New culms on bamboo?

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bamboo123
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Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 7:33 pm
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Location: indiana

New culms on bamboo?

Post by bamboo123 »

Hi,
I posted a while ago here about my Incense Bamboo plants. I have another question about them. The bamboos lost all their leaves in the winter. However, the stalks are still green. When I break a small stem off the bamboo, the interior of the stem is green. However, no new culms or leaves have been produced. When will new leaves or culms be produced from the plants? One of my neighbors has about 1/4 acre of bamboo, and I noticed their plants look the same as mine.
Thanks.
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needmore
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Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Kea'au, HI

Re: New culms on bamboo?

Post by needmore »

I'm not sure how old your planting is but once my Atrovaginata grove started producing mature shoots it was always the last Phyllostachys to shoot. Normally then in Brown County between Nashville & Bloomington it would start right around mid-May.

Winter damaged groves tend to shoot earlier. I suspect I'm wrong on this but it seemed like groves with total leaf loss but viable new leaf buds that eventually leaf out would be very slow to push new leaves and be very sporadic regarding shooting - late/few of them. In contrast groves with total top kill seemed to shoot on schedule or early.

Like clockwork my Spectabilis will shoot on 4/1 there, most the of the other Phy by mid-April and the late dudes, late April. I do not know if all this held true this year but for 13 years that is what I observed.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
Nicholas
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Location: Austria

Re: New culms on bamboo?

Post by Nicholas »

Hi bamboo123,

if the plant suffered from complete leaf loss it can take a little longer than usual for shoots to come.

Are the side branches damaged as well or is it just the leaves that got frosted?
If, on the side branches at the base of where the leaves are connected, there are little buds that look green or are even elongating (then they kind of look like a micro-shoot ;-) ) then the damage is not as severe.

On the other hand, if the side branches are all completely brown you can expect quite a bit of damage.
bamboo123
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Location: indiana

Re: New culms on bamboo?

Post by bamboo123 »

Hi
All of the bamboo plants have developed small shoots. Looks like they're doing well.
Thanks.
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