I talked with a guy about getting a field dug P.Henon but read that you shouldn't transplant when it is sending up shoots. Is there any truth to that? When does Henon shoot in the lower portions of zone 8a?

And another question: what would I expect from B.Oldhamii in upper 8b, 3 miles from 8a? I would really like to have one of those, but don't want to waste my money on something that looks bad or won't survive.

Rick,

we are about the same zone, so I would say June/July, which is what happens to it here. Keep in mind that there is some varience, depending on soil temps, which is going to depend on sun exposure...

I just dug and potted a bunch of henon, and the buds were starting to swell, that was all, so you should be fine.

Gene

Thanks Gene, the seller said they weren't sending up shoots yet but I wanted to double check. I should get the Henon in the next week or 2, so I guess I'll be safe. The Moso and A.Karr sent up shoots a month ago here but maybe that was because I moved them from a pot to the ground.

I have seen the plants in pots shoot much earlier, mainly because the post absorb the heat from the sun, and the soil in it warms up so much quicker. Judging by what I saw when I was digging, at least for around here, then you should be OK if it happens in the next couple of weeks. I am not sure on how it is usualy done, but if you are buying fresh dug divisions, I think most places heel them in, or wrap or bag them for bit-(few weeks?) to make sure they are stable before you purchase them. if you are getting feebies, then no worries. Agian, not sure this is standard practice, but that is what I have read on a couple nursery websites that advertise selling field divisions, and it makes sense from what I have seen digging my own plants.

Gene

I'd hurry, my guess is that it is pretty close to shooting in AL.

_________________
Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/

i am in the same climate zone. henon came up two days ago. nigra has been up for two weeks or more.

_________________
zone 8b near folsom,la.

John,
The guy I'm getting them from is just north of you, so I guess they're putting up shoots there too. What is the risk of moving them during this time? Is there a risk of losing the whole thing or does it just set them back?

I googled your location and you're about the same latitude as me, I'm slightly south and fairly close to the water(1/4 mile). The water is supposed to keep the temps a little warmer, but it feels colder when a northeast wind is blowing across the river. Anyway have you tried B.Oldhamii, I would like to try it but am a little gun shy?
Rick

for the first couple of years, field divisions can lose the 'periodicity' that they eventually reestablish.
simply, they can shoot both multiple times per year and at the 'wrong' time. for instance, a division of ph. praecox had major culming events in march and again in late august (true culms not 'whipshoots' ). this occurred three years after it was planted. i would be surprised if it did this past year three...if you move henon now, any potential or actual buds lost now would, depending on moisture and other conditions, resurface later...at some 'weird' time probably. if you don't kill the rhizome, the buds will take care of business on their own. thus, marler's rule that you can transplant bamboo 12 months of the year. early spring or late winter is still probably best,however.
i planted large (thousand pound) divisions of bam. oldhamii five years ago. they look pretty awful at this moment. fully exposed to wind. b. malingensis looks much better (kept green leaves). textilis and ventricosa are leafing out well at this moment but were almost entirely de-leafed. at 25 degrees f., oldhamii loses some of the new culms and lots of the older ones.getting bigger but very iffy. in a protected spot, i'd expect it to do alright but not as spectacularly as it performed at my house in new orleans.

_________________
zone 8b near folsom,la.

John,

I have always found that Murphys law applies to me and bamboo.... the likelyhood of the death of a bamboo plant exists as a factor that is multiplied by the size, price and rarity of the species in question!

but you are right, there are time you can skate by taking a divison and have it all go OK, I think that the likelyhood of faster growth is increased by divisions that are taken just before shoot innitiation.

Gene

Hey guys, thanks for the input, I think. I'll talk with the seller and if they are just starting maybe I can get them this week. Moisture shouldn't be a problem at my place, we get about 50 inches of rain a year, including 8" Friday night.