Bambusa Tuldoides ‘Millennium’

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Roy
Posts: 3285
Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 3:15 pm
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Location: Tampa, Florida, USA,............Florida's SunCoast <Zone 9B-10A>

Bambusa Tuldoides ‘Millennium’

Post by Roy »

Around the turn of the century (2001), I had my Bambusa Tuldoides flower for a couple of years. I was able to get some seeds, and lucky enough to get some seedlings. I did mail some people some seeds, but I don’t have a memory clue as to which people.

After a couple of years, my Bambusa Tuldoides quit flowering and returned to its regular growth pattern of producing new culms. About 5 years, after the flowering ceased, I needed the spot for something else, so I dug out my original Bambusa Tuldoides, potted them up and sold them over a several year period.

I still had my 35-40 B.T. seedings, which I named Bambusa Tuldoides ‘Millennium’ to distinguish them from my original Bambusa Tuldoides.

Around 2010, my Bambusa Tuldoides ‘Millennium’ seedlings had gotten large enough that I could divide them up and sell. By 2012, I only had a 3 gal. “runt of the litter” left, so I kept it for myself.

I planted the “runt of the litter” Bambusa Tuldoides ‘Millennium’ in 2012. Watered and fertilized (6-6-6) for the next 5 years. By late Summer of 2017, I decided I wasn’t pleased with the growth, height and culm diameter, of my then 16 year old B. Tuldoides ‘Millennium’.

In the Fall of 2017, I dug out 4 large clumps (3-5 culms in each clump). My tallest culm was 25 feet tall with the pendulous tip straighten out on the ground. The culm diameter maximum being 1 & 3/8th inches. Almost 1 & 1/2 inches. B. Tuldoides usually grows in the 2.25 to 2.50 diameter culm size, and usually around the 50 plus foot mark in Tampa, Florida. [[As a comparison, which many may be familiar with, my Bambusa gracilis gets in the low 30 foot range.]]

I used my truck to drag them to their new homes (planting holes), planted and staked them in a row next to my water spigot. I usually water my potted bamboo daily during Spring, Summer, Fall, except when it rains. 2-3 times a week in the Winter. A little 6-6-6 fertilizer occasionally.

In the Summer of 2018, the new 2018 culms ranged in the 15-17 foot range, with the largest diameter culm being 15/16th of an inch.

At first I was disappointed in the growth of my runt of the litter, B. Tuldoides ‘Millennium’, but now I’m thinking an erect 25 foot max bamboo might be a winner. My B. textilis ‘Kanapha’, planted in the same area, makes the B. Tuldoides ‘Millennium’ look like a tropical dwarf bamboo.

The Summer rains are “acoming’, so I’ll soon be able to see what this Summer brings forth.
[[Pictures are at Bambooweb.info (filed under Bamboo Pictures: Bambusa tuldoides), which I uploaded many years ago]]
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Roy Rogers
Southern Tampania de la Floridana Universidad (STFU)
STFU Motto: All Bamboos are not Created Equal; @ STFU, the Search Continues
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Glen
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Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:28 am
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Location: Southeast Texas, Zone 9a

Re: Bambusa Tuldoides ‘Millennium’

Post by Glen »

Roy,

It is good to hear from you! I hope all is going well down there in Florida.

I think there is room in the market for another smaller bamboo, as you describe. In Texas, B. textilis var. gracilis is overused, because nothing else quite fits its niche in this climate. It would be nice to see a little more variety.
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