Cold damage winter 2013/2014

[jd.]

Here's that Phyllostachys virella bamboo again. The temperaure has warmed to 3°F (-16°C) from the low of -18°F (-28°C) two days earlier and the wind evident in the prior photo has ceased.

[Iowaboo]

Looks similar to my Tundra Bamboo.

[ShmuBamboo]

It was 7 F. here for the low one night in December, between lows of 12 and 15 F. a few nights with and without wind. I have significant damage to some of my boos here, and many others are unscathed. Just a trace of snow here this year, so no insulating effects from the really cold weather.

Major damage to the following boos (most likely killed): C. Culeau (ABS has this to zero? No forking way); Phy. bam. Allgold; Phy. bam. Castillon Typ. I (from Bamboo Garden); Chimano. Square stem (too large to move this year, knew it would get hit hard); Pleo. Guntletii; Pleo. humilis; and one Chimano. Marbeld accidentally left outside.

Significant leaf and culm kill on the following boos: Phy. nigra (type; several sources); Phy. violascens (would have died if it were not next to the house, again ABS has this to zero? No forking way); smaller vivax in 7 gal pots (aureo. & green types); Phy. Dulcis; Semi. Okuboi.

Moderate damage occurred on Phy, bam. Castillon Typ. II (from private collection in Hillsboro); Ph. Moso, similar to what I saw last year at only 15 for a low. They are fussy, and for that reason I sold the majority of my Moso last summer (about 20). I have 3 large ones left in 30-40 gallon tubs sunk in the ground. Some culms are dead, some leaf burn, some culms are fine, all on the same plants.

Slight or no damage seen in these boos, in pots or planted in the ground: Phy. aureosulcata type, Harbin, Harbin inversa, aureo., Spectabilis, Lama Temple, & Alata; Phy. aurea type, Koi, & Holo.; Phy. nigra Bory, Meguro., Daiko., & Henon; larger Vivax aureo., type, & Huang. inversa; Phy. atrovaginata; Phy. viridis Robert Young; Phy. glauca Yunzhu; Phy. iridescens; Phy. nuda; Phy. Rubro; Semi. fastuosa (Temple); Fargesia 'Green Panda', Nitida, Jiuz. typ. II, Scabrida & Robusta; Ps. japonica (only one slight top kill out of 20); Hib. tr. Shiroshima; Shib. kumasaka.

I put five potted Chim. marbled in the garage before the 7 deg. low. along with a large potted Indo. latafolius (though I think the latafolius would have survived outside though; no damage on it at all).

[Tarzanus]

We now have 7C above average temperatures and no frost since mid December. All the damage done in freezing before that is now definitely visible.
Fargesia fungosa - 100% defoliated, most likely completely "culminated" as well.
Phyllostachys aureosulcata Spectabilis Lamatemple - No damage whatsoever
Fargesia Murielae - No damage, looks like it's starting to wake up way too early
Fargesia Denudata 'Lancaster 1' - 20% leaves are damaged, usually on upper parts of exposed culms that are 100% bald. Most of the culms and their lower parts are normally green and there's no damage
H.T Shiroshima - Doing great this year, some leaf burn visible on the edges, some autumn branch buds looking a bit toasted (but alive), overall, no different than two months ago
Pseudosasa japonica 'Tsutsumiana' - No damage except several leaves and completely fresh whips from around October.
Phyllostachys aurea is root bound and suffered during the summer, later, it recovered somewhat and started shooting. Larger shoots froze off, tiny ones seem to be dormant and in perfect shape. It had lost a couple % of leaves during cold weather, some of the branches did get bald, but it looks more than OK.
Phyllostachys pubescens Moso had shown 100% leaf wilt when it was frozen solid so I was afraid it might get 100% decapitated. Now it looks like outer layer of leaves got fried completely, but most of the laves inside remained in pretty good shape. Larger culms that are growing solo (outside the immature clump) are looking surprisingly well. Only 2 - 5% leaf loss. It doesn't mean there's no leaf damage, all of the leaves have dark spots and necrotic patches on them, but they remained alive. If we don't get severe weather again or late frosts after the 'spring restart', I think there will be nice upsize.

Min. temp -10C / daily highs around -3C to -1C
3 weeks without above freezing temperature
sunny and windy most of the time

I know, it can't compare to what you see there, but...

[Tarzanus]

Just found hundreds of branches growing from all the nodes on defoliated Borinda fungosa. In just a couple of days, temperature will plunge below freezing again, which means it's doomed. It's nice to see how vigorous the branching occurred, it's covered in emerging branches two weeks after temperatures raised to 10C (day and night T practically the same). I hope it didn't start shooting yet, if it did, I can just kiss it goodbye.

