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Bamboo Rating System

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 11:18 pm
by bambooweb
Now that I am getting back to working on the site what should we use as a rating system.
I was thinking about a rating from 1 to 10 with the following.

10. Great Plant. Does well and looks great.

9. Grows well but is not the greatest looking plant.

8. Some leaf damage but releves when the weather gets better.

7. Branch damage most years but only needs minor pruning to look good.

6. Cleanup of some culms damaged by the weather needed each year.

5. Plant dies to the ground most winters but comes back and looks good.

4. Plant dies to the ground most winters but comes back and looks disappointing.

3. Plant declined and was removed before it died.

2. Plant died but I am willing to try it again.

1. Plant will not survive and I tried multiple plants.

More comments will be available per plant/location such as winter/summer protection and irrigation.

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions? Should we have more or fewer selections?

Bill

Re: Bamboo Rating System

Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 4:39 am
by ghmerrill
would these ratings be attached to our plant lists, and viewable on the map, or just in the photo gallery?

Re: Bamboo Rating System

Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 2:58 pm
by needmore
My solicited 2-cents :alien:

I think that is too many choices. Perhaps it would be beneficial to have ratings on growth performance and a separate one on visual attractivness/appropriateness for screens etc?

The hardiness ratings I use on my site start with usually winters over well; usually has some minor to moderate damage; usually has severe damage but comes back in spring and is worth growing; does not hold up well and is perhaps not worth the ground space. Then, the ground covers that I mow annually are exempt from hardiness ratings as I've never lost one and they are are rewarding to grow.

For visual ratings/appropriateness - there are the beautiful forms such as Atrovaginata and the hardy but butt ugly forms of A gigantea so perhaps comments on form could be helpful. Also, some forms really lean/flop when young and others such as Propinqua 'Beijing' are quite vertical so appropriateness for paths/walkways comments may be useful. Suitability for screening seems like useful info.

I would stay away from 'spread' ratings as I think that the spread rate of a given species is almost totally driven by local climate, rainfall soil conditions and the gardeners' plant culture habits. Often I'll see folks say that Nigra or Japonica do not spread much which may be true for them but here they both ran wild and I would not suggest them as easy to control.

Re: Bamboo Rating System

Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 5:29 pm
by bambooweb
Brad,
Thanks for the 2 cents now I will ignore it. :twisted:

Actually you had a good point what a rating of 1-5 for hardiness and 1-3 for appearance for starts and I can add more later. The values will be with everyones plant list so they are local observations for that person's climate. The hardiness will also have to take in to account the people in the hot climates that cannot grow some bamboos because of summer heat or to much / lack of humidity.

I am working on filters for the map where you can find where a certain plant is growing then look at the ratings in the area that you are interested in. I could then filter it to show only locations or plants above a certain rating.

Have a good Thanksgiving.
Bill

Re: Bamboo Rating System

Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:38 am
by bambooweb
It is still to cold and wet to work outside so I decided to work on the rating system some more.
What does everyone think of the following for the entry page?
PlantRating.png
PlantRating.png (11.54 KiB) Viewed 6671 times

Re: Bamboo Rating System

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:53 pm
by millerlightman02
Will you be able to tell at what age the plant is at, that the rating is for? Juvenile plants look totally different than mature ones.