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It is in the 50s today and might break 60 today and tomorrow so I decided to check the fargesia rufa. I didn't find any shoots on all but 1 of them, and this happens to be the one that is right next to several cinder blocks which are likely heating up the soil temperature around this plant. I wonder if this warmup is daring some phyllostachys to shoot across the south.

There are 2 other shoots, but here's the tallest one sticking about an inch out of the soil already. I think it should be fine as long as it doesn't grow too much.

no no no no, this is too early, the bamboo should be sleeping

If it gets exposed to -10C or less without snow cover, game over. And since it's not even mid January, chances that this shoot gets fried are quite good. I've lost all late autumn shoots of Fargesia denudata 'Lancaster 1' this winter when Europe got hit by cold spell (down to -15C during the night).

My Fargesia murielae is also covered with infant shoots that were dug out by blackbirds. There are many, many birds around and it seems that bamboo is attracting blackbirds - they cant resist digging around each bamboo I own. If they take out parasites, then it's more than OK. All those shoots are still dormant and won't be affected by cold, if/when it gets warmer, they will start growing and I really hope they decide to wait until middle of March.

I've seen fargesia rufa shoot in late February before, and it seems to shoot way sooner than anything else so I am not that surprised that it can shoot on long stretches of mild weather over the winter. It usually doesn't drop below -10C unless there are at least a few inches of snow cover so I'm not too worried if there are a few shoots on the rufa. I don't expect much activity in it for the next 6 weeks as long as we don't get another big thaw.

Most of the time, fargesia rufa will shoot in the beginning of March, followed by moso which shoots in early April, then the rest of the phyllostachys will start shoot anywhere from mid April until the 3rd week of May. The ones I am looking forward to seeing shoots from are the moso bicolor, prominens, and shanghai III. The atrovaginata had kind of an off year last spring so that one might explode in size this coming spring.

I doubt it really count, but ...

Indoor placed Moso seedling's division (3.5 inch long rhizome with a whip) that got snapped off because it ran out of its pot. That shoot is getting surprisingly thick! Thicker than anything on it's currently winter suffering mother plant. Perhaps that is a sign I can expect thick shoots in the spring?! Yahooo!

If you give it strong enough light, especially when that shoot starts leafing out, then there's a good chance that it can make even bigger shoots in the spring. It still looks like it is completely in its juvenile form so shoots typically won't get much more than 1/4 inches by 3ft. They usually need to get very bushy with lots of culms, and some rhizome growth before they start looking a little bit less juvenile and get passed the 1/2 inch mark which shouldn't happen any sooner than 2014 for your moso.

In any case, I am impressed that you were successful with your first moso whip shoot division.

Steve,

mother plant of this bamboo spread like nothing I've seen before. It was only 4 or 5 tiny 1 year old culms in the spring, all damaged by winter, yet saved from destruction, when I took them inside when arctic blast came to Europe. Well, in the summer first rhizomes were starting to leave large pot (22 inches diameter if I remember correctly) and many circled around the edge of plastic container. Length of escaped rhizomes is around 3.3 feet away from original small clump! Well bush above the ground wasn't really spectacular last season, it grew just fine and it remained dark green color. There were only few shoots after it's spring shootout when summer came, after that - nothing until late summer. I'll see if late shoots survive, there are also many in form of 1 inch long whip shoots that never begin to grow.

Bottom line, juvenile or not, this specific seedling really surprised me, well a couple of times.
1. It started shooting in it's 1st year (2012). Late summer brought a couple of whip shoots.
2. It recovered quickly in the spring while other brothers and sisters are still struggling looking rather ratty
3. Rhizome growth that it showed was something I'd never expect from 2nd year Moso seedling.
4. Whip shoot division seems to be successful. It took a couple of months, but it seems to me that this one is going to be badass spreader.

I think I'll see how it develops in a couple of years. Sadly, I'm kind of afraid to put it directly into the ground now, because space will become problem. I'll try to find it a nice spot though.

I see that the earliest phyllostachys are already getting started in the southeast. If praecox wakes up this soon, then moso, and the other early shooter should be getting started before March, and get well leafed out before shoots start coming up here.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater

Lets get this party officially started, no pots, no greenhouses just in ground bamboo.

Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa' Feb. 13th 2013 2012: Feb 20th, 2011: Feb. 18th-20th

Fargesia apicirubens "White Dragon" Feb. 14th 2013 2012: Dec. 30th, 2011: Feb. 17th

Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa':


Fargesia apicirubens "White Dragon"

Pictures to follow, but the P. Japonica (arrow) and S. Veitchii are starting to shoot here in Austin!!

That means the P. nigra can't be far behind. I think that late February is probably a new record for the start of shooting season.

Samajax wrote:Pictures to follow, but the P. Japonica (arrow) and S. Veitchii are starting to shoot here in Austin!!

That means the P. nigra can't be far behind. I think that late February is probably a new record for the start of shooting season.

You do happen to be in the zone where it is supposed to be warmer than average for the next 30 days, and I think all the heat will be trapped in the south at least through most of March.

As far as up in the north, I don't mind it being around 5-10F below average for March and April so none of my plants come up too early. Winter was already over at this time last year, and the early warmup resulted in a late freeze that nearly killed off some of my liliums, set back my bananas and killing my darjeeling giant, killed 2 out of 3 of my kiwi vines, and froze some of my newest tree peony seedlings despite good protection.

Shooting season has started here! I have shoots poking about half an inch above the soil on my:

Fargesia Robusta 'campbell'
Fargesia Rufa
Fargesia Sp. Scabrida

On an unrelated note, I also found my first dandelion flower in the lawn today
Spring is here! Im excited!

Jesse

2-22-13

2-25-13

Pleioblastus chino 'murakamianus' is putting out shoots or whip shoots.

Fargesia Robusata has started to shoot inside of the greenhouse.