First time watering in-ground bamboo for 2010

[stevelau1911]

Today is the first day I've found the ground to be fairly dry so I gave each plant 5-15 gallons of water depending on the size. I think I'll water every time there are 3 consecutive sunny days without rain and especially during shooting season. I've found that watering tends to make the shoots speed up their growth and the bamboo will really suck the water up right away if it is thirsty. New shoots make tons of feeder roots so I'll make sure the soil stays moist until all the shoots are done growing. I'm seeing new shoots daily now.

They really enjoy the water especially when it gets above 80F and sunny which is in the forecast next weekend.

[needmore]

Steve you sure get some interesting notions - how is it that new shoots generate lots of feeder roots? BTW - keeping the soil constantly moist on new shoots in my experience is a recipe for aborting, rotted shoots so let us know how yours do. I have never watered during shooting season and prefer that the soil gets a chance to dry out, but we have had measurable rain on 13 of the 16 days in May this year so moist the soil is. Fortunately my land slopes so much that water leaves in a hurry but still I would appreciate some dry weather.

[Alan_L]

...but we have had measurable rain on 13 of the 16 days in May this year so moist the soil is...

Glad it's not just us. It's nice not having to worry about watering anything, but a little sunlight would be nice for a change.

[stevelau1911]

I meant tap roots, but it is finally starting to dry up in the last few days so I'll start watering once in a while whenever the soil appears very dry.

[va_highlander]

BTW - keeping the soil constantly moist on new shoots in my experience is a recipe for aborting, rotted shoots so let us know how yours do. I have never watered during shooting season and prefer that the soil gets a chance to dry out, but we have had measurable rain on 13 of the 16 days in May this year so moist the soil is.

Really?

I wish you'd said something earlier. I thought I saw someone here - ShmuBamboo? - singing the virtues of heavy watering in shooting season, so I've been watering when it hasn't rained. So far, everything above ground looks okay.

I should go back and look. Perhaps I misunderstood him.

[Markj]

I like to 'em well watered as well, if I could I'd water every day without rain.

It really important when 2 inch plus culms are growing- any dry weather and they can be wrecked, got caught out last year in a dry, windy spell. The splits in the culms are still their on the thicker walled plants the splits in the thin walled vivax meant they didn't survive

[needmore]

Perhaps soil conditions and wind play a big role in the 'to water shoots or not to water shoots'. I don't believe that I have ever watered in-ground plants during shooting season. We've now had 14 out of the last 17 days with some rain, today heavy rain and it makes me nervous to have such wet soil on the new shoots - plus the temp is way down as well. I'm hoping for a few hot sunny days to really push the new Atrovaginata & Viridis shoots.

[Markj]

Local conditions are the key- here, we haven't had any serious rain for 2 months. Certainly nothing to penetrate more than a quarter of an inch. Thats the trouble here- complete winter wet weather followed by summer drought

[needmore]

Local conditions are the key- here, we haven't had any serious rain for 2 months. Certainly nothing to penetrate more than a quarter of an inch. Thats the trouble here- complete winter wet weather followed by summer drought

I'm kind of reversed, generally (trying not to arouse the weather gods) we have good rain all year until mid to late July, then very dry until late September unless there are Gulf of Mexico hurricanes which often give us our only rain in the period - but at a high cost to Gulf residents to be sure. During that drier period we generally have VERY high humidity. The vast majority of our precipitation here - and also temperature/humidity - is from Gulf moisture/heat picked up by high pressure systems and delivered to my doorstep.

I also have very heavy clay soil much like the SE US. Living here is somewhat like living in the NE US in winter, but abruptly changing to the SE US in spring, that is why my bamboo shoots pretty early compared to most zone 6s and runs wild all summer.

[ShmuBamboo]

BTW - keeping the soil constantly moist on new shoots in my experience is a recipe for aborting, rotted shoots so let us know how yours do. I have never watered during shooting season and prefer that the soil gets a chance to dry out, but we have had measurable rain on 13 of the 16 days in May this year so moist the soil is.

Really?

I wish you'd said something earlier. I thought I saw someone here - ShmuBamboo? - singing the virtues of heavy watering in shooting season, so I've been watering when it hasn't rained. So far, everything above ground looks okay.

I should go back and look. Perhaps I misunderstood him.

Not misunderstood. We have consistent rains here in the spring (every year) and I have yet to lose a single shoot to dampening off or rot, either in the ground or in pots. Not a one.

[ShmuBamboo]

Perhaps soil conditions and wind play a big role in the 'to water shoots or not to water shoots'. I don't believe that I have ever watered in-ground plants during shooting season. We've now had 14 out of the last 17 days with some rain, today heavy rain and it makes me nervous to have such wet soil on the new shoots - plus the temp is way down as well. I'm hoping for a few hot sunny days to really push the new Atrovaginata & Viridis shoots.

You are worried about atro. being over-watered? I have seen that stuff growing next to ponds here and they love the wet! Seriously.

[Alan_L]

...The only time that I get aborted shoots is in the late fall with boos like aurea that typically send up late shoots. And then they abort only after freezing temps.

So you don't get any aborted shoots in the spring? Or am I misunderstanding you? Most of my in-ground Phyllostachys will abort several shoots each.

[Matt in TN]

I don't know about the water vs. don't water idea with bamboo, but I do know that the rain and soil is VERY different from the PNW to the South (having lived in both for almost 20 years each). Very generally speaking, in the PNW the soil is very dark, rich, and drains well - while the rain is very light, drizzly, and frequent/consistent. In the South, the rain comes down in buckets at a rate I never knew possible while growing up in the PNW, flooding the ground and coming in such volume that you literally have to pull the car over and stop even with the wipers on high because you can't see. The soil, as Brad mentioned, is some version of a clay-ey loam (usually more clay than loam) that does drain, but not particularly well.

I can definitely see where both of you could be right -

[ShmuBamboo]

So you don't get any aborted shoots in the spring? Or am I misunderstanding you? Most of my in-ground Phyllostachys will abort several shoots each.

Not misunderstood. Fall aborts? Yes. Spring aborts? Nope. We had a near frost here two weeks ago, but it stopped at 34 F. I was spared any damage. The boos ignored it. I get aborted and semi aborted shoots in the late fall from frost, but thats it. Phy. aurea is bullet-proof here in the ground or in pots.

[Alan_L]

That's really interesting! I thought that aborted shoots were completely normal -- something inherent in the way that bamboo grows. Maybe there are environmental factors at work here too.