Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

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stevelau1911
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by stevelau1911 »

It looks like you have fresh field divisions which will struggle to produce any new rhizome growth this year so it would be a good idea to pot them up in 3-5 gollon pots give them very good soil to stimulate root growth. when they are potted up, they can simply be layed on their side, partially buried in the ground, then tarped over with preferably white tarp or freeze blanket making sure you get rid of any air spaces. Those divisions just dont look developed enough to handle being planted in the ground this winter. Parvifolia is relatively slow to upsize, and gradually moving them up in pot size can encourage them to focus more on culm size as opposed to spreading out faster with smaller culms.

The one I have in upstate NY has gradually upsized each year, and appears to be near its max in size unless we get a warm winter with no top kill. my parvifolia was planted in spring of 2009 and this years largest culms should be around 1 3/4 inch by 25ft. It got about 50%leafburn last winter with a lowest winter temperature of 3F but its still not enouth for it to lose energy. Parvifolia has never top killed for me before, but it does get some leaf burn on most winters in zone 6. My prediction is that with a series of mild winters, parvifolia can achieve 2.5 inches by over 30ft in zone 6.

I have a neighbor who got parvifolia from me about 5 years ago, and his has finally produced culms exceeding 1 inch this season, perhaps close to 1.3 inches on the largest one. His grove should overtake mine in the next 3-5 years in terms of the largest culms since the space it occupies is around 10 times more than mine.
twandawg85
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by twandawg85 »

Once I get it established, I don't think it will have much problem. I've got a section about 20ft wide and 150-200ft long that I'm gonna let it spread.

Gonna get some bigger pots too put them in.

I was just going to bring them inside over the winter.... Now I'm confused with the "put them on their side and cover them" advice.
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by Tarzanus »

Growing most Phyllostachys while they are still inside their pots is hard. Even harder for them is zone 5 winter before they can harden enough to struggle through. I would keep it in non-heated place that has as much sun as possible. Temperatues should be at least slightly above freezing. Temps above 10°C are usually too warm. If it's warmer than that, you should get them at least som additional lightening, water it from time to time an possibly use fertilizer once or twice each month.

Don't overwater!
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by needmore »

I got my first Phy parvifolia in 9/2004 - flew to CA for a chance to bid on one at the ABS auction and carried it onto the plane, it was like yours a fairly new division with little rhizome mass. I knew I could not plant it out but I had a great grow room with a wall of glass - 3 patio doors with windows above, south facing, so indoors seemed like an obvious choice. In a few short weeks it put up a shoot likely as a response to having been divided, warm, and watered well. That meant that it could not go outdoors until frost dates were done so it ended up being indoors from mid-Oct until mid April, it looked like crap even in those nearly ideal conditions. I babied it all summer in the pot and finally planted it out in late July or Aug of 2005.

Hindsight suggested a better plan would have been something such as Tarzanus suggested, warm enough to not freeze but not to warm. Out of the cold and wind though as well.

I don't think you can use bamboo as a wind screen there, you need a windscreen to protect the bamboo.
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by pokenei »

I think you wanna hear from me. If the winter is mild like it was this past winter, there would be partial leaf damage and you can expect parvifolia to double in height. My parvifolia averages 12 to 15 feet this year. I don't think there is a limit to the height, it all depends on Winter conditions. However, many winters are brutal and top kill is likely unless you protect it. As someone mentioned, mulching should help with the hardiness. But don't worry, after year two in the ground, it is pretty much bullet proof (as far as rhizomes are concerned). Wind factor is a major issue. If you're lucky to have large evergreen trees, a sloping hill, or a building to keep your bamboo away from the wind, that would be a big plus.

Another bamboo you can try is Rubro (Red Margin bamboo). It's about as hardy as Parvifolia and probably won't grow as fat, but it has long internodes with uniform-sized diameter culms and grows straight.

The infamous Yellow Groove clans are perhaps slightly hardier and can grow tall as well, but culms are not as fat (like Parvifolia), and not uniform in diameter like Rubro.
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by twandawg85 »

Well I figured out what these were. They were fresh divisions, but they came from a larger pot. I transplanted one into a larger pot today. When I took it out all the loose potting soil fell, and I was left with a clump of roots shaped like part of a pot. It was clearly roots bunching up around the edge of the pot it used to be in.

The larger plant is the one I transplanted. One of the culms is dying. the top is turning grey, and all the leaves are curling. When I transplanted it I notices that that culm was REALLY loose. I tried to keep it as stable as possible, but it was wiggling all over the place. The leaves on the bigger one have been more yellowish since it arrived. IDK if the color will come back, but other than that one loose culm its not getting worse. Some of the taller leaves that are in the wind are curling up a bit during the day when they are in the sun, but they flatten out again when shade hits.

