new shoots in NJ

[kstanwick]

Hi all....Just got around to checking my diff. boos. It appears that only the YG has any shoots...looks like about 2 to 3 inches. Arrow a few pencil sized shoots 1 to 2 inches. Nothing from any of my other varieties. I thought nuda would be one of the early ones but looks like YG it the early bird every year. I think we are about 2 to 3 weeks behind schedule....

[needmore]

Kurt, how is your Dulcis looking? If it is in good shape I'd expect you to see some nice shoots this year - this is the 2nd spring for it no? Mine started in the last few days, it is one of the latest Phy's for me, I have probably 100-120 species shooting right now and the Dulcis, Rubro, and Atrovaginata are just starting so yours is likely a few weeks off yet. The Dulcis started when the hummingbirds showed up, I'm thinking there must be some sort of connection so when you hear the little hummers, look for the Dulcis shoots

[kstanwick]

Ha...that's funny....Well my dulcis like most everything got hit real bad by deer. We had a late season ice/snow storm and everything got eaten..... my yucca by my house was even demoed pretty good. Holly?? what holly..... anyway i checked it yesterday, the bottom of the culm/s have no leaves but there are some green leaves on top.....the culm looks green with mottled black on it. I dug in the mulch and i saw some green rhizome...I am having some high hopes for this one...I feel it will come back...I didn't want to disturb it too much....nothing on henon, black, etc.....

[JeffreyDV]

I have nothing from my Henon, Punctata, or Fargesia. I dont remember when they began shooting last year.

[jerseycityz6b]

I have nothing from my Henon, Punctata, or Fargesia. I dont remember when they began shooting last year.

Ah, I don't feel so worried now. Got my first Henon & Fargesia last summer and they don't look at all alive right now. They're in planters here in Jersey City. Henon was looking lively in January but I feared the freeze in February may have killed them off.

Fingers crossed.....

[kstanwick]

I'll agree with that.....that cold hit was bad for alot of my boo as well. I think i might have lost a spectabilis that was in a barrel. so far no signs of shoots....I am starting to see more activity.....YG is now about 6-8 inches....long leaf has shoots...arrow seems to be starting to come alive...

[jerseycityz6b]

I'll agree with that.....that cold hit was bad for alot of my boo as well. I think i might have lost a spectabilis that was in a barrel. so far no signs of shoots....I am starting to see more activity.....YG is now about 6-8 inches....long leaf has shoots...arrow seems to be starting to come alive...

Showing my ignorance here: Is your Henon green at all? On the downside all the leaves are yellow and there's still no sign of new leaves coming in - on the plus side the culms are looking greyish finally, but that may just be because they're dead. There is a greenish tint to the bottom 3" or so of the culm but over all it isn't looking too pretty.

[Mike McG]

Hi Kurt,
Hope you and your family are well. As I recall the leaves on many or most of trees had not usually leafed out by the first of May up in Sussex County so it may be early for many of the bamboo to shoot but it may be soon. I remember one year we had snow after the mulberry trees in the back of our house had just gotten leaves and they completely defoliated but came back unfazed.

Bev and I are driving up to NJ in a couple of weeks. I am interested in seeing how my son's bamboo are doing. Last year the Ph. rubromarginata had essentially no damage and the Ph. aurea was beat up from winter but still had some green leaves. He had several more different bamboo planted this past winter and I am interested in seeing how they did.

I think I am going to bring my son up some Ph. n. 'Henon' and Ph. vivax this year. Looking at your list I see you have these and would be interested in how these did for you. As Jerseycityz6b asked, any green on your Henon? By the way your list is getting to be quite impressive and a great data point for those in the north western NJ area.

At some point I want to have my son try some S. t. 'Albostriata' tucked in near his house. I think it is a great looking bamboo, and would look good even if it was top killed every once in a while as long as it came back from the rhizomes.

Mike near Brenham TX

[hangluus]

A word from Kinnelon NJ... Bisetti is starting to shoot, Yellow Groove is shooting, Nuda is close, rubro is close, black is still pretty far off. Suprisingly, my rubro likes like heck compared to my nigra. I am extremely suprised by this. They are 5 feet away from each other, but what a difference! Both of my 2nd year moso seedlings that I put in the ground are completely top-killed and I'll be suprised if anything shoots from them. Such a shame cause they looked so good.

