I was shocked to see his propagation technique of shoving 3 cut canes into the pot. Again, I think he has mixed results. I would think the results from root ball propagation would be much more successful, but he did not want to disturb the rooting infrastructure or possibly the division technique presents more work than he wanted to exert.Kentuck wrote:Ophiuchus, yes I do only rootball divisions when I propagate my bamboo. I have not had very much luck from culms or limbs. That is what puzzles me also. I have one division out in front of my house and it is just over 30 feet and has been there for over 12 years and it is in the same soil type. I have tried fertilizing it heavily but I see no change. Even a division that gave to a friend and is planted in another town has stayed smaller. I still think it is location and the competition for sunlight. I am planning on a driveway with textilis on both sides, forming a tunnel also. I take single culm divisions at this time of the year from the plant which have no limbs on them, just a culm cut off about 3 feet from the ground. By the end of the summer, they begin to put up new growth from the base and they are ready to plant next year.
The CloneX as I have heard, gets a little more erect as it gets older so I am hoping this is the case. It is the same cold hardy as my Oldhamii since they both freeze equally on colder nights.
I think you are right, the location, sunlight and wind exposure have got to have something to do with the potential of the mature plant. Only time will tell what my environment will endure to produce.
Unfortunately for me again, I believe the Clone X may be too large of a plant for me to plant on my small one acre farm. It's looking like I'll be growing Graceful, Emerald and Kanapaha.
So you are saying you cut the root ball that encapsulates just 1 single culm and then cut that culm back to a 3ft cane settled within a new pot? No branching leaves necessary? If you cut the cane with the root ball down to 3ft which somewhat guarantees a single new plant, then that would give you 20ft +/- of cane to cut up and attempt the cutting culm technique for additional plants. Is that correct?
How old of a culm are you using to propagate? I'm greedy with my culms and attempted a branch propagation technique through air layering and the experiment has not worked out to well.
Thank you so much for your interaction and expertise from experience.