Winter protection video

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Michigan Bamboo
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Winter protection video

Post by Michigan Bamboo »

I shot a video of winter protection techniques this weekend.

[video]ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ameG3lsdRnM[/video]
Jim Mihelich
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dudley
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by dudley »

rofl
love the dogs.
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by Jerry Hamilton »

The leaves where they are touching the plastic, do they freeze & die? When I tried plastic on my pear tree that happened.
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dudley
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by dudley »

i was always taught to keep a layer of fabric between the leaves and the plastic.
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by spiros »

nice video
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Michigan Bamboo
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by Michigan Bamboo »

dudley wrote:i was always taught to keep a layer of fabric between the leaves and the plastic.
The dogs appreciate you mention them. I have never heard of adding a layer of fabric. All of the large commercial nurseries in my area just use the film.

The plants are green when you uncover them in spring :D

Thanks,
Jim Mihelich
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dudley
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by dudley »

your film looks thicker than what is typically sold here in florida, perhaps that makes a difference.
what is the name it is marketed under? my dogs generally pee all over my covers and it would be nice to have something that wont absorb it. :?
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by stevelau1911 »

When would be the most appropiate time to cover them?

Perhaps late December, or whenever theres a chance of <10F nights.
I'm not really sure if any dessication is possible if temperatures are between 32F and 10F+ strong winds based on most phyllostachys & fargesias. A 15F temperature may have a windchill reading of <0F.
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by Michigan Bamboo »

stevelau1911 wrote:When would be the most appropiate time to cover them?

Perhaps late December, or whenever theres a chance of <10F nights.
I'm not really sure if any dessication is possible if temperatures are between 32F and 10F+ strong winds based on most phyllostachys & fargesias. A 15F temperature may have a windchill reading of <0F.

Bamboo should be covered when daytime temperatures are between 35-40° F.
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by Alan_L »

Michigan Bamboo wrote:Bamboo should be covered when daytime temperatures are between 35-40° F.
Can you elaborate on why? Does that mean that if it's colder than 35° F it's too late to cover?
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by lrss »

which bamboo species do you cover?
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by stevelau1911 »

Possibly none.

If the "National Weather Service" predictions are accurate, the northern half of the USA should experience above average temperatures this winter reducing the chance of extreme cold, especially for the northern portion of the mid-west.
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by Michigan Bamboo »

Alan_L wrote:
Michigan Bamboo wrote:Bamboo should be covered when daytime temperatures are between 35-40° F.
Can you elaborate on why? Does that mean that if it's colder than 35° F it's too late to cover?
Rhizome growth is over and dry winds are starting to blow. You can cover your plants at lower temperature, if you don’t mind the cold. It is generally hard to get stakes in the ground once it is frozen.


lrss wrote:which bamboo species do you cover?
Fargesia & Phyllostachys
Jim Mihelich
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by Alan_L »

Michigan Bamboo wrote:It is generally hard to get stakes in the ground once it is frozen.
D'oh! :oops:
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Re: Winter protection video

Post by stevelau1911 »

I took a look at my winter protection results today and here are my results. All the plants in the test are 8 month old moso seedlings with the pot buried in the ground.

Test 1. No protection. 100% leafburn, with moderate culm damage(Never expected them to make it)

Test 2. 1 layer of wilt pruf 100% leafburn, culms are still green

Test 3. A layer of plastic. Only about 10% leafburn on the edges, still looks decent

Test 4. Unheated greenhouse with 130gallon heat sink Little to no leafburn, slow growth

Test 5. Inside the house by the window: Significant leaf growth with shooting.

I realize that these plants are nowhere close to their potential hardiness, but from my tests, it seems like the minimal protection needed on them would be a layer of plastic as shown in Michigan Bamboo's video.Test 3 is my preferred protection now. The wilt pruf didn't help much.
It is generally hard to get stakes in the ground once it is frozen.
I used bricks and large branches to hold down my plastic and it's working fine for me.

Another important observation I made was that leaves on older and larger culms generally tended to have hardier leaves on all the plants which had leaf burn. The shoots that came up in late summer look pretty bad unless it's on a hardier species.
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