coldest april ever

[Alan]

It seems like every year lately it's the coldest/hottest/wettest/dryest ever. Anyway we've only had two days so far topping 55 degrees and the night lows are still below 40. Only the Moso, S.Kimmei & B. Fagresii are shooting so far. Have a lot of pots with rhizome divisions that i'm concerned about so some are in the greenhouse. The other day the high in the greenhouse was 80 and the low was 39. I have some divisions in the greenhouse and some out. I'll report observations when more shoots appear (spectabilis, dulcis, vivax, nigra. alata, aurea, moso)

[Alan_L]

I think everybody is going to have to get used to unusual weather. You'll probably have the hottest May ever, so it will average out.

(I know you're not me, but I always have a moment of confusion when I see your posts)

[Alan]

how's this

[bamboothew]

It's just the opposite for me, Alan, we have had one of the WARMEST Aprils ever here, so much that some of my perrenials like Musella lasiocarpa have come up about a month early. It had worried me that a late frost would come along and zap them but hopefully we are past that possibility. Hope you guys warm up soon!

[Alan_L]

how's this

Except when I'm reading your posts, *I'm* the other Alan.

[Lazlo Woodbine]

Over here in the UK we've had the driest and warmest March and April in many years.


Laz

[stevelau1911]

I think the La Nina weather is keeping all of us in the north well below average temperatures for the last 1/2 a year while it may be causing the central and southern states to be warmer. Aside from yesterday, it has snowed every day in the last 5 days which is definitely not normal for April, and the peonies which should be over 2ft tall by now are barely 3 inches high. I take pictures so I can tell that all the stuff is about 4 weeks behind what it was last year, but the weather could turn around and hopefully go straight from winter to summer. Last year at the same time the cherry blossoms were already in full bloom, but they aren't even close to opening up this year.

Since I've taken moso seedlings indoors several times to see how quickly it takes them to shoot, I keep finding that they will shoot after about a week of room temperature, so if the weather goes back to average or better than average, I'm assuming that it should activate shoots relatively quickly. I am a bit eager to see how much bigger they are going to get this year.

The only bamboos that have made real shoots are the top-killed moso seedlings, and the rufa, but those shoots aren't getting any bigger if we keep getting highs around 40F.

[stevelau1911]

Basically for the month of May, I'm going to guess that it will be raining almost every day, maybe triple the avg rainfall, the avg temperature will probably be around 7F below the historical average, and with the few days out of the month that we do get above avg temperatures, that might cause some of the bamboos to shoot, but unless there's a big change in the weather pattern, it looks like the northeast is in for a wet and cold May.

Here's the maps for April, and I don't think that will be changing any time soon.

[fatsopilot]

In Spokane we had our first 60 degree day of the year on Sunday, a record for the latest first 60 degree day. Now there is more snow in the forecast. I don't have a single shoot yet.

[Iowaboo]

The cold april here has been a blessing, so far have gotten 2-3 extra weeks of transplanting my trees out of the nursery. Some trees in the nursery were around 10ft tall, so another year there would not have been good.

[Robbie78]

Here in the Columbia River Gorge we've gotten over 43 inches so far this year. I just wish it would warm up by 10 degrees. My bamboos love the rain but not the 55 degree days. Only my Chinese walking stick is shooting. Im getting impatient

[Alan]

the bamboo seems to be shivering in this damn cold! i put one pot of moso in the greenhouse and the shoots are taking off but the one outside put up some shoots but they've been stunted at 1" for weeks. the only thing really taking off is the weirdo bashania fargesii. i have so many questionable plants that i bought last fall i'm getting impatient!

[fatsopilot]

Im getting impatient

I thought it was just me, good to know I have company. It snowed again here yesterday. Still nothing...