Phyllostachys kwangsiensis

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Tarzanus
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Re: Phyllostachys kwangsiensis

Post by Tarzanus »

Your seedling looks exactly the same as two of my seedlings that were kept "protected" during worst cold this year. It happened that it got too cold and both seedlings got completely fried, soil froze completely and I'm afraid they maight never recover. Everything else outside that was not sheltered showed almost no damage, because at least it got some snow cover from time to time.

I usually cover smaller bamboos with 50 liter plastic bag that were filled with pine bark. I covered the bark all around bamboos and then put the bag over it and secure it with a couple of bricks. If there's no snow and temperature drops considerably, I can always put another layer of protection. Bag creates barrier which can not be penetrated by wind and it keeps it's moisture inside.
This way, one of my Moso seedlings that performs best remained green through the winter and after just a couple of warm days already started to form swollen buds. Bamboo didn't show any leaf curl this year, despite strong sun couple of days ago. Usually All Moso seedlings lost their leaves during spring when exposed to strong spring sun, with roots still in soil with temperature just a bit above freezing.

Let it sit there for a while. Protect it if needed, if you have snow laying around, create a pile over it and wait if it recovers in the spring. In a couple of years seedling should harden. If not, then it might be bad combination of chromosomes and should be replaced anyways. :)
Tarzanus
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Re: Phyllostachys kwangsiensis

Post by Tarzanus »

johnw wrote:Steve - Is it possible the kwang simply cooked under that clear plastic tarp?

Why not use white plastic instead of clear? If we used clear on our frames everything would be dead from the rapid temp fluctuations all winter long. To me clear plastic causes more problems than it solves.
I agree 100%. In late February, during sunny days greenhouse needs to be kept opened. When closed, temperatures can go above 20C, drop to below freezing during the night, and that doesn't really help the plant.
Brad - Do Phyllos generally survive after flowering? Particularly if they make quantities of seed?
I've heard that several people in Checz Republic and France got through flowering and when everything looked like clump will finally die, Kwang slowly started to recover.
The only one I ever had flower was a supposed flexuosa from the Arnold back 10 years or so. Hoping I didn't toss it too quickly.
I doubt it would recover. Chances might be really low.
stevelau1911
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Re: Phyllostachys kwangsiensis

Post by stevelau1911 »

I think this bamboo might simply be not hardy enough for my climate because I do have other phyllostachys with exposed foliage getting nearly no winter damage at a winter low of 2F. The painters plastic which may work on hardier species just might not insulate well enough for kwangsiensis because last year, my kwangsiensis came out well with a stronger tarp.
This way, one of my Moso seedlings that performs best remained green through the winter and after just a couple of warm days already started to form swollen buds. Bamboo didn't show any leaf curl this year, despite strong sun couple of days ago. Usually All Moso seedlings lost their leaves during spring when exposed to strong spring sun, with roots still in soil with temperature just a bit above freezing.
I had the same exact thing occur during March of last year with moso bicolor, and decora. I think I've figured out how to prevent that type of spring damage which seems to only happen on certain species of bamboo. You either need to warm up the soil, prevent the soil from being too damp, or keep the bamboo away from full sun. This year, the moso bicolor is not getting any damage as it sits happily under the collapsed greenhouse which seems to function even better than when it was nice and tall.

Here's the old thread

http://www.bambooweb.info/bb/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5498
stevelau1911
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Re: Phyllostachys kwangsiensis

Post by stevelau1911 »

Has anyone with the new generation of kwangsiensis seedlings started to see rhizome growth yet? I know I've sold and traded off around 34 of them all over the US, maybe even Canada.

My problem is that even though I ended up keeping the biggest seedling, it never turned into a runner after 3 years, and that definitely limits its hardiness potential so it doesn't have a chance to become the moso of the north. I'm finding that moso far outperforms kwangsiensis.
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