You can tell from the topic that I am a novice at propagating runners and Phyllos, given the rampant spread of so many of the Sasa spp. they should be a breeze.

This spring I received a Sasa oshidensis from Bamboo Garden. When it arrived it had 2 runners coming out the drainage holes on opposite sides of the one gallon pot. As I promised Paul a piece I was keen to try to propagate these quickly. In transit the growing tips had unfortunately broken off these runners and no sign of buds along their length. I screwed two one gallon pots onto the sides of the mother pots halfway up on opposite sides to prevent jostling and fed the ends of the runners into holes in the sides of the saddling pots. The mix in the side pots is an open mix with bark and coarse coir etc. These have already rooted firmly in the side pots. Is there hope of these runners will produce buds and flush out with foliage or am I simply creating extra root run for the mother plant?

johnw
+23c and sunny

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johnw coastal Nova Scotia

No takers on this question?

Simply put will Sasa runners with no discernible growing points or lateral buds ever produce them as mentioned in the above scenario?

johnw - +20c and overcast

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johnw coastal Nova Scotia

I don't think I've ever looked at a Sasa rhizome that closely before. My experience with Sasa is that a pruned rhizome will create several branch rhizomes, so I think your strategy is fine, unless you just put an inch of rhizome into the side pots. If it's a few inches, I think you're getting new rhizome growth in the side pots, not just roots.

If it were me I'd probably dig around gently in the side pots to see if I could confirm.

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

Thanks Alan, the rhizomes were about 5-7 inches long so maybe there's hope. I thought I would have seen some activity above ground by now. Stupidly I placed this flimsy cluster of pots in an awkward but safe spot which means I can't easily get at them to check activity without disturbing the trio.

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johnw coastal Nova Scotia

Ive heard of a similar method.

Basically, when you place a potted plant on the ground, the roots tend to go into the soil. You just take the pot, and place it in the ground, and let the rots spread out from the holes, separating them the following season or 2. I cant remember what species specifically they were talking about.

I also remember some one trying to spread the rhizomes from pot to pot using the drainage holes (I think that was steve on this forum actually), and I think that was a phyllostachys.

Im no expert, but I would assume doing it the way you did simulates planting, except the roots only have some small drainage holes to spread from, rather then the rootball itself. Id guess you wont see any above ground growth till next season.

John, I find Sasa's - Oshidensis in particular - to be fussy in pots, and quite slow. They stay alive but if the initial division potted did not have a large mass/network of rhizome they seem quite slow and easy to keep too wet. I don't container grow them anymore for that reason, if someone wants one I dig a 'sod' from the patch and this tends to get going much faster. Large sods that are potted will get going but directly transplanted has worked much better for me. Once it takes off it should do well for you, mine is at 2 meters here.

Don't get me wrong, potted ones are an O.K. way to get the species but in my experience just don't expect fast results with them.

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Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/

Thanks for the info Brad. Indeed the other Sasas hate pots here and show no sign of their usual lustiness. I have to keep the oshidensis in a pot and isolated until I can give it "mite clearance" and then it will get planted out. Looks clean to date but it has to go through the autumn when the humidity drops to pass the test.

By 2 meters do you mean high or wide? I'm gobsmacked if you meant high!

johnw - +20c and extremely humid; dense fog, mists and rain last night but not nearly enough.

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johnw coastal Nova Scotia

I'm pretty sure Brad meant 2m tall, based on my visit to his place last year. I think it's much, much wider than that.

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

Yes, 2m tall, much wider.

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Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/

Gobsmacked it is then.

Well-clothed to the ground?

johnw - +22c, more fog.

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johnw coastal Nova Scotia

You sound like I did when I recently found out that Pleioblastus humilis, though listed as a 4 foot maxium groundcover boo on most websites, can apparently get 10 feet tall if it's really happy

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Such as this...over my head and I'm 6'3'

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Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/

Oops

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Brad - Thanks for the photo, this is very exciting. I had envisioned an entirely dofferent use for it as a 2-3 footer. Not complaining about a possibly dependable 6 footer!

johnw - +20c and foggy.

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johnw coastal Nova Scotia

John, for me the hardier Sasa & Indocalamus get 2m+, currently I latifolius is the tallest, I longiaritus is 2m as well - I like both to contrast the Sasa as they have lighter, waxier & more lance-shaped leaves for contrast. I suspect I victorialis may end up the tallest, we'll see. In milder Europe I see S palmata to 3m but it is not hardy enough here to consistently upsize.

The height is clearly linked to hardiness & mowing, if I do not mow S tsuboiana it gets to 2m but looks ratty, it is so pretty when fresh I generally mow and it is more like 1,5m.

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Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/