like they all survived the brutal zone 6 winter.
Now I'm going to have to get some new basjoos.
Phyllostachys Parvifolia
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2688/4422380087_a3838e9b09_b.jpg
Phyllostachys Dulcis
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2761/4423147886_9048a760ff_b.jpg
Phyllostachys Atrovaginata
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4423149934_d4a6073958_b.jpg
Phyllostachys Edulis (moso)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4422392365_3cb550d279_b.jpg
jeffreyp
03-17-2010, 01:47 AM
I'm growing some Bambusa vulgaris 'Vittata' and it does very well here in south florida.
Dean W.
03-17-2010, 02:25 PM
My Bambusa oldhamii looks pretty bad after a harsh winter. I had to cut down a number of 3-4" culms that got fried. Hopefully it will sprout anew from any surviving culms.
It completely defoliated this winter.
Sorry if this is not relevant. I did not read all post. :bananas_b
Regards,
jwmahloch
03-17-2010, 02:38 PM
I just planted 3 clumps of black bamboo. I bought it from a nursery in Alabama oldsouthnursery.com I would highly recommend old south nersery, their prices are reasonable and shipping is fast.
I will take some pictures later this spring when it starts growing.
stevelau1911
03-17-2010, 08:55 PM
I got some of my plants from this bamboo plantation. Bamboo Plantation - Bamboo Species Price List! (http://www.bambooplantation.com/files/price_list.php)
They usually have well developed plants that are readly to make larger shoots once you plant them since they've been in the pot well over 1 year. They also sell at reasonable prices.
I still have about 30 potted mosos left which I plan to let grow out a bit more before I start selling my own. None of my in ground plants are large enough to propagate yet.
Just another picture of my moso after I installed the reflective wall on the north side to increase the sunlight.
http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/281/dsc00910.jpg
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