WINTER 2015/2016

[Cooper12]

Im not familiar with the climates of say China and Japan just that they are varied ,but what are the highest elevation or most northerly varieties of Phyllostachys ? Id be curious to know which variety or varieties and see what the temps drop too at those locations and is it short drops in temps or extended. also would the plants go deciduous or top kill there. Im also quite curious to know in there native environments which varieties get less annual precipitation and extended dry spells . For me out here in California that would come in handy.

[johnw]

As mentioned a few times before the problem is no one knows where the original native areas are for most if not all Phyllostachys spp. They have been cultivated and moved around so much we only have generalities and even those may not be definitve. The Chinese Compendium bravely or boldly gives these stats but one wonders just how credible they are.

Sad we don't know these impootant facts Cooper, then we could make some reasonable choices!

john

[tncry]

I've got all my Phyllos unprotected this winter in PEI. We've got no snow right now for insulation. -21 C was the coldest so far this winter. I assume almost total leaf loss. I'll report on damage in April.
TC


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[needmore]

As mentioned a few times before the problem is no one knows where the original native areas are for most if not all Phyllostachys spp. They have been cultivated and moved around so much we only have generalities and even those may not be definitve. The Chinese Compendium bravely or boldly gives these stats but one wonders just how credible they are.

Sad we don't know these impootant facts Cooper, then we could make some reasonable choices!

john

I used to watch the conditions in Beijing compared to southern Indiana and was surprised at how often they were similar. But I don't recall the long deep freezes of consecutive days below 32F/0C there.

[johnw]

I have tried countless times to get F. denudata established here in Nova Scotia, once from Kimmei, twice from Briggs and twice from Bamboo Garden. Four times the plant & roots were eaten by voles during the winter and in one instance within 5 days of planting in the spring. It has been no easy species in pots either so I planted out the last struggling potted one on 30 July 2015. Seems like it is not only happier but surviving winter quite well. A distant shot as it was raining heavily yesterday (50mm) at a record 14c, note the un-leafed new culms of 2015 - oops guess too distant to see them.

johnw

[wind-borne]

John

I'm probably out of place in this thread as the extent of my winter damage the past 2 winters is funky denudata leaves. Finally planted in ground 3 months ago. Looks like yours is a little taller though mine established itself in pot firmly. Looks like yours has plenty of space for a classic shape.

The other coastal 44˚N.

[Tarzanus]

Must be something with denudata and the voles. I'm fighting to get one going and it looks hardly a bit less crappier with time. Nothing helps, there's a vole tunnel network under it even if I demolish as many holes as I can. They must be attracted to it. All the other bamboos are safe from voles. Even if they eat rhizomes and buds, their production is much faster than vole's reproduction.

[needmore]

It seemed like I started slowing voles down by dousing rootballs with repellex - a stinky, blood based deer repellent. I used to be able to find the product in tablets that also fed. Seems hard to find anymore?

[johnw]

Thanks all, I'll get some blood meal near it straight away!

Meanwhile yes it has plenty of space to speed out and weep away in that site; I've got F. nitida, 'Rufa', denudata along the brook with plenty of space in between, also Sasa palmata and to go in this spring I. latifolius 'Hopei' and F. murielae. The obvious spot for denudata would have been centred on the end of that little point but some take short cuts across the brook right there. Once established they'll get wetter passing & brushing against denudata than they would falling in the brook.

john

[Nicholas]

God I hate voles!

You'd think that with 7+ cats on the property they might at least be a little bit intimidated. My huangwenzhu and the nigra are completely under-burrowed.
I've heard that garlic (both as plants but also mashed up to form an extract that you dump into tunnels) and Frittilaria imperialis help repel them.

This Year I'm trying this approach as the vole problem has started to spread to other bamboos. Killing them is not a real option here as we're right next to forests and fields which means there will always be new ones migrating back.

[Tarzanus]

I have a dog that exterminates them on daily basis, but with rhizomes around, it's not an easy task. I also don't allow her to dig around denudata, because I'm sure it would be the last nail in the coffin of delicate bamboo with hardly any roots and rhizomes. I'm going to wait and see how it shoots this spring, if it recovers, I'll let it be, if not, I'll dig everything out, divide it (voles did that already for me) and plant it into containers for them to recover. Then I'll use large wire mesh for each of them and hope they get some vigour before they exit the vole free area.

[johnw]

Tarzanus - Is this dog bred as a ratter? He does a great job!

john

[Cooper12]

I have been planting my prized bamboo in under ground cages to help avoid the voles that seems to help get the plants established and the voles don't seem to bother some varieties around here . I'm trying to find 1/2" stucco wire since it's longer lasting than chicken wire but so far in the stores I've had to use 1" and double it up. I hate using hardware cloth as it's difficult to work with

[Tarzanus]

Tarzanus - Is this dog bred as a ratter? He does a great job!

john

Dalmatian border collie mix. Have no idea where she learned the tactics, but she gets each and every one of them. Sniffs around, digs out two holes and starts digging, one by one, checking the other while digging... In the end, the two holes end up being the same tunnel and when the vole is desperate enough to run through the second hole, she makes a fox jump (sadly I didn't record that one) and gets him before he runs out from the ditch she made while digging there. Insane strategy! When there are minions in their nest, she gets 5 or more in the same tunnel. Hunting season is coming, sadly for me, luckily for her...

I have been planting my prized bamboo in under ground cages to help avoid the voles that seems to help get the plants established and the voles don't seem to bother some varieties around here . I'm trying to find 1/2" stucco wire since it's longer lasting than chicken wire but so far in the stores I've had to use 1" and double it up. I hate using hardware cloth as it's difficult to work with

I like wire that ends up helping the plant with iron deficiency and hate to dig around and see the remaining of glass fibre mesh that sometimes gets used. Usually the protection is only needed for the first two or three years, after that roots get strong enough to regenerate fast enough for average vole population density .

PS: around denudata, vole population is extremely dense

[Tarzanus]

That's how Borinda looks at this moment. Cold is not over, but the chance of devastating freezing is getting lower each day. Defoliation is severe, many branches are completely dry, some have damaged buds and will only live for a while, others are alive and waiting to re-leaf. 1 year old shoots and older have lost a lot of leaves, but not all, they actually look quite healthy. Last season shoots are defoliated completely. Time will tell how many of them will regenerate.