Cooling Problem Texas Heat, Germinating Seedlings

[Weatherman1968]

Really new to growing bamboo. I live in Houston, Texas and have probably done everything wrong before I have even planted my first seed. I received 10 different species of seeds recently, actually today. It is already getting above 30C, 86F here in Houston, so I probably picked one of the worst times in the year to attempt to grow bamboo. I am concerned about the heat so I bought two shade clothes a 50% black and a 50% Aluminet. I planted on separating these two shades clothes by about 4 inches vertically in my townhouse yard which is exactly 2 meters wide (6feet) but very long.

I planned on using the shade cloths to keep the anticipated seedlings out of direct sun-light until they were mature enough to withstand some sun. I purchased the following Fargesia albocerea, Fargesia fungosa, Fargesia gaolinensis, Fargesia songmingensis, Fargesia yunnanensi, Gigantochloa albociliata, Gigantochloa brevisvagina, Gigantochloa nigrociliata, Cephalostachyum pergracile and Chimonocalamus delicatus.

My main concern is the the Texas Summer is just going to be too hot and I basically wasted my time, money and effort. Especially for the Fargesia species which are supposed to be less heat tolerant (did not do my homework when selecting bamboo). I considered buying one if the new Aquafog 700 series fogging fans almost $600 for humidity and cooling but they are very expensive and I am concerned about the bamboo being wet all the time (fungus and rotting) even though it is claimed to be a true fogger. I am considering Evaporative cooling or even I saw recommendations for a "Water Wall."

Does anyone have experience with any of the above species and what would be the most economical solution if any to my heating problem. I plan on constructing a shade cloth enclosure roughly 5 feet wide, 7 feet high and 15 feet long. With an evaporative cooler I could push air in one end and out the other across water for a cooling effect while lightly watering during the hottest parts of the day and just see what happens? A swamp cooler is out of the question because the relative humidity in Houston is too high.

If this planting is a bust and I lose everything what is a better time of year to re-attempt if all my seedlings fail here in Houston?

Any information would be greatly sincerely appreciated,

James
Houston, Texas

[Samajax]

I'm not going to discourage you from an experiment, but getting those fargesia to grow in Houston will probably be a bust. Cool nights are what they require- something we aren't really known for...When the temps have problems dropping below 80 until 11PM, those montane bamboos are going to suffer. I've tried three, non-seedling nursery plants of the more "heat tolerant" fargesia (rufa, robusta, scabrida) and they all melted, even in complete shade. You asked for a solution to the heat problem- grow them indoors.. So, experiment away- maybe you have the gift of growing high altitude plants in a sea level bayou.

I think they grow Gigantochloa out at the Mercer Arboretum (a visit is a must), so you should be fine there. Just expect some damage every few years from a freak winter. They can get really large, so plan accordingly. Your shade plan sounds fine for this species. Get them going, don't over water, slowly put in sun as they get older- harden them off.

I don't know to much about the other species (besides the internet), but there are tons of folks here who can help. BooNut from down in the valley and Steve Carter. They grow all sorts of tropicals and definitely post on the forums.

[Mike McG]

Weatherman1968

I have only had success with fresh seed and even then when they did germinate I have lost the seedlings sometimes after 1 or 2 years. I presume you bought these through the mail and if they did not germinate in a week or two they may not have been fresh. Also, unless you bought these from the person who actually collected the seed, it is possible/likely you did not get exactly what you ordered for various reasons. Even so I would not toss them yet, just leave them in the shade or bring them inside.

For a novice I would recommend starting with a division rather than trying to grow seeds. You can frequently find someone local who will let you take a division, but even if you have to buy a small plant, you will be way ahead of growing a seedling. For your first bamboo in Houston I would recommend one of the many species of Bambusa. As Samajax said, visit Mercer in Humble and you can see which bamboos do well in Houston. There is usually bamboo for sale during Mercer March Mart or visit the ABS Annual meeting in Austin, September 28 and 29, 2012. http://www.texasbamboosociety.net/

I have killed lots of different bamboo where I have been trying to push the limits and even some that should have been OK here, but I would never attempt any of the Fargesia or similar bamboos unless I was willing to bring them inside as Samajax indicated, from May to September. A friend in Columbus TX grew one (I do not remember the species but probably F. robusta) for a few years in the shade of a live oak, but it declined further every year and finally died.

Good luck
Mike McG
Near Brenham TX

[Weatherman1968]

I appreciate the two respondents. Yeah I just basically made a mistake buying the Fargesia. I'll do my homework next time. Regarding the seeds I did go thorough a reputable dealer in Thailand who owns his own nursery and the seeds are supposed to be fresh. This is after a bad experience with Exotic Plants through E-Bay., what a joke on me, my nothing germinated. I guess I can see if I can have some luck growing them indoors by a window. I live in a 3 story townhouse and the Fargesia actually would look nice indoors if I was successful.

I'll post later and let anyone who is interested to know what kind of germination rate I got out of the seeds and if I can get them to work indoors.

James
Houston, TX

[Arachnotron]

If you are interested in divisions, I always have some extra B. ventricosa 'kimmei' and B. multiplex 'Alphonse Karr'. Both do well in the Houston area.

Tristan

[Weatherman1968]

I may be interested, let me see what kind of germination rate I get on the other species. I assume that you are probably not interested in any of the Fargesia species, am I correct?