Taco Talk

[bren]

Hey All,

All of my bamboos are in pots, and because of that, I've been able to experiment with moving them around to different locations in the yard based on sunlight received. As the summer heats up here in the Sierra foothills, I've noticed that some of my bamboos (primarily the P. nuda & P. vivax) are "tacoing" on the leaves after just 10-15 minutes in the bright direct sun. All of them are adequately watered (I'm really diligent about that). None of my bamboos are in direct sun all day, but some are for more than 4 hours. The leaf tacoing also seems more prevalent on this season's culms rather than the older more established culms.

My previous understanding was that when the plant is in distress, the leaves taco, or curl up along their length. Now, I'm not so sure, could it merely be a response to bright sunlight? Or, are these bamboos really under stress and I've got them in too much sunlight?

[Glen]

It is a sign of stress, but not necessarily a harmful one. As long as you are certain that the soil is moist, you are probably allright.

My plants can be in saturated soil in the ground, and still do as you describe, if they are in full sun during the summer. This is normal here, and usually results in no damage.

Having said that, it would be perfectly acceptable to move the plants temporarily into the shade.

If you do see leaf burn or yellowing, move them to the shade.

[bren]

Thanks Glen. That's a relief to hear. I'll watch for burn/yellowing too.

[Cooper12]

this was very common on many of my plants I had in Placerville during the peak of summer. As the plants matured it happened less and less . Just make sure they have enough water and younger plants especially need a good layer of mulch .