Growing Bamboo in Arkansas - which large variety is best ?

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ghmerrill
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Location: Kerby, OR
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RE: Growing Bamboo in Arkansas - which large variety is best

Post by ghmerrill »

naw, not too bad... it was the interior, so a few paint drips (I should have been more diligetn with the dropcloths)... one white footprint on the carpet.... oh... and they all decided to leave thier mark by puting thier handprints on a window in the living room....that took a bit of work with a razor scraper :wink:
Arkansas
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RE: Growing Bamboo in Arkansas - which large variety is best

Post by Arkansas »

GrowingHabit wrote:what I've done that's been successful is to simply find a rhizome near the surface, just by grubbing around in the dirt with bare fingers. Walk forward, yanking up the rhizome in little bursts, till you've exposed about 4, 5 feet of it, If you don't include the section that has thick rooty masses on it, the cutting isn't likely to succeed. Cut off any extra, unrooted lengths, and just carry out sections of rhizome/root masses with lots of buds on them. Plan on putting them straight into the ground, or trimming for pots right away, though.
needmore wrote:Look for newer, fresher looking canes at the edge of the grove, these should have younger rhizomes. Keep in mind that the rhizomes will generally run in the same direction that the branches point so start your dig by inserting the shovel where it looks like it would not cut the rhizome but be near it - so don't dig in across the line of 'branch pointing', but parallel and beside it. Step the shovel in deep and pry upward. If you make a good guess then the soil and rhizome will start to raise up, intact. If you miss or sever the rhizome, try again or a different one. Once you get the rhizome moving and can see where it points, continue shovel plunging/prying next to it but a few inches away as far as you can to loosen a long run - and/or grab a hold and walk it as suggested above. When you get a long piece then sever it from the grove as close to an existing cane as possible.

Discard the growing tip - cut it off about where you start to see fine roots, not the larger anchor roots which will go to the tip. The tips generally do not have fine roots for a few feet (important for supporting new canes) and are not usually viable.

I have been suggesting this for a couple of years - do NOT cut these long runs into pieces. Lay them on the ground and bury them in mulch/manure/soil and ignore them. They have more energy in these long runs and are more likely to sustain new growth. Don't water them at all unless it gets seriously dry in your area - in particular, leave them alone when they are shooting. Let them shoot, grow out, and leave them alone until August or so, then gently lift up the whole mass and at that point you can snip them into smaller sections and pot them up.
David wrote:Cheapest, slowest, most portable plan: Pull up rhizomes like GH said. It works great but takes 10 years to see some mature 4" growth. Now is the prime time to dig and plant.
Thanks Guys, I'm 52 but a patient soul and will go with slower methods, but now i know how to go about harvesting and caring for rhizomes and will try both immediate potting of small sections and the burying method. And i will take David's advice that now is the time.

You sure are a helpful bunch. Maybe i can look around the forum and find some questions in my area of expertise and repay the favors.

Thanks again,
Arkansas
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