Stunting Culm Growth

Ask questions about growing bamboo

Moderator: needmore

Post Reply
bambambooboo
Posts: 173
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 2:17 am
Location info: 0

Stunting Culm Growth

Post by bambambooboo »

Hi BooPeople.

Just wondering if anyone has experience with this and if so maybe you can describe methods and results please...

I've got a line of seabreeze aka Bambusa malingensis, pretty substantial clumps running into each other, I think was originally about 20 or more plants in that line in this garden for about 6 years.

I've read that if sheathing is removed (and I don't know how much or at what point) that can stunt the growth of the culm which I'd like to do so that the leafing occurs lower along the line instead of so high up in the air, where I'll have them too, of course, but I'd like the leafing also to be lower along this line.

Last year I tried bending a number of culms over to bring the leaves down but that didn't work so well and I'm not crazy about the messy look of it. Some came out interesting but most not so much. So if there was some method to get the top of the culm to not grow so tall, then maybe it would branch out at a desired height to create a better screening.

I thought I read something about this on this forum in the past but I might be miss-remembering. And in googling I found one mention of it on some website but with no elaboration.

So if anyone has actual experience or heard any rumors, your info is appreciated. Thank you.
"Without bamboo, the land dies." ~~saying
User avatar
needmore
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2005 9:14 pm
Location info: 0
Bamboo Society Membership: ABS - America
Location: Kea'au, HI

Re: Stunting Culm Growth

Post by needmore »

I've never tried it but purportedly all you do is to peel the sheath off and that internode is supposed to stop elongating. Seems like a tough thing to do w/o damage and at what phase do you do it? Steve Lau here has played around with it.

I'd just top the shoot after it has hit 8' or so and see what happens. Assuming there are branch buds below that it should get bushier, down lower. If there are no low branch buds then that does not work so well.

Probable better for you to go with Multiplex in the long run though!
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
bambambooboo
Posts: 173
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 2:17 am
Location info: 0

Re: Stunting Culm Growth

Post by bambambooboo »

Yeah, I know I've got the wrong boo in there but I brought them on this move from my last garden where I'd planted to maintain privacy from 2-story homes being built in that area so at that time in that garden I wanted the leafing up high. Only in moving them here, I wasn't initially sure as to how this garden would design so just set them along the back, out of which I've taken divisions for other stuff but now I've a mature line there running more than 100 ft with oldhamii on the corners, so I'm not about to replace all that. It looks great for what it is; I was just hoping to make it more functional as is.

Meanwhile, what I've been doing instead is placing in front of that line a line of Asian lemon aka Bambusa eutuldoides 'Viridivittata' to introduce more color and bring the leafing down. And then interspersed with the lemon I've got tropical blue aka Bambusa chungii for even more color and create more of a screen effect because though those leaves are also high, those clumps when mature will be tough to see through. And then I've obsessively even got another line in front of all that with space between to form a tunnel running along the back (also I've planted connecting cathedrals on either side, running down the length of the garden, of course).

Interesting what you said because I wasn't even thinking that pulling the sheathing would only stunt that segment. Just a rough guess, I'd think there are 30 internodes, about 1 per foot. Huh! That's a lot of pulling lol. And when the culm is first coming up, those are real tight and not much to grab onto. I guess slice them off with a knife? Ouch! Okay, this might not be my best method but maybe I'll try it on a few culms and see what happens. There's probably 600 coming up now with the rains so seems there's opportunity to experiment.

The topping off I'd rather avoid by the look of that generally but also these don't have much budding lower down. The main branching really starts at about 12 to 15 ft and I've got a 6 ft fence there thus my 6 foot issue. But I'll try that on a few culms towards the back so I don't have to look at it then see how that grows. Thanx for your suggestions.
"Without bamboo, the land dies." ~~saying
Post Reply