Do's and Dont's

[Greenfingeredste]

Evening all I have recently got into Bamboo with varying success. I am after a what to do and what to avoid doing. Im based in United Kingdom and zone 8-9. All these Bamboos I am growing from seed and kept under 250w HPS during the wet winter months we have here in uk and will be planted out in early spring weather willing here is my list I need the info on


1- Phyllostachys edulis

2-Phyllostachys Nigra

3-Phyllostachys heteroclada

4-Bambusa Nutans

5-Fargesia yunnanensis

6-Fargesia Robusta(this one is outside already and is over 6" tall and apart from spring cut back it requires little to no intervention)


Thank you in advance ladies/gents

[dependable]

Try not to over water (possibly the most common mistake) & fertilize gently for small plants.

Keep an eye out for pests (even in roots).

Don't put them where the cat (or dog or bird) can shred them.

When transitioning to natural sun, do so gradually and carefully.

[Greenfingeredste]

Try not to over water (possibly the most common mistake) & fertilize gently for small plants.

Keep an eye out for pests (even in roots).

Don't put them where the cat (or dog or bird) can shred them.

When transitioning to natural sun, do so gradually and carefully.

So the transition to natural sunlight should be a slow one?......like dappled sunlight areas or places where sun hits early and during hottest parts of day in shade?....I have a great spot at bottom of my garden that gets sun from sunrise to about 11am then sun goes behind the house till about 4ish would that be a good spot?

[stevelau1911]

It may already be too cool to grow bamboo seedlings outdoors now.

I would suggest growing them indoors, starting with flourescents, and quickly getting them adapted to 400 to 1000 watt metal halide, or hps lamps. Strong lighting is essential for shoot production, and overall vigor, or else they may end up stringing out, and never growing strong enough to handle outdoor conditions.

Couldn't you just get larger plants? I know it wouldn't be that tough to get all kinds of moso from newfi bamboo in France, or perhaps some UK vendors.

[Greenfingeredste]

It may already be too cool to grow bamboo seedlings outdoors now.

I would suggest growing them indoors, starting with flourescents, and quickly getting them adapted to 400 to 1000 watt metal halide, or hps lamps. Strong lighting is essential for shoot production, and overall vigor, or else they may end up stringing out, and never growing strong enough to handle outdoor conditions.

Couldn't you just get larger plants? I know it wouldn't be that tough to get all kinds of moso from newfi bamboo in France, or perhaps some UK vendors.

There are a fair few Moso groves dotted about the UK..however when it comes time for divisions they are normally all taken for before the process commences. It would be easier to buy seedlings but I get satisfaction with going through the process from the very beginning


Edit- Moso is under 250w HPS now until mid feb(tempreture allowing)

[stevelau1911]

The one issue I see with moso seedlings is that they never seem to have the capability of maturing, and seem to grow more like a shrubby plant with lots of small rhizomes, and culms growing close together, having a very hard time getting up in size. I know it must be related to climate because some of the moso seedlings that I have sold from 2010-2012 are definitely going up in size in warmer climates, but really staying stunted where it never gets warm enough. That's the reason to try a mature form. You could also try some of the variagated forms of moso too such as Tao Kiang, or kikko, which I intend to add to my collection next year.

A 250 watt hps should be adequate for small seedlings in a 80x80cm area, as long as you have lots of reflectors keeping the light in. Once your seedlings get bigger, they will start to require more space, and a light that is set more like 3-5 feet away from the seedlings to get adequate coverage.

[Greenfingeredste]

The one issue I see with moso seedlings is that they never seem to have the capability of maturing, and seem to grow more like a shrubby plant with lots of small rhizomes, and culms growing close together, having a very hard time getting up in size. I know it must be related to climate because some of the moso seedlings that I have sold from 2010-2012 are definitely going up in size in warmer climates, but really staying stunted where it never gets warm enough. That's the reason to try a mature form. You could also try some of the variagated forms of moso too such as Tao Kiang, or kikko, which I intend to add to my collection next year.

A 250 watt hps should be adequate for small seedlings in a 80x80cm area, as long as you have lots of reflectors keeping the light in. Once your seedlings get bigger, they will start to require more space, and a light that is set more like 3-5 feet away from the seedlings to get adequate coverage.

Thank you help and I will defo look into Tao Kiang and Kikko... I do find that buying division is a lot more expensive than I first thought...but its a price you pay for having such stunning plants around your garden for you and others to enjoy

[stevelau1911]

Before going to the nurseries, I would suggest checking out the collectors in your area to see if anyone close enough has bamboos that you need. Chances are, you might have a big time bamboo collector within 100km of your location in the UK. It may be much cheaper than buying at a retail price from a nursery. If you want something bigger, and multiple plants, you could possibly drive across the channel tunnel into France, and get some massive field divisions to take back home.

You can check out the French bamboo forums to see if you can pin down anyone close to you here. You just need to PM them to see if they are willing to sell you a division for a good price. What climate zone are you in?
http://lesbambous.fr/forum/index.php?si ... d928a600e6

I'm guessing something around zone 7 right? You may need some winter protection for moso, but on the flip side, you will never have to worry about hot temperatures, or the sun being so intense due to your latitude in the UK which is beneficial.

