Hi All, so I picked up two pots of this from a Home store because I've been looking for some, but they are in bad shape.
Whats the best way to get them thick and green again?
FYI, I put them in ground in a trenched-out area. I know these guys are runners!
Thanks in advance!
Black Bamboo Looking Ratty
Moderator: needmore
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- Location: plus 700ft in the Santa Cruz Mtns, 8 miles from the Pacific
35 miles S. of San Jose
Re: Black Bamboo Looking Ratty
Could be several things but I would say the plant is root bound - it has been in the same container for a long time and roots have no place to go and is stressed out. This is a good news and bad news scenario. If it is stressed out it will look bad now but will grow quickly when you put it in a new environment that lets the roots expand. If you have not already pulled the plant from it's current pot, pull it asap. If you see lots of roots but little soil you know it is a root bound situation. Regardless, it would be wise to either plant it in ground or move it to a larger container. Loosen the root ball prior to replant and prune the number of primary culms and lower branches on the culms. If it is root bound it has not absorbed much water. When you transplant, make sure the soil is loose so water will be retained. A combo of natural soil and mulch is good. On the flip side if the mixture is to loose, water will run out of the container without the plant retaining water. My guess is that besides the root bound problem, the plant has been in the sun awaiting sale, and has been exposed to too much sun and too little water, I don't know the size and maturity of the plant, but I would recommend putting it in shade until it perks up. Black bamboo is a very aggressive runner so hold off putting it in ground until you have a controlled area. I have grown it for many years. The roots go down 2/12 to 3 ft and find ways to go over, under, and thru obstacles. They are attracted to water and will almost anything to reach the source. A pretty but evil plant. Rgds
Re: Black Bamboo Looking Ratty
Thanks Fredgpops.
So I want to prune back the lower branches, correct?
How high up should I go if these are about 5 feet high now?
So I want to prune back the lower branches, correct?
How high up should I go if these are about 5 feet high now?
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- Posts: 885
- Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:26 pm
- Location info: 0
- Location: plus 700ft in the Santa Cruz Mtns, 8 miles from the Pacific
35 miles S. of San Jose
Re: Black Bamboo Looking Ratty
Yes - 2ft from ground level take off branches. If you have multiple culms cut off any runts at ground level. Mulch around the base of plant so it retains moisture. Do you have gophers in your area? Rgds
Re: Black Bamboo Looking Ratty
No gophers, but I reworked the area where my bamboo are going.
I ended up getting some half whiskey barrels and digging those in with drainage underneath so the soil in the barrels wont get waterlogged.
I then moved the black bamboo into those barrels. I know they musty have just been root-bound as new tendrils were already reaching outward from the whorls of roots.
I'll prune them back this weekend, thanks!
Anyone know of a relatively inexpensive supplier of large rectangular planting boxes? I'm looking for something like 10' x 4' to sink into the ground, rather than running rhizome barrier all over the place.
I ended up getting some half whiskey barrels and digging those in with drainage underneath so the soil in the barrels wont get waterlogged.
I then moved the black bamboo into those barrels. I know they musty have just been root-bound as new tendrils were already reaching outward from the whorls of roots.
I'll prune them back this weekend, thanks!
Anyone know of a relatively inexpensive supplier of large rectangular planting boxes? I'm looking for something like 10' x 4' to sink into the ground, rather than running rhizome barrier all over the place.
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- Posts: 885
- Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:26 pm
- Location info: 0
- Location: plus 700ft in the Santa Cruz Mtns, 8 miles from the Pacific
35 miles S. of San Jose
Re: Black Bamboo Looking Ratty
I like your actions - well done. Half barrels make good sense, Drill holes if they are not provided. Also suggest putting screening over those drainage holes so that roots don't escape. Wood, as you know will ultimately deteriorate over time but pruning and replanting in pots is not all that difficult.. Barriers by nurseries are costly insane. I have a lot of land so I'm not concerned with root control and don't have a lot of experience, I used commercial roofing to build barriers plus 10 years ago with good success but not sure how cost effective it is any more. Grey Bears and other recycling centers may have cheap alternatives. You may be able to build barriers with Mason Mix but just a guess, I have controlled two groves of Black by pruning it back every year but it is tedious, The roots are deep and very hard to cut back. Not a big deal if you keep at it every year. Too me a very beautiful species so I don't mind the work. Keep up the good work. RGds
Re: Black Bamboo Looking Ratty
You'd be surprised how much pressure rhizomes can develop. If you plan to re-pot regularly (to prune rhizomes or use a bigger planter) the planting boxes will most likely be fine but if you are looking for a cheap alternative for a rhizome barrier it may not be such a good idea. Thick HDPE or a similar material is what you want if the barrier should last.tachikoma wrote: Anyone know of a relatively inexpensive supplier of large rectangular planting boxes? I'm looking for something like 10' x 4' to sink into the ground, rather than running rhizome barrier all over the place.
I've recently put in a 20m long 2mm thick 1m wide HDPE barrier to protect the neighbours house. Sure it was a lot of work and not cheap (around 150 Euros without shipping) but the material is very robust and will last a long time. Cheap planters may fail sooner than you hope and then you are stuck with a damaged planter and a non-working containment method.
My personal opinion is either go full-on with a barrier or leave it out completely. The nigra I have planted out is only being rhizome-pruned and so far it is behaving more or less. Luckily nigra is not as aggressive (at least in my climate) as some of the other phyllostachys.
All the best,
N