The shorter bushy one is still really green. I have another pot to put this one in. I just didnt have time to do both today. They pots are definitely oversized. I dont know what they actually are, but they are bigger than a 5 gallon bucket. They were both filled with black dirt, that didnt drain well, and had weeds and grass growing in them. The last people on this property just left them outside and forgot about them. I forgot they were there too or I would have transplanted sooner. I dumped the dirt into another container and mixed it with sand to help it drain. The second pot still has weeds in it.

If I understand correct from what I have read here, the larger pots will be fine and I should get more root/rhizome growth. Which right now I would rather get more roots as that is what will make it more cold hardy.

I still have not figured out what I am going to do over the winter. I have places that will stay a bit warmer, but there will be absolutely NO sun. I have places where it will get sun, and be out of the wind, but it will get the full cold winter temps.

I am still debating on putting the bushy one in the ground and mulching really good, and putting a greenhouse bubble over it when it gets cold. I am sure I will figure something out.
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by twandawg85 »

Well I got a happy surprise this morning. Since the transplant to the bigger pot, the one culm that was turning grey and all the leaves were curling up has sprung back. All the leaves are spread open! The whole plant looks better today. I think the roots were just too dry in the small pot. There was not a lot of soil. It was mostly roots and the water just flowed right through. At times I was watering it twice a day because it was bone dry.
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by stevelau1911 »

Here's a picture of the parvifolia grove as of today. As shown, it's newest culms are even a bit taller than the tallest that emerged in the last couple of years which were probably around 22ft, so the tallest culm completely straightened out may be around 25ft, but there's no measuring method other than cutting them down at this point. It was clearly more than double the height of the 10ft steel poles last year when I leaned it against them to get an estimate. It's taller than the apple tree on the left, and about double the height of the shanghai 3 on the right which is around 13ft.
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The atrovaginata is still far off, only around 16ft with it's biggest culms, not even getting near what it reached back in 2013 at 19ft.
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Biggest culms on bicolor are up around 10ft, slouched down to 8ft, but if protected well enough, could get to new heights next year, but I'm hoping it has produced more rhizomes outwards so divisions can be taken.
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twandawg85
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by twandawg85 »

So.... I may have a problem... IDK if this is good or bad. Probably a bit of both. I think I have new shoots. On one hand that means its healthy and growing.... On the other hand Its the wrong time of year.... Any tips on how to proceed?

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Alan_L
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by Alan_L »

Yes: just do nothing. Let the plant do what it wants to. A few fall shoots is not uncommon.
stevelau1911
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by stevelau1911 »

I would count that as a blessing because it means that your bamboo is starting to grow new roots, and it is definitely viable. It may not harden off all the way. It is clearly sending new roots to fill out your pot. If you are that worried about them, you could stick them in a greenhouse, or cold frame to extend the season. Greenhouses can be quite cheap off eBay, but I don't even think that is necessary. If it gets tarped over and insulated well enough, a lot of partially grown shoots can resume their growth in the spring given they weren't damaged much.
twandawg85
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by twandawg85 »

Update! And more questions.

The larger of the two shoots grew almost as tall as the rest of the plant. Its still thinner but just as tall. And it has the nice green color with the white rings it is supposed to have! I love that green. The little shoot did not even grow a foot tall, and got really bushy, but still looks really healthy.

I never got around to transplanting the smaller plant into a bigger pot. The plant still looks great.

In the spring I am going to put them in the ground where they are going to stay. I have figured out what I am going to do with them over the winter. I got some wood chips from a local tree trimming company (I love free stuff!). So I am going to bury the pots in the chips. That should help them stay insulated. And I am going to put the plants behind the barn to protect them from wind.

So that leads to my questions...

Should I leave the smaller plant in the small pot over winter? Or should I put it in the bigger pot before I insulate them with wood chips?

Should I wait until colder temps before I cover them? Or should I just get it done. It is getting cold enough to frost once in a while now.

I think I am going to make a youtube video about these plant, I will let you guys know if I do.

Thanks!
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by needmore »

I'd suggest burying the pots now but leaving the foliage uncovered until there is probability of the pot freezing solid or a sudden cold wind dipping into the teens, but if time allows uncover during milder periods, cover during teens.
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stevelau1911
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by stevelau1911 »

When u tarp it over, don't use transparent tarp since it could cause overheating. I've found that a nice thick sheet of white overwintering agricultural cover has worked the best. If you want to ensure temperatures are not a problem, you could buy some cheap portable weather station that comes with a few sensors. Underneath a tarp, even if it gets to -30F outside, it won't be much below freezing under a tarp that is also covered by a layer of snow. I've witnessed under tarp temperature at 24F when it was -9F outside. If your climate is even more brutal than upstate NY, you could get some Christmas lights, or small heater for extra assurance, but that shouldn't be necessary.
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Re: Michigan bamboo mistake? phyllostachys parvifolia

Post by UPBooMatt »

Probably just resurrecting a dead thread, but I'm curious if the OP is still around, and if so whatever became of these parvifolia...
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