Help, Conflicting reports clumping bamboo Florida panhandle.

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Adam A
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Location: Gulf Breeze fl

Help, Conflicting reports clumping bamboo Florida panhandle.

Post by Adam A »

I have picked some specific bamboos for Gulf breeze zone 9b. Stopped by Boo For You in Pensacola. Owner very nice and helpful. He has several hundred types of bamboo on his property and for sale. He seems very knowledgeable but stated many of my picks will not live here in 9b. Which was surprising as these bamboos I thought were more cold hardy than most subtropicals and other growers in this region are apparently having success. Those are sunburst bamboo, Angel Mist, Bambusa Nana, and the new cool Buddha Belly. He stated the cool Buddha belly was nothing more than clever marketing ploy of regular Buddha belly. This gentleman has a lot experience trying to grow all of these on his property. So this is leaving me rather confused. I am aware of other bamboos like textiles that does well here. But specifically interested in these. Any input or experience would be appreciated as I don’t want to throw money down the drain nor creat a lot of extra work for nothing. Thanks
Adam A
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Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:07 pm
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Location: Gulf Breeze fl

Re: Help, Conflicting reports clumping bamboo Florida panhan

Post by Adam A »

To clarify he said they couldn’t make through winter, killed to the ground.
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needmore
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Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
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Re: Help, Conflicting reports clumping bamboo Florida panhan

Post by needmore »

I've had Sunburst, Asian Lemon, Parker's Giant, Ventricosa make it through 2 winters fine, the first year in pots. This winter D minor, Greenstripe, Chungii Barbeletta did fine 1st winter. We had perhaps 8 nights of light freeze, low was 27F, no damage to anybody.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
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Glen
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Location: Southeast Texas, Zone 9a

Re: Help, Conflicting reports clumping bamboo Florida panhan

Post by Glen »

Adam A wrote:I have picked some specific bamboos for Gulf breeze zone 9b. Stopped by Boo For You in Pensacola. Owner very nice and helpful. He has several hundred types of bamboo on his property and for sale. He seems very knowledgeable but stated many of my picks will not live here in 9b. Which was surprising as these bamboos I thought were more cold hardy than most subtropicals and other growers in this region are apparently having success. Those are sunburst bamboo, Angel Mist, Bambusa Nana, and the new cool Buddha Belly. He stated the cool Buddha belly was nothing more than clever marketing ploy of regular Buddha belly. This gentleman has a lot experience trying to grow all of these on his property. So this is leaving me rather confused. I am aware of other bamboos like textiles that does well here. But specifically interested in these. Any input or experience would be appreciated as I don’t want to throw money down the drain nor creat a lot of extra work for nothing. Thanks
Let me first say that it is refreshing to hear of a bamboo nursery using such caution when making cold hardiness recommendations. In Texas, bamboo nurseries often push new growers to spend large sums of money on clumping bamboo plants that will be severely damaged or topkilled during 3 out of 10 years.

Regarding "Cool Buddha", that is a marketing name for what is properly called Bambusa tuldoides 'Swollen Internode'. The latter is a real cultivar that Robert Saporito, of Tropical Bamboo, recently imported. Robert clearly states the reason for his marketing name, so there is no attempt to deceive anyone. http://www.tropicalbamboo.com/bamboo_sh ... sp?bid=242

There is nothing fictitious about this plant. I bought one from Robert, and it is definitely different than Bambusa ventricosa. If you were to buy it from anyone but Tropical Bamboo, I think you might get swindled, since I doubt anyone else is selling it right now.

As for cold hardiness....it is too early to tell. In my area, Bambusa tuldoides is LESS cold tolerant than B. ventricosa. However, the latter just grows into a giant clump, without the swollen internodes. I suspect 'Swollen Internode' will be consistent in its swellings, but I can not say whether it is as hardy as ordinary B. tuldoides.

Before getting too deep into cold hardiness ratings, what is the coldest temperature your area has seen in the last 5 or 10 years? It just takes one night of 21 degrees every few years to cause a real problem for many "9b" bamboos.
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