simonii?

[Jeff: Igor's Apprentice]

I'm trying to figure out one of my bamboos.

I have a dense patch of bamboo that is like 8ft wide, but the culms are like 3' tall max.

I'm a little forgetful, but I was thinking it was supposed to be Pleioblastus simonii. But I know I didn't get a ground cover bamboo mail order. So, I just rechecked the specs on P. simonii and this doesn't seem right at all. This bamboo has been in the ground 4 or 5 years, maybe longer.

Today, I journeyed to the center of the grove. It was easy to find because the plastic pot is still in there, albeit busting apart. In the typical lazy style of my early boo days, I set the pot down in the grass and it climbed through the bottom of the pot and established itself. I actually have three bamboos that found their home in this way. Kind of sad, right? Anyway, I found the original marker in the pot. I can read simonii and the date which was sometime in '04.

I'm nearly positive this bamboo came from Bamboo Garden Nursery, which I respect greatly. Does this sound like the way they mark their plants? Anyway, I'm sure any nursery can make a mistake, but I would be least likely to suspect it from them.

Is there a simonii in a different genus? I tried searching through the bamboos on this site, but it didn't seem that I could search by species.

I took pictures, but I've done so little with forums since I caught the Facebook bug that I've kind of forgotten how to post them. I'll try to look into that. I will say that the stems have persistent culm sheaths.

On a side note, I've taken to calling this "ninja bamboo". As much running around I do in the spring looking for new shoots, which is considerable, I have NEVER seen this thing shooting in mass. Sure, I see a couple shoots here and there, but in a clump this wide, I should see a definite shooting period with a mass of shoots. Shouldn't I? I can't quite wrap my head around it's stealth habit, hence "ninja bamboo".

[Jeff: Igor's Apprentice]

Browsing the photos, I'm having a hard time figuring out why I was drawn enough to P. simonii to mail order it in the first place. Seems rather unremarkable.

[dependable]

I may have that, here is my question on the subject. http://www.bambooweb.info/bb/viewtopic. ... 122#p58948

It is growing more densely now it has more sun. It did start out like you say yours is, but eventually gained quite a bit of momentum. I did find some pictures on Lewis Bamboo site, looking good. Mine has a way to go, and may never attain that here. At least it is easy to mow.

[Jeff: Igor's Apprentice]

Thanks for the link, Dependable. From the pics at Lewis bamboo, I can see why I chose this one. But, I'm sure hoping its what I have.

Don't you think that if it were going to get height, I would be seeing it by now? I mean my patch is 8' wide. I've always had easier luck getting bamboo to grow tall than I have had getting it to spread. Are there bamboos that do a lot of spreading before they gain in height?

My memory is so poor...I'm thinking it got a little ragged around the edges this winter, but that all of the leaves retained some green.

If this is all that it is going to do for me, I may remove it entirely or keep it mowed into a pretty confined area. I just don't have a lot of space for ground cover bamboos. Not when I am in to the big boys.

And what's up with me never seeing it shoot? Seriously, I observe my bamboos like an obsessed person. For instance, I started looking for Semiarundinaria shoots even before my Spectabilis started to shoot, knowing full well that this is not the order of things.

(On a side note, I started to get a little dissapointed with Green Temple Bamboo this year. It just seems to take FOREVER to shoot, grow to full height, and then to completely rejuvenate its foliage. But, it's finally finished and I'm loving how nice and erect it is next to the road without leaning into the road and how it seems to be perfectly happy in part shade. Can anyone relate to getting impatient with certain bamboos? I guess it extends the excitement period, but there comes a point that I just want it over, I guess.)

[dependable]

It seems to me that my simonii kind of wandered around the woods at a few feet high for several years before it put up larger culms. I can't tell you exactly when it shoots either, but I don't look at that part of yard much. It is fully up now with new leaves. Seems normal the Pleioblastus would behave differently than some of the bigger boos.

Mine had some tattered leaves last winter but mostly green also. It is doing better since I gave it more light. Going to give mine a little longer before I judge it, but do mow what is getting into adjacent lawn area.

[needmore]

The variegated form looks to be a little freak but I think you'd see the variegation. My straight form has top killed all but one year I think but still ends up 5-8 feet tall each year. It generally shoots twice here, perhaps due to the top kill but the second flush is usually larger. Mine gets pretty good sun exposure and is interesting enough to keep around.

[Jeff: Igor's Apprentice]

I'd be thrilled with 5-8 ft at this point, even though I was expecting (what?)16. Mine gets decent sun too. One of the sunnier spots in my yard. I would dedicate the space to something much larger except its pretty cramped and dangerously close to my septic system. I don't understand why your's gets taller than mine with topkill and mine fares well but stays short. Then again, it may have something to do with your fertilization routine and my lack therof. As my collection becomes more choice with the addition of S3 and prominens this year and parvifolia a couple years back, I think I am going to have to get with the fertilization program this year. As soon as I figure out what that is...

[Jeff: Igor's Apprentice]

Interesting, Dependable. I didn't know that bamboos grew in that order. How high would you say your tallest culms are now? And could the change be attributed to a change in fertilization habits?

I was actually trying to read some old prominens threads last night, and I actually came across you giving an account of a different bamboo that seemed to spread a lot before gaining height. I forgot to make note of it. Would you have an idea of which other bamboo you might have been speaking about?

[dependable]

I may have been talking about P bissetti. They seem to be happy to romp around undersized.

The Pl simonii here is now benefitting from more sun due to removed trees and some wood ash, (I should add some fertilizer) and is leafing out more fully on culms than before.

Maybe thinking of it as the grass that it is helps explain spreading vs height growth pattern. More stationary plants have no where to go but up.

[Jeff: Igor's Apprentice]

That makes a lot of since, Dependable.

And, yeah, I think you're right about it being bisettii. Seems that people were confusing prominens and bisettii there for a moment.