[Thuja]

Wow, it's good to hear from Hangluus! (Never could figure out how to pronouce that. ) The flexuosa I got from you just started up and is quite nice size (for here). Bisset has been going for a couple weeks. Ph. glauca started up yesterday.

Kurt, how is your Dulcis looking? If it is in good shape I'd expect you to see some nice shoots this year - this is the 2nd spring for it no? Mine started in the last few days, it is one of the latest Phy's for me, I have probably 100-120 species shooting right now and the Dulcis, Rubro, and Atrovaginata are just starting so yours is likely a few weeks off yet. The Dulcis started when the hummingbirds showed up, I'm thinking there must be some sort of connection so when you hear the little hummers, look for the Dulcis shoots

Dulcis had me wondering because I had seen it described by McClure (or more likely it was Haubrich) as shooting "very early." Another I am wondering about is Ph. elegans. It too is described as very early but still no signs of life here. Rubromarginata has put up a few small shoots in the past few days. Atrovaginata also is still a no-show.

[needmore]

I've noticed that juvenile plants in many species seem to shoot earlier than they do as they age, whereas my Dulcis & Makinoi seem to be shooting earlier. I would still describe Dulcis here as mid to late season, having started around April 20.

Shooting season is winding down already, only the really late guys haven't started yet - the gigantea and arborescent pleioblastus forms mainly. My full sun, slightly younger Atrovaginata has been going for 10 days while the older larger shadier site has not yet started. That and Angusta I believe are the only Phyllostachys not yet shooting, the Rubro has really come on in the past few days.

My Flexuosa is not sizing up at all and that seems odd, it does not seem to be a likely vole candidate but I should poke around. It is a few feet from a Humilis and is only about half the size. Some 4 year old Bissetii is producing fat 1 inch diameter shoots already, I'm guessing these will exceed 20 feet as it was at 18 last year at .75 inch diameter - never thought this one would size up so quickly. There are some 6 year old Yellow Groove shoots that appear to be around 1.5 inches, I can't work my way in with the calipers yet without damaging their neighbors to see for certain.

BTW - I'm guessing he/she pronounces it 'Hang Loose'

[kstanwick]

Ha....the mystery of Steve's handle...I wonder that pronunciation myself...but i do know its Steve...so he/she is a he...lol...sorry for the delay in responding....what a difference 9 days makes as far as shooting goes.....I took a quick walk this morning around my boos....Long leaf is shooting...6 inch....bissetti has 4 inch shoots....YG is about 18 to 2 ft....seeing activity on the Arrow...nothing on the nuda.....Didn't get up to the dulcis or the henon or black....I will have to check some of the others. My list will have to be adjusted as i believe some didn't do so well this winter....I hope the vivax survived....it is buried under a pile of leaves still in a pot along with some others. Seems we don't have much of a spring here anymore.....goes from 30s to 70s and 80s within a weeks time...get some rain and everything just pops....I still have flowers on my forsythias....Mike my henon was one of my first acquisitions. It has been slow to respond but it is alive ...I still have hopes. My vivax is also buried in that pile of leaves. small....i am hoping for some suprises when i get over there...probably this weekend i will get a chance to uncover everything and do an analysis of everything.

[kstanwick]

oopps...sorry jersey city man....jersey city....It is another world to me.....I worked down there years ago....anyway, I will get up on my hill to check the condition of them...I have two small plants i got 3 years ago. each year they seem to grow a bit but nothing like i expect. they are planted in a woods environment. I have to pull grass and weeds away from them every once in a while to see what is going on with them. I suspect that weed/grass cover helps them in the winter.

[jerseycityz6b]

oopps...sorry jersey city man....jersey city....It is another world to me.....I worked down there years ago...

After almost 20 years living in Manhattan, Jersey City Heights is another world to me too...practically living in the country! Actually the Heights is surprisingly different than most of JC.

Anyhow, my little (15 in.) dead looking Fargesia has started sending out some leaves. My young (15 ft.) Henon looks pretty dead still but the responses here and the life signs from the Fargesia give me hope.

[kstanwick]

The country?? OK vs Manhattan....Not exactly sure where the heights are...on that back cliff area?? It has been so long since i was down that way...I think boo in planter boxes...especially up by us are much more threatened by winter cold unless protected with leaves, insulation, etc....I think i will be finding that out the hard way....