Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

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needmore
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by needmore »

If I want a culm to be more upright I'll drive a bamboo pole into the ground a few feet away in the appropriate direction and then lift up the culm where I want it and tie it off. You can anchor several culms from a single pole. The wind is not an issue as the rope/twine will flex and let the culm move around.

I'm still surprised by the size of your fastuosa, perhaps you have a superior form there. I was visiting a nursery in TN one time and I stopped speaking mid-sentence as my eyes focused on this very strange looking B & B bamboo - at least 35-40 feet tall by 2 - 2.5 inches, short branches, I had no idea what it was and was surprised to learn it was fastuosa. I would have bought one on the spot but they were all sold - even the nursery where I was did not have it to this size, these came from a grove they knew about that apparently throws monster culms of it. Maybe you've got one also, my S. okuboi was always taller than either the fastuosa or the viridis form of it.

These were a special order for Manhattan delivery and I had trouble picturing this old red pick up with a homemade bamboo toting boom, loaded down with these culms driving through NY city.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
stevelau1911
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by stevelau1911 »

needmore wrote:Funny, henon remains an unimpressive runt for me but I have roughly the following heights on the tallest canes - not the average cane:

Glauca yunzhu - 25-28 feet
Yellow Groove to 30 feet
Spectabilis 25-28 feet
Atrovaginata - to 30 feet
Bissetii to 30 feet
Rubro 25-28 feet
Viridis 25-28 feet

Several in the 15-20 foot range - Makinoi, Dulcis, Harbin Inversa, Nuda, Megurochiku, Stimulosa, Glauca Notso, Propinqua beijing, Parvifolia - most of these are still upsizing and should end up in the 20-25 or more range.
Give it another warm winter and some of those groves will probably break 40ft for you next season. This is what I have on my tallest culms. Henon has actually tripled in height for me this year, but they are all too small to tell which one will excel in this climate.
Atrovaginata 7ft
Aureosulcata 11ft
Bissetii 6ft
Dulcis 7ft
Edulis 5-6ft
Henon 3ft
Parvifolia 4.5ft
Propinqua 2-3ft
Rubromarginata 3ft
Snowbird
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by Snowbird »

I lucked out today. While driving around a neighborhood something caught my eye. it was a dense stand of phyllostachys and the owner was outside. he was excited to talk about his privacy screen calling one golden bamboo, one tiger bamboo and the other he couldn't remember. I think i could identify one of them as nigra 'bory' and the another appeared to be decora. i was unsure about the third but i will take a better look later.

We got to talking and Don, the owner, said they had been planted about 15 years ago and haven't grown taller than the 16-20' standing before me. to my luck he was looking to control some runners. unfortunately he is not looking to wait until fall when there would be a better chance of a successful propagation. so, tonight i plan to go back and see if i can't help him out while also getting a couple of starts. they all appear to be this seasons culms, so i'm thinking i either need substantial root mass or to cut down the culm and find a rhizome with roots and good buds on it. hopefully it works out.
Alan_L
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by Alan_L »

You might be ok with that division -- I had to dig up a division of Phy. aureosulcata new culms the other day, and have seen no leaf curl on it (I put the pot in full shade).
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by Snowbird »

i just got back from doing a little grove maintenance and took a couple rhizome starts. i didn't take any divisions but spent a lot of time talking and making a good connection for the future. he said i'm welcome back any time, so this september i'll be back for a nice tall specimen.

i'm very happy i got a chance to see some bamboo in my area that has been growing since the 90's. it helps give me an idea what to expect out of mine in the future. i'll also be keeping an eye out for more groves around here. in all, it was a good day off of work.
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ocimum_nate
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by ocimum_nate »

Where about did you go? I am trying to rally a bunch of Utah bamboo people to compare notes.
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by Snowbird »

i'll pm you
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by Snowbird »

today i found another planting of phyllostachys nuda and aureosulcata. it was a poor planting site with limited sun, growing space and also competing trees. the bamboo looked thin and bleached out from lack of nutrients but they still had culms up to about 15'.

out of curiosity i went outside and measured my s. fastuosa 'temple bamboo' the tallest culm was up to 13' 2". the few others were still over 12'. i guess we'll see where this years culms end up. it may just keep going.
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Paul Ont
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by Paul Ont »

Heights so far obtained in (USDA) zone 4b/5a Ontario, Canada.

Phyllostachys:
aureosulcata- 18' (12')
aureosulcata 'alata'- 6'
aureosulcata 'spectibilis'- 12'
atrovaginata- 1' (deer/cold damage)
angusta- 1' (chipmunk/cold damage)
rubromarginata- 4'
nuda- 4'
bissetti- 2' (not impressed with this one)
vivax 'huangwhenzhu' or whatever- 3'

Fargesia:
nitida- 3' (best performer)
rufa- 2' (has come back nicely)
aff. rufa- 1' (poor plant, very weak)
DCBa
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by DCBa »

Here are my examples for 5b/6a. Most were planted Spring 2006. They were completely topkilled in winter 08/09.
bissetti, tallest ~12'
bissetti, tallest ~12'
spectabilis, tallest ~ 12'
spectabilis, tallest ~ 12'
atrovaginata, tallest ~14'
atrovaginata, tallest ~14'
six feet across base, bissetti
six feet across base, bissetti
All heights are approximate, as I haven't quite figured out how to get godd measurements without cutting down a culm.

Regards,

David
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by Snowbird »

thanks for the observations paul and dcba.


does anyone have an opinion on what size planter or raised bed would be required to get a medium phyllosachys to near it's full potential size for this zone?
UPBooMatt
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Re: Bamboo heights for zone 5b-6

Post by UPBooMatt »

Another great thread with info for us cold zone 5/6 boo lovers. Hopefully someone else browsing who hasn't seen this will. Either way, now I have it saved for reference.
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