Other bamboos haven't started leafing out yet, except couple of buds on Moso and Fargesia Murielae. Mild winter can suck just as well :/

[Alan_L]

Some photos of my damage so far:

Ph. aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis':


Ph. viridis:


More photos here:
http://www.itsnotworkitsgardening.com/2 ... retty.html

[jpluddite]

The poor bamboo can't get a break this winter. I hope this week is the last 0 (or sub zero) we get this season.

How long does it take before I'll be able to tell if the culms are dead or if the damage stops with the leaves?

[ShmuBamboo]

The poor bamboo can't get a break this winter. I hope this week is the last 0 (or sub zero) we get this season.

How long does it take before I'll be able to tell if the culms are dead or if the damage stops with the leaves?

Need to wait until your culms leaf out this spring to tell if the culms are dead. They may turn brown or ferment before then and become obvious. When the temps gets above 40 for about a week and they break dormancy, you will find out what leaves are really dead in any dry weather.

[entm]

Only my bambusoides has shown leaf burn here in GA. It was 6 degrees with a -10 windchill during the first polar vortex. Others are looking fine.

[foxd]

The poor bamboo can't get a break this winter. I hope this week is the last 0 (or sub zero) we get this season.

How long does it take before I'll be able to tell if the culms are dead or if the damage stops with the leaves?

Need to wait until your culms leaf out this spring to tell if the culms are dead. They may turn brown or ferment before then and become obvious. When the temps gets above 40 for about a week and they break dormancy, you will find out what leaves are really dead in any dry weather.

You could look closely to see if the buds where leaves form are dead.

In the past I've seen culms that looked dead eventually form leaves, but it took well into late Spring/ early Summer for that to happen.

[Franco]

A pic of my P. Parvifolia from a few weeks ago (immediately post ice storm). One culm is likely dead, the other is hanging on by a thread. Unfortunately, this was a new field division planting that didn't take very well so it went into this brutal winter in poor health.

[johnw]

Franco

Let's hope that parvi rhizomes are ok. It will be good to see how it does in that part of Ontario.

Welcome to the Forum, this has been a brutal winter sop everyone's experiences are particularly important.

I checked out your new site. How do you post without signing on to one of those name groups?

johnw - -4c and sun, +3c tomorrow

[zxylene]

Here is my list we got down to -5F maybe lower in the middle of the night but the lowest I saw was -5F but wicked windy.

I think Dead (Top killed for sure)
Phyllostachys aurea 'Koi'
semiarundinaria yashadake kimmei
Phy. nigra henon 'Dwarf'

Maybe top killed (extremely brown)
Phyllostachys Shanghai 3
Phyllostachys aureosulcata 'Spectabilis'
Phyllostachys edulis Moso (This has top killed every year for me maybe dead this time but we will see)


Very brown
Pseudosasa japonica 'Tsutsumiana' (Green Onion)
Phyllostachys Nigra "Black Bamboo"
Phy. aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis'
Phyllostachys rubromarginata
Sasaella ramosa
Fargesia dracocephala 'rufa'
Propinqua (second one)
Phyllostachys vivax 'aureocaulus' Golden vivax
Phyllostachys Kwangsiensis "Moso of the North"
Phyllostachys vivax
Phyllostachys viridis 'Robert Young'
Pleioblastus viridistriatus Chrysophyllus

Little brown
Phyllostachys parvifolia
Phyllostachys aureosulcata "Yellow Groove Bamboo"

Perfect no or very little visable damage
Phyllostachys Bissetti
Phyllostachys glauca 'Yunzhu' rhizome
Phyllostachys atrovaginata incense Formerly called Phyllostachys congesta
Phyllostachys aureosulcata "ALTA"

?unknown status

ph. Prominens
Phyllostachys propinqua
( Beijing Bamboo )

previously thought to be dead and still that way
Pseudosasa quanxiansis
Phyllostachys nigra Bory

[zxylene]

I hope I wasn't to technical with my ratings. I will post some pictures at some point.

[Franco]

John,

I think I should get some new shoots on the parvi, even if they are half the size. The root mass is very large so I'm hoping some of it survives. I also have a very sad looking P. atrovarginata that essentially died to the ground BEFORE winter. Don't have high hopes for that one.

I'm actually moving to a new place on Feb 21st and I fully intend to take my 5 plants that are in the ground with me. Not sure how I'm going to dig them up, or what that will do to them, but not leaving them behind! I think I will have to attach my garden hose to a warm water source and douse the soil to thaw it out. No other way I guess.