Boo Shoots for 2014

[mountainbamboonut]

Does anyone else have p. vivax that is shooting right now?

[terrabamboo]

I will check tomorrow if my vivax is shooting. It had complete topkill so a bit nervous. Although all most of my moso that had topkill has pushed culms so far this year.


Speaking of which.... it is going to freeze (29degrees-real feel of 23) on Tuesday in Mississippi -- I was brainstorming ways to protect the moso shoots so far.... I thought about putting a bag of mulch around each clump so far that has pushed up culms..... or do you think 29 is not that bad for new moso shoots?

[stevelau1911]

Aside from praecox, moso is probably always the first phyllo to shoot especially if they are young seedlings still in their juvenile form. It only takes a few days of 50F to launch them, but in terms of damage at 29F, those little shoots should have a decent amount of resistance since they are still relatively thick sheaths in comparison to skinny culms, but I would still protect them as much as possible so they don't end up being stunted. In 2010, it got down to 27F in late May which fried off the tops of my green moso leaving them a lot shorter than they would have gotten while nothing happened to most of the bamboo shoots that were nowhere near as tall as the moso shoots yet.

Once they start exposing culm, their hardiness drops a lot since there is no longer a protective layer.

Here's an example of remaining damage on a pretty big shoot from a late freeze which happened last year. If the freeze was any worse, it could have aborted this entire shoot which would have been pretty bad.


I usually find vivax as one of the later ones to shoot.

[JWH]

Last year my potted Vivax Aureocaulis started shooting in early april, inground Vivax Inversa early may.

[Nicholas]

The only bamboo that I had tarped this year was a first year planting of vivax aureocaulis.
While it is not shooting yet (I haven't been digging around in the leaf-mulch to look for shots though) its leaf buds are extremely elongated already hinting that it may make an early start.

[mountainbamboonut]

Thanks for the replies.

This is my first full year with this particular vivax planting in the ground but I know that for it to shoot at the same time as purple bamboo here is very early. Possibly the warmer than usual winter here threw it off.

Coincidence perhaps but they both came up 14 days after their second injection of high N water soluble fertilizer.

My vivax aureo has yet to shoot nor have my other bamboos (except rufa.) Strangely, my 3 bambusoides plantings all have seriously elongated buds/branching out. More so than any other planting I have despite being a later shooter.

[terrabamboo]

FYI, steve is probably right about the upsizing on my pic.
it's most likely just the sheath.
I am just happy they have not put up smaller shoots than original field division as I heard that is sometimes the case year one after planting.






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[JWH]

Hey Mountainbamboonut,

I checked my formerly potted Vivax Aureocaulis (Planted in September 2013) and found several whipshoots coming up, and good leaf bud elongation. It's definitely gearing up to shoot soon.

[mountainbamboonut]

JWH looks great! My vivax aureo. was also moved from a pot to the ground right in September of last year--and is showing some bud elongation. Seems like we are at the same stage with that plant although your culms are quite a bit larger than mine. Thanks for sharing the photo.

[Tarzanus]

No large shoots yet. We've received a couple of snowflakes with some rain. Rain gave boost to shooting Fargesia murielae that doesn't mind sub 10C temperatures and finally started to push the shoots upwards. Strange how the shoots tend to wait for that one rain in the spring that wakes the whole thing up. Moso shoots (the small ones that appear first) also started to grow again, they popped out when weather warmed up, but then they all remained dormant. Watering doesn't help, looks like it needs to be rain to wake them up, even if it's around freezing.

[rickw]

My Moso has continued to put up shoots with good upsize and is spreading out finally. It has taken years but my 5 gal planting has become a 20' diameter grove.

[JWH]

Looks great!

[mountainbamboonut]

Interesting theory about the rain waking up the bamboos. Can I ask what specifically in the rain water would prompt shooting (as opposed to irrigation which could be treated water or well water for some of us?) We are due for two days of rain here but it my vivax and purple bamboo started shooting before that. Curious about this rainwater notion. Thanks!

[Tarzanus]

I'm not even sure if it's true or even possible. The difference is in content of air dispersed in the water, leaf/culm exposure to water, longer exposure to moisture ... I guess this topic could get it's own thread. I use well water and it did not trigger shooting on Fargesia Murielae that jumped when first rain arrived and Moso that needed good soaking with it's leaves curled - shoots remained same size, ready to explode, but they waited for the rain to come. Have no idea how that works...

[jd.]

The rain carries heat from the atmosphere into cold soil. Rain also lacks the minerals of ground water and picks up acids from the atmosphere which makes the rain slightly acidic.

You could try for a similar effect by using your breath and a straw to inject bubbles into purified water until the exhaled carbon dioxide in contact with the water creates enough carbonic acid to lower the pH. If people ask what you're doing, tell them it's a breathing exercise and that they should try it.