Mature Lithophila

Other things that involve bamboo

Moderator: needmore

User avatar
David
Posts: 1495
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:42 pm
Location info: 30
Location: Middle Tennessee (Murfreesboro) USDA Zone 6b/7a Record low Jan 1966 -14*F Frost free April 21-Oct.21
Contact:

Mature Lithophila

Post by David »

I'd like to share a happy moment with my bamboo friends. I planted lithophila in 2006 hoping that it would be a hardier replacement for bambusoides, which has a difficult time growing here. I have not been disappointed. Lithophila spreads quickly, produces many shoots, and survived times when bambusoides was top killed.

My plans have been to use it for building structures, and for my bow making hobby. I've had my eye on this culm since it came up several years ago, and have been waiting patiently (sorta) for it to mature.

This is my first cane harvest of a mature culm. It measured 3" X 45', and was free of branches to 25'. I have found lithophila's wood to be strong and flexible. I'll use this one to make bows.

Thanks for sharing my happy moment.
Attachments
IMG_20171012_144902.jpg
IMG_20171012_142927.jpg
IMG_20171012_150639.jpg
IMG_20171012_142557.jpg
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b
Cooper12
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:38 am
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Emmett Idaho

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by Cooper12 »

i am looking forward to mine to grow. We just moved here a year ago so i am far behind you but its about the happiest bamboo i have here so far
Jason Floyd
Hangtown Farms

Emmett Idaho
Zone 7A
Potato country
User avatar
David
Posts: 1495
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:42 pm
Location info: 30
Location: Middle Tennessee (Murfreesboro) USDA Zone 6b/7a Record low Jan 1966 -14*F Frost free April 21-Oct.21
Contact:

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by David »

It is a rewarding bamboo. Do you have plans for your lithophila?
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b
Cooper12
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:38 am
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Emmett Idaho

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by Cooper12 »

possibly chicken coops and i want to make walking sticks with various bamboos. Think with my climate it should get rather large diameter here.
Jason Floyd
Hangtown Farms

Emmett Idaho
Zone 7A
Potato country
User avatar
Glen
Posts: 314
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:28 am
Location info: 0
Location: Southeast Texas, Zone 9a

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by Glen »

David,

Thank you for posting this information, and congratulations on your success! There is not much information online about Phyllostachys lithophila, so it is very useful to hear your report.

I do not have to deal with extreme cold, but P. bambusoides has given me some trouble due to the periodic drought and flooding that I have here. From what I can tell, P. lithophila is probably just a different form of P. bambusoides, and I had also hoped that it would serve as a more tolerant replacement for the "ordinary" P. bambusoides.

My plant is still small, but is has seemed to deal with the vagaries of my climate well, so your post gives me hope that it will someday achieve a large size here.
User avatar
needmore
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2005 9:14 pm
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Kea'au, HI

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by needmore »

David, nice work! What are the lowest of the lows that has been exposed to and have you endure multiple successive days of sub-freezing 'highs' - the deep freeze?
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
Cooper12
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:38 am
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Emmett Idaho

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by Cooper12 »

Glen wrote:David,

Thank you for posting this information, and congratulations on your success! There is not much information online about Phyllostachys lithophila, so it is very useful to hear your report.

I do not have to deal with extreme cold, but P. bambusoides has given me some trouble due to the periodic drought and flooding that I have here. From what I can tell, P. lithophila is probably just a different form of P. bambusoides, and I had also hoped that it would serve as a more tolerant replacement for the "ordinary" P. bambusoides.

My plant is still small, but is has seemed to deal with the vagaries of my climate well, so your post gives me hope that it will someday achieve a large size here.
Mine along with my nigra bory and semiarundinaria fastuosa are my most drought tolerant
Jason Floyd
Hangtown Farms

Emmett Idaho
Zone 7A
Potato country
User avatar
Glen
Posts: 314
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:28 am
Location info: 0
Location: Southeast Texas, Zone 9a

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by Glen »

Jason,

How long has your plant been in the ground, and how large have the culms gotten?
Cooper12
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:38 am
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Emmett Idaho

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by Cooper12 »

