'Megurochiku' flowering

Ask questions about growing bamboo

Moderator: needmore

Post Reply
grabhorn
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:52 pm
Location info: 0
Location: Olympia, WA

'Megurochiku' flowering

Post by grabhorn »

Three years ago, I bought a #5 Ph. nigra 'Megurochiku' and put it in the ground right away. It put up 3 decent shoots that spring, none in 2016, and one comparatively enormous one last year. This year, no shoots again and it's flowering.
20180608_083712.jpg
20180608_083753.jpg
I also have 'Bory,' 'Henon,' and "plain" nigra; none of them are flowering.

Stress? Well, it's been a very unusually dry April, May, and June, but I've been watering very consistently with drip irrigation I installed last year. (Thank you, dependable, for your guidance.) And, again, the other nigrae aren't flowering. Oh, and the "plain" nigra is literally 30 feet away and on the same irrigation line, so their conditions are about as identical as they can be.

Meanwhile, Ph. aureosulcata 'Spectabilis' has no flowers this year after having a few last year, but Ph. propinqua 'Beijing' is looking nearly dead; no new shoots and very little re-leafing.

Like I said, the dryness here has been extreme (May was an all-time record), but there's been a very random-seeming response. Several bamboos have no new shoots, but others are as crazy as ever. Brad, that Ph. aurita is nuts.
Last edited by grabhorn on Sat Jun 09, 2018 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tyke-A
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:08 pm
Location info: 0
Location: SW Missouri

Re: 'Megurochiku'

Post by Tyke-A »

I have several plantings of Megurochiku. One flowered last year but this year its put up several culms and seems to be okay so I'm guessing it was stressed last summer. My Propinqua Beijing also flowered last year and it has put up 7 new culms and no sign of flowers yet.
grabhorn
Posts: 75
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:52 pm
Location info: 0
Location: Olympia, WA

Re: 'Megurochiku' flowering

Post by grabhorn »

I spoke to the folks at Bamboo Garden. They confirmed that they've heard of other 'Megurochiku' flowering in the area and that theirs, while not in full flower, are showing signs of heading that direction.

So I guess I'll hope for a full recovery and some viable seed. I'll let you know what happens.
Cooper12
Posts: 411
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 3:38 am
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Emmett Idaho

Re: 'Megurochiku' flowering

Post by Cooper12 »

many people on the facebook page are reporting it is flowering from all over.
Jason Floyd
Hangtown Farms

Emmett Idaho
Zone 7A
Potato country
tomgun
Posts: 143
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:14 am
Location info: 0
Location: Sacramento area
Contact:

Re: 'Megurochiku' flowering

Post by tomgun »

I have a long mound of Megurochiku here in El Dorado Hills that I planted from three big pots (which all came from a single plant at my old place in Placerville). Now, I see one cane is flowering very heavily. We'll see what happens.
To locals: If there is something in the Trade column of my plant list you want a start for, I root-prune every so often to control the bamboo in my limited space. You are welcome to any starts for free, no trading. Let me know and come get it if it's available. Pick up only.
Post Reply