Running Bamboo with gold culms

rickw · Post by **rickw** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:06 pm

I know it's been discussed before but which Phyllostachys has the goldest culms, not yellow but deep gold. I've got a spot that I want to plant with one that has the brightest culms. I've got Robert Young but thinking Phyllostachys bambusoides 'Allgold' or Phyllostachys Aureosulcata Spectabilis. I have high humidity, lots of rain and zone 8b. Opinions please

bamboothew · Post by **bamboothew** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:24 pm

I think the 'Allgold' may have a deeper gold color, but the aureosulcata forms will establish more quickly. Aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' has been a rampant runner and prolific culm producer early on here, my Spectabilis is younger but I know it will probably be just as fast in another year.

Post by **needmore** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:17 pm

Allgold might have the best color but it also might get sooty mold the easiest?

rickw · Post by **rickw** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 8:51 pm

Does Allgold get sooty mold more than Madake, I have that one and haven't noticed any mold, although my Alphonse Karr gets it without treatment. I should be able to control sooty mold with Bayer systemic, it will be a 20X20 area so I can probably treat the entire area.

bamboothew · Post by **bamboothew** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 11:39 pm

I've been fortunate not to see any on my boos as of yet, but keep expecting it with my summer humidity

jpluddite · Post by **jpluddite** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:10 pm

Does anyone have a way to keep the mold/mildew off the culms? Any magic incantations?

jp

Mackel in DFW · Post by **Mackel in DFW** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:36 pm

Plants are vulnerable to attack after giving them a slug of high nitrogen. This temporarily sets back a plant, the sugar levels in the plant tissues temporarily surge, and the pests detect this and attack the tissue. I got a three foot jump this year minimum off of every bamboo I grow which is over ten and used no nitrogen and am really wondering if that is what bamboo really needs-big shots of nitrogen. The university says it's the only nutrient I'm low on in my soil so I'm ignoring the university for now. Dulcis jumped eight foot, henon jumped four, rubro four to five, black jumped three, bamusoides jumped five foot. Only fertilizer I used was varoius mulch material.

Mackel in DFW · Post by **Mackel in DFW** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:41 pm

Last year was a record drought, as well. I think I would have set the boo back slightly if I had stuck to the typical fertilizer routine most people apply to their lawn onto our bamboo. High nitrogen does funny things to the soil also, it kills mycchorizae in high doses, and swings the microherd within the soil to bacterial rather than fungal dominance. I do know that soil fungal populations are heavily involved with the immune system of a plant.

Mackel in DFW · Post by **Mackel in DFW** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:46 pm

My allgold jumped three foot, forgot to mention that...

Alan_L · Post by **Alan_L** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:05 pm

Mackel in DFW wrote: I think I would have set the boo back slightly if I had stuck to the typical fertilizer routine most people apply to their lawn onto our bamboo.

Set them back how?

dependable · Post by **dependable** » Tue May 01, 2012 12:18 am

Recently noticed how gold the older P spectabilis culms are.

As to jpludite's question about mildew on culms. My P Vivax aurea gets kind of moldy in the shadier areas it is in. Never bothered to try, but you could probably clean off with towel rag w very mild bleach solution. Normally this would be silly, but if the garden club is going to tour your yard, of course you will do it.

Best not to go too out of balance with any of the 3 major nutrients (N nitrogen P phosphorous K potassium) If you use a slow release organically( Meaning organic with a small o) based fertilizer. you can use a lot of it and have few ill effects.

Post by **needmore** » Tue May 01, 2012 1:14 pm

For clarity there is a difference between sooty mold which appears at branch/branchlet/culm intersections & looks like a debris build up and the fungus (I suspect) that stains culms with a thin layer of 'soot'. Don't really get sooty mold here (yet) but the soot has been an annual thing, the yellow canes show it the most but the greens get it as well.

I've been exclusively feeding with Milorganite for the past 2 years, it is organic, slow release, and I think 4-3-0 on most though recently I used their slightly stronger form, so I'll see if that change relates to any change in the soot - previously used manure and 12-12-12 granular chemical nuggets.

dependable · Post by **dependable** » Tue May 01, 2012 11:44 pm

My reference was to the cosmetic mildew on the culms. Fortunately, have not witnessed the other mold affliction.

Mackel in DFW · Post by **Mackel in DFW** » Wed May 02, 2012 5:38 pm

Try dried molasses on one of the boos as a replacement for milorganite, it has one percent nitrogen but don't be put off. It stokes beneficial fungal populations which are very much involved not only in the immune system of a plant, but nitrogen uptake in the first place. Sometimes, you try to think outside of the box, and see what works.

Mackel in DFW · Post by **Mackel in DFW** » Wed May 02, 2012 5:53 pm

I believe that micronutrients may be more important than npk. I just don't know. But guaranteed, if you can bring up fungal populations, keep down bacterial populaions, you will have a more extensive root system.