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Re: Species List hardiness change suggestions.

Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:22 pm
by Tarzanus
This winter, we will all be able to tell horror stories again... Europe in quite a nasty cold weather too.

Re: Species List hardiness change suggestions.

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 4:45 am
by Cooper12
I have always been hesitant with usda zones. Far too general for me and not always accurate. looking at zone maps a particular zone goes thru different climates in General. A zone 7 back east is nothing like a zone 7 in say Boise , Reno or the Pacific Northwest. I am a zone 8b which based on actual bottom line lows is accurate . Many zone 8 varieties do not seem to like the cool wet winters here where as my Bambusa m. Alphonse Karr and Silverstripe have done fine.
Last year we recorded 14 degrees 1 day the Alphonse Karr and Silverstripe did look a little ratty with some leaf burn and the later younger shoots aborted. A zone 9A variety that is hardier than noted in my opinion. This year no burn though not as cold.
My zone 8b zone is usually below freezing half the nights each month in winter and can start to freeze October and go thru April. Average lows are 30-32 for the months of December , January and February where as a city say Atlanta which shows as a 7B has higher average minimum temperatures for those months.Though I know it can get colder there.
We have had numerous nights in the 24-26 degree range this winter and a few days that have failed to hit freezing and many days so far where the high was in the mid to upper thirties.
I like the minimum temperature idea personally. For me unless a bamboo shows much hardier than what we get here I like to add 5 degrees to the minimum temperature be safe or at least to not get my hopes up if it croaks. There are some I chance because I am a Bamboo nut but I appreciate the estimated minimum temp personally. I personally am good with a bamboo defoliating but do not want top kill. I do not feel the Abs should feel liable as many nursery/plant websites for various types of plants list zone hardy or minimum temps. There are far to many factors for plant mortality than the temperature for that to hold up in court. Another thing that could be noted is saying estimated Minimum temperature. When I see that for bamboo I like to see that temperature at where the estimated Temperature of leaf drop is.
Sorry to go on and on :roll:

Re: Species List hardiness change suggestions.

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 5:14 pm
by needmore
And my zone 9 or 9b is very different from say Roy's in Tampa, I'll never get Bambusa near the size of his as the winter there is way warmer. We've barely been in the 60's a couple of time for weeks and FL has had 80's but our minimums are similar in theory.

Re: Species List hardiness change suggestions.

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 3:59 pm
by Cooper12
Chimonocalamus pallens is not a fan of zone 8B out here. at least it does not like extended numbers of days below freezing and numerous dips in the 20's. at least it was buried in snow last week as it was in the mid 20's to 29 every night till yesterday .
Numerous leaf burn some culm die back. it may be the cool wet winters as opposed to the cool? Mine is containerized . Was planted last year at my old house.

I am curious where some websites I see rate it to 10 degrees as here it is no where near as hardy or vigorous as my multiplex varieties

Re: Species List hardiness change suggestions.

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 9:38 pm
by Tarzanus
I agree. Chimonocalamus pallens is even less hardy than Borinda fungosa (gaolinensis?) seedling. Anything below -5°C makes it suffer. When it remains below freezing for a while, they soon perish. I hope my C. pallens seedlings survive this brutal winter. Not expecting them, though... :?