Pretty new to bamboo. I have Bissetii Planted last year in Feb. New shoots came up early this year due to warm Feb. Shoots appeared in Mid March (Zone 7 Tennessee) . Now shoots are about 1 foot tall or so and many have dark mushy black rings about 4" from ground and are soft at that point. Is there anything to save them. Where should I cut them if that is what I need to do.

Do they all have that problem, or just some of them? In my experience bissetii puts up *a lot* of shoots, and several of them "abort" (stop growing after less than a foot). They sort of shrivel up. This is normal.

If most of the shoots are doing it though, that's a problem. Can you post a photo?

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

Probably you had some early vigorous new shoots, and they got frozen. Nothing you can do to save those, but if it is P bissetii, it will keep on growing.

High fertilization can also make the new culms more tender.

Here are pics . It got 26F one night lately. A late freeze. Do I just clip the ones falling over at ground level or just below the damage?

Yeah, those looks like they froze, I've seen that before, if they were exposed to 26F that would do it. No point in cutting them off, they are done for and will not grow above the rot point if at all.

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Brad Salmon, zone 9 Esparto, CA

What temps can new shoots take? I stupidly assumed since this Bissetii took 0F this year that 26 would be no problem. LOL


Thanks for all the advice!!!

Hello morebamboo,

Where in Tennessee are you? My experience in Middle Tennessee is that most shoots will survive 30°F for a brief period. At 29° most shoots will show damage, but may survive. We also experienced 26°F, and almost all the early shoots were killed. The good news is that they will shoot again in a couple of weeks.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b