Glen wrote:Jason,

How long has your plant been in the ground, and how large have the culms gotten?
only a year. we moved here August of 2016. i had it in a 45 gallon tub before. plant is about 6 ft tall 4 ft wide extremely bushy. ill check the culm size tomorrow. nothing large yet though
Jason Floyd
Hangtown Farms

Emmett Idaho
Zone 7A
Potato country
fredgpops
Posts: 885
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:26 pm
Location info: 0
Location: plus 700ft in the Santa Cruz Mtns, 8 miles from the Pacific
35 miles S. of San Jose

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by fredgpops »

Drought tolerance, from my perspective, is not based on a species. It's based upon maturity of the plant. I have a few larger groves that I do not water in summer but survive and flourish. They have the ability to extract water, primarily from external conditions like fog. I think that some species may have the ability to ward off disease but frankly could be determined by maturity . My litho took a major hit this summer because it was a plant I elected not to water on a regular basis. It did not do any better or worse than plants exposed to similar conditions. RGds
User avatar
David
Posts: 1495
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:42 pm
Location info: 30
Location: Middle Tennessee (Murfreesboro) USDA Zone 6b/7a Record low Jan 1966 -14*F Frost free April 21-Oct.21
Contact:

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by David »

Thanks Glen. As Fred said Lithophila probably has average drought tolerance. We have had several droughts since I first planted it and it survived all those without watering.

Hi Brad. Winter 2013 - 14 had a couple of sub zero nights, but they were not successive. We did have several days of successive below freezing highs. Probably lost 10% - 15% of the culms. Some of the taller culms the top froze, but lower branches and leaves survived. 6b with the occasional 6a day is probably its limit.
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b
User avatar
David
Posts: 1495
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:42 pm
Location info: 30
Location: Middle Tennessee (Murfreesboro) USDA Zone 6b/7a Record low Jan 1966 -14*F Frost free April 21-Oct.21
Contact:

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by David »

2018 Lithophila update:

This last winter was the hardest on bamboo that I have experienced. There were 4 days below freezing with highs in the 20's, and lows down to 0° to -1° F. Lithophila had some top burn, but I did not see any dead clums. The bambusoides across the creek was killed to the ground.

The majority of this year's growth is 2 3/4 - 3", with lots of 3 1/4", and a few 3 1/2" culms. Some of the culms are over 50' tall! The culm I cut last year was a measured 45' tall, and many of the new culms are taller. The largest of the culms are in an area that stays moist year round, and sometimes has standing water. Lithophila is also spreading into an area that stays wet year round, so it seems to have some tolerance for wet soil areas.

This is a large (huge!) bamboo, and I see no reason why it will not exceed 4" in the next few years. I am so impressed with it this year that I am going to plant out another acre this fall.

The cedar trees are toast. I was going to build a pole barn anyway, so they will not be wasted.
Attachments
IMG_9138 litho re 80.jpg
IMG_9141 litho re 60.jpg
IMG_9133 litho re 60.jpg
IMG_9134 litho re 60.jpg
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b
User avatar
needmore
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2005 9:14 pm
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Kea'au, HI

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by needmore »

Very impressive David, I suspect you can't really see them but do the leaves remain unique with that thicker waxy look?

Sounds like you got a taste of our Indiana winter, in a normal year we'll have one or more 7-10 day stretch of below freezing highs with the coldest nights. I have always thought that was the killer combo there rather than the low temp.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
User avatar
David
Posts: 1495
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 6:42 pm
Location info: 30
Location: Middle Tennessee (Murfreesboro) USDA Zone 6b/7a Record low Jan 1966 -14*F Frost free April 21-Oct.21
Contact:

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by David »

Thanks, but I can't take much credit. I just put them out, and the plants did the rest. These plants are isolated across the creek, and I rarely go over there. I'll cut one of the older canes, and check out the leaves.

Yes, we had what I'm calling a cull winter, with lots of bamboo damage especially to henon. Several groves will get bull dozed to make way for better performing bamboo.
David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b
Alan_L
Posts: 2966
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:13 pm
Location info: 81
Location: St. Louis area

Re: Mature Lithophila

Post by Alan_L »

I can't even imagine what a 50' tall culm looks like. I removed a dead 26 footer and had enough trouble trying to find space to lay it down.

So impressive!
Post Reply