Boo Shoots for 2014

[terrabamboo]

If moso starts shooting around late march, when will new shoots stop shooting? a month of new shoots? two? what has been people's experience?


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[stevelau1911]

For juvenile mosos, the shoots only rise for 2-3 weeks before they start branching. You may also expect some of them to continue putting out shoots throughout the year, sometimes even upsized. Usually they will shoot until the run out of starches, or when the switch over completely to branching/leafing mode, and remaining shoots get aborted. I think a mature sized moso may take over 30 days to finish growing from breaking soil to reaching full height.

I'm glad to see that my largest fargesia rufa appears to be upsizing this year.


It's already over 3ft tall with it's tallest culms so I could see it break 5ft this year.

[rickw]

A little update on my Moso shoots: the tallest have reached 10ft and still growing and the largest culms are a good 1 3/4" in diameter.

[rickw]

Ph Aurea is putting up shoots.

[moriphen]

Coming off the heals of a horrible winter and we are starting nearly 7 weeks late! I would not be surprised if nearly all my healthy(ish) bamboo attempt to shoot in the next 2 weeks. I've never have a F. robusta shoot with F "rufa' as a example. I only have partial records for 2013 so please excuse the missing dates.

February no shoots

March no shoots

Fargesia dracocephala 'Rufa' April 6th 2014Feb. 13th 2013, Feb 20th 2012, February 18th-20th 2011

Fargesia robusta 'Campbell' April 6th 2014 March 27th 2013, March 16th 2012, March 30th 2011

Fargesia sp. 'Scabrida' April 6th 2014 March 28th 2013, March 14th 2012, March 15th 2011

[stevelau1911]

The fargesia shoot I showed 9 days ago may have been a shoot that stopped growing from the fall of last year, but it looks like the real show is under way anyways, now that it has broken 70F.

[mountainbamboonut]

One of my two Spectabilis divisions in containers (old bathtubs, yes go ahead and copy me) is shooting. One of the last to shoot here surprisingly.

[mountainbamboonut]

The Shmu Boo School results..

Very happy with my first year vivax putting up bigger shoots (and all of my other boo plantings) than existing culms. I adhered religiously to the Shmu school regiment of loading them up with ungodly amounts of wood chips, manure, and MG. My boos responded.

I am a believer!

[Mackel in DFW]

Hi Mountain Man,

I have yellow vivax in the most premier part of the backyard. It hasn't had any nitrogen in three years, but it's upsized 3-6 feet in height annually during that period. I bought some organic fertilizer more than a month ago, and was meaning to spread it around. So I guess I should get on it, this weekend?

I'm hoping God will bless our boo this year once again, despite the "laziness". If my German mother knew she might even be apalled, not following up after spending hard-earned money on basically ****. Yeah, I found a molasses/poultry manure based fert that had most of the sodium removed (4-3-2), it's stinkin' up the garage a bit.

In the last month or so I planted three more grapevines, three more pears, three more peaches, and am working on a twenty foot row of thorned blackberry that's going on the side of the property between me and the gremlin. I hear him cussing me out now for not planting thornless. But that would make it just too easy for the neighbor kids to graze on while they think I ain't payin' attention.

Here's to your vivax, MM. This summer will be a learning experience as far as irrigation, the point about that in hot, dry summers like here in Dallas lately, is to use the minimum amount of h20 with the maximum results. M

[mountainbamboonut]

Mack Daddy,

I know I lack a control element to my Boo sizing efforts, it's true that perhaps my growth wouldn't be any different were I to ignore the ShmuSchool teachings.

That is a good point about water though. With all the stuff I've heaped on there it will need more water than it would otherwise. Longterm, letting them establish without the steroids may be more prudent. But for now it seems like a good course.

[JWH]

Several Potted bamboos are starting to put up new shoots
Borinda Boliana
Phyllostachys Bambusoides 'tanake'
Sinobambusa Intermedia

[stevelau1911]

Based on the soil temperature map, we are still nowhere close to the temperatures required for shooting on anything other than fargesia rufa. I do notice that a lot of other plants such as peonies, blueberries, bulbs, and garlic are showing huge changes with the recent warmup.

[needmore]

Steve if that map is accurate then Phyllostachys will shoot in the 40's as they are shooting here.

[Tarzanus]

It's 9C (10cm deep which can be compared to the map) here at the moment with latest cool-ish weather. Phyllostachys aureosulcata Spectabilis is shooting, Moso as well, No signs of shooting on Pseudosasa Japonica, HBT Shiroshima or Borinda. I transplanted most of them this spring, so it might take a while for them to recover so the data isn't really accurate (except for Moso, Spectabilis and Fargesia murielae). F. denudata Lancaster 1 did manage to take out one single shoot which is good, voles managed to eat off most of the sucking roots and practically all rhizomes - Bastards.

[jd.]

Based on the soil temperature map, [...]

Based on that April 12 map, the soil here at 4" deep is now the same temperature as Indiana soil south of Needmore but no bamboo shoots have yet emerged here. Digging in the garden, bare soil in full sun is already almost 50°F (10°C) at a 4" (10 cm) depth here.

For more predictive information on plant shooting, watch degree days for soil temperatures accumulated over time rather than only the latest reading.