Ever try to kill a patch and later change your mind?

[steve-in-kville]

Most of my bamboo are of the Fargesia family. I have one runner, Aureocaulis. Patch is on the third year. If you've heard the phrase "first year it sleeps, second year it creeps, third year it leaps," believe it. Its true.

So two weeks ago I found my 'caulis had started shooting huge thumb sized shoots about 6' away from the original clump. And it was spreading the wrong way, I had actually forgotten about this particular patch and my passion was propagating my Rufa and Nitida. So I told the boys to cut it all down and mow it off.

Anyways, fast forward to this weekend. I had a change of heart and want to keep the variety anyways. So I bought a planter container and dug up a rhizome that was starting to throw shoots and planted it in some compost and potting soil. And I have plenty more to dig up as well.

Has anyone done this before? What should I expect for results?

[David]

Are you going to grow it in a container? Why not just rhizome prune and leave it in the ground? The plant in the ground is still alive and will probably send up more shoots. You will have set it back a bit but it will recover. I don't think rhizomes in the process of shooting have much chance of survival. The best time to dig rhizomes is in the early spring right before they shoot, but good luck, I hope it survives.

[steve-in-kville]

Update: I have shoots coming up all over the place! I'm gonna wait until it leafs out and transfer it to a container. What survives, survives. I am looking at some alternative spots for this variety.

[jd.]

Has anyone done this before? What should I expect for results?

Phyllostachys aureosulcata (including f. aureocaulis) appears exceptionally resilient. I've a bamboo of the 'Lama Temple' variety here that initially recovered from a thin culm and a small rhizome fragment. This bamboo continues to spread readily even after repeatedly suffering top losses due to winter extremes.

Move the rhizomes before new shoots appear or after the shoots have hardened and you can be quite hopeful for success with this bamboo.
You'll likely see the most vigorous growth when planting in cultivated ground.