[Greenfingeredste]

Im in zone 8 to zone 9...we very rarely get lower than -2 and have not had snow on the ground for close to 5-6 years. Thank you for the link


Just checked up what my zone is and according to the RHS page im in zone 9 but we obviously don't have the humidity

[Tarzanus]

Steve, your Moso seedlings would also mature, but they needed a bit more time, which can sometimes be hard. In that case rhizome division is the best option.

dependable said it all. I would just add: don't pamper your seedlings too much, you'll sometimes see a problem before it appears and by trying to solve the non existing issue, hurt your plant. Moso seedlings can be tricky and they can look ratty due to various reasons, usually you can't pinpoint the problem correctly and start overwatering or overfertilizing your plant. You can flush the soil because you think it's overfertilized, because leaves start to die, not even considering that it might be just a bit too much sun and possibly dry air.

I did most of that and with these poor surviving seedlings I have ended up with, I've learned really a lot, not just about bamboo, but the plants in general. It can be real fun to grow things from seed, especially bamboos!

[Greenfingeredste]

Steve, your Moso seedlings would also mature, but they needed a bit more time, which can sometimes be hard. In that case rhizome division is the best option.

dependable said it all. I would just add: don't pamper your seedlings too much, you'll sometimes see a problem before it appears and by trying to solve the non existing issue, hurt your plant. Moso seedlings can be tricky and they can look ratty due to various reasons, usually you can't pinpoint the problem correctly and start overwatering or overfertilizing your plant. You can flush the soil because you think it's overfertilized, because leaves start to die, not even considering that it might be just a bit too much sun and possibly dry air.

I did most of that and with these poor surviving seedlings I have ended up with, I've learned really a lot, not just about bamboo, but the plants in general. It can be real fun to grow things from seed, especially bamboos!

Funny you talk about pampering.....speaking to a guy 20 miles from me yesterday who collect Boo's and his main advice about the Moso was don't pamper it to much...people always make matters worse as bamboo is a lot stronger than people would have you believe lol


He has Moso in his collection and said he kept his potted till it was 2-3 which he added was the wrong thing to do as he feels it stunted the plant and it has never got above 10 feet...yet he had seeding which he put out in the sping and in 5 years its no 20foot plus

[Tarzanus]

You can't stunt bamboo, it's not the same as hardwood trees that get rootbound and turn into semi bonsai version if main roots get congested in their youth. Bamboo, even if severely root bound, will put out fresh rhizomes and leave the mess behind. It might be he got smaller version of moso, when growing from seeds, you get all kinds of plants.

[Greenfingeredste]

You can't stunt bamboo, it's not the same as hardwood trees that get rootbound and turn into semi bonsai version if main roots get congested in their youth. Bamboo, even if severely root bound, will put out fresh rhizomes and leave the mess behind. It might be he got smaller version of moso, when growing from seeds, you get all kinds of plants.

Fascinating I was unaware that bamboo could not be stunted....I thought like most plants bamboo would suffer from being root bound

[T9D]

I think he means it is stunted in that by keeping it inside it didn't grow as much as it would if it had been outside. So now it's a year or two behind in it's growth and essentially as if it's stunted and much smaller than it should be.

[Nicholas]

Evening all I have recently got into Bamboo with varying success. I am after a what to do and what to avoid doing. Im based in United Kingdom and zone 8-9. All these Bamboos I am growing from seed and kept under 250w HPS during the wet winter months we have here in uk and will be planted out in early spring weather willing here is my list I need the info on


1- Phyllostachys edulis

2-Phyllostachys Nigra

3-Phyllostachys heteroclada

4-Bambusa Nutans

5-Fargesia yunnanensis

6-Fargesia Robusta(this one is outside already and is over 6" tall and apart from spring cut back it requires little to no intervention)


Thank you in advance ladies/gents

If you are growing "nigra" from seed I doubt they truly come from a phyllostachys nigra plant.
Time will tell what species you really have. It is likely that at least your edulis seeds are what they are claimed to be.

I did a quick google on the Bokrijk-edulis and found this article by Hans Prins http://www.degroeneprins.nl/en/edible-bamboo
A nice little read.

Steve is an expert when it comes to edulis seedlings but you should always take his climate zone into consideration.
Personally I think his experiences are very specific for a certain climate and can't easily be translated to different regions. (Which he is also indicating)

Ultimately when you grow plants from seed you get a range of different characteristics so even if all other factors are similar you might have totally different results.
I've got a bunch of kwangsiensis seedlings and even in their juvenile stage they are behaving totally different.
Some have larger leaves than others, some are already producing tiny running rhizomes while others are strictly clumping.

I guess patience is a virtue in this regard. Just make sure you have enough plants to increase the likelihood of getting one that is well suited for your climate.
If you have to wait several years for more mature characteristics to show now is the time to increase your chances, not when you realise the plant you have pampered for several years simply won't thrive in your climate.

All the best,

Nicholas