Overwintering potted bamboo's

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Deane
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Location: Dovercourt ,Harwich,U.K.

Overwintering potted bamboo's

Post by Deane »

I have 6 good sized potted bamboo's (Phyllostachys nigra 'punctata', Phyllostachys Vivax 'huangwenzhu ', Phyllostachys Vivax aureocaulis,Phyllostachys Iridescens,Phyllostachys bambusoides holochrysa 'all gold' and Phyllostachys parvifolia) that can not go in ground until March is there anything I should do to overwinter them ?? I am in south east uk
stevelau1911
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Re: Overwintering potted bamboo's

Post by stevelau1911 »

In the UK, the winter temperatures do not get extremely cold so you may not have to do anything to over-winter them, but if you do get major freezes, then a greenhouse with a couple of water barrels inside will be sufficient in your climate to nullify any major temperature swings.

These greenhouses are pretty cheap off eBay. You just need to have containers for water to act as a heat sink.
http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/2 ... house.html

You could also stack them together, lay them on their sides, and tarp them over, but the risk in that method is if you have voles or other kinds of rodents, you may get a lot of damage by the spring when you are ready to bring them out, and under a tarp, it is necessary to keep the leaves dry so that they do not rot away, but if done correctly, it is very effective. Here are some tarping pictures.
http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/2 ... -zone.html
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Deane
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Re: Overwintering potted bamboo's

Post by Deane »

Thanks Steve the lowest we have had is -5c for years so quite a warm area ,I do have a 6 meter polytunnel and a green house but the bamboo would not fit in either ,I wonder if putting the pots in the ground would help
stevelau1911
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Re: Overwintering potted bamboo's

Post by stevelau1911 »

You could simply dump compost over the pots, or mulch without having to bury them into the ground, but even if you do bury them into the ground, it will be best to put a layer of mulch over the surface to prevent soil from freezing.
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needmore
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Re: Overwintering potted bamboo's

Post by needmore »

I'm not sure how many freezes you'll have, there should be a small number of them here, possibly none, I plan on leaving mine out as I do all summer, the marginal ones I'll need to drag inside when we dip much below 0C.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
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