Healthy, square stemmed bamboo turning yellow -- culms & all

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bigmoof
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Healthy, square stemmed bamboo turning yellow -- culms & all

Post by bigmoof »

My square stemmed bamboo was growing well - beautiful, rich dark green leaves and culms -- in large planters since 2012. This spring I added turkey manure and at the same time took down a tree that covered a lot of the stand. Then, the leaves became lighter and lighter green and started turning yellow and falling so I took the manure out completely and watered copiously to counteract possible burn. It continues to turn more and more yellow as well as dropping lots of leaves. Did burn it with the manure? Can it be saved?

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David
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Re: Healthy, square stemmed bamboo turning yellow -- culms &

Post by David »

Was the turkey manure composted? If not composted it could certainly burn the plants. Fowl manures tend to be "hot". What had you been using to feed the bamboo before the turkey manure? I'd go back to what you were using successfully in the past. Composted leaves, grass clippings, and other vegetation is a good choice for containerized bamboo.

It has been my experience that plants in containers react more quickly than plants in the ground to changes in the environment such as nutrition, light and water. Bamboo are adaptive plants and I suspect the leaf yellowing is due to increased light levels after you cut the tree. I suspect they will recover when they have adapted to the increased light intensity and you have started an appropriate feeding program. Try compost, the bamboo will love it, and you will love the results!
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b
bigmoof
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Re: Healthy, square stemmed bamboo turning yellow -- culms &

Post by bigmoof »

thanks for your help! i use compost in the future, and it sounds like the change in light was an important factor.
tallgrass
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Re: Healthy, square stemmed bamboo turning yellow -- culms &

Post by tallgrass »

where in ca. do you live? i'm in northern and it's hot as ---- here 104 today and forcast up to 118 thurs. i have square bamboo growing on the coast where it's cool, and it thrives. when i bring it inland to the redding area it dies ,even in the shade. my guess is the lack of shade may be a big factor.
bigmoof
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Re: Healthy, square stemmed bamboo turning yellow -- culms &

Post by bigmoof »

i'm in mill valley and my iphone says it's 72 degrees right now. but you may be right about the shade anyway. a few years ago i recommended square stemmed bamboo to a friend who lives in san anselmo. she needed block a view on the north side of he house. the house pretty much blocked the sun. her stand is beautiful now: 15 feet high and dense and lush. even though mill valley is somewhat of a coastal climate, cutting down that tree may have been too much this particular bamboo.
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