Could this have been rabbits that did this damage to my bamboo? It seems that they would have eaten much more of the culm than they did but only ate small portions of it. Here's what it looks like.

Classic rabbit damage down here.

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Steve Carter
Carter Bamboo
http://www.carterbamboo.com

cell (979)665-1897
Brazoria, Texas

That sharp, clean, diagonal cut is what identifies it as rabbit nibbles, right? I think I read here a while back that deer damage is ragged, sort of ripped off, while rabbit chomps are clean. Right?

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

I guess I'll have to put up some wire then.

*edit* got some stakes in and some wire up...now let's see them wascally wabbits get in there now!!!

I have plenty of rabbits around my bamboos too, but they haven't caused any damage yet. Looks like they prefer eating the grass/weeds. I hope they'll stay away from my shoots in the spring.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/

http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

my daughters pet bunny chewed my Fargesia scabrida to the ground and then it chewed a nitida seedling to the ground. Needless to say there now an empty cage where Sparkle used to live.

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Nate Abbott

Bigone-

Squirrels AND rabbits are notorious for this type of damage. Both make a very similar sharp angled cut. I have had success with what I call "Staaannnk!" keeping the critters at bay. Crushed wild onions, crushed garlic, and rotten egg all mixed into a soup and just painted on, or filtered, and sprayed will keep all plant eating critters away. The only unique ingredient I have added to the mix is wild onions which nothing seems to eat.

David

P.S. Steve- They will eat your spring shoots. Your view of rabbits will change next year when all your hard work comes out in little round balls. When rabbits and squirrels discover bamboo as a food source they continue to eat it until battered and fried or repelled with "Staaannnk!" or some other similarly ing odor. Just a hard won word to the wise.

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

Horses too - any part of that great Japonica I got from you my 2 year old filly can reach over the fence she eats! Luckily most of it is out of her reach. My wife was very worried about it growing under the fence and "taking over the pasture." No worries there...

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"The Way is in training" - Miyamoto Musashi

David, too bad that you can't use your stiiink to deter your culm thieves - perhaps some well designed stiniink booby traps?

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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/

Makes me laugh just thinking about a "Staaannnk!" bomb (That's deep south for stink.). Now you've put the in me Brad. I'm imagining a completely "stankalated" bamboo abuser trying to get back in the house and Mom or wife pushing them back out for a good hosing down. Thanks Brad. I needed a laugh!

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David Arnold
Middle Tennessee Bamboo Farm
USDA zone 6b/7a

The rabbits and squirrels here are really bad. After several big birds of prey moved in that helped. I put up cages many years ago. After the boo got bigger, I had to go collect all the cages. The hurricane blew the cages around quite a bit.

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Allen D. Aleshire
Bamboo Nut Farm

http://www.boonut.com

i had a lot of wabbit damage this year to a lot of new shoots.lets just say this spring there is going to be a lead poisoning out break in the rabbit community.

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Michael Geis
wiener dogs and bamboo
what else is there?

If I might suggest this type of stink bomb for your use:
http://www.beststinkbomb.com/?gclid=CJj2_crjhp8CFRQeDQodWF0vBg
http://www.zymetrical.com/product.asp?3=1248&dc=zyezyouup&gclid=CMTo_9jlhp8CFQvxDAodTGSlNw
http://www.sevendeals.com/p-303-stink-bombs-set-of-2.aspx?gclid=COSQ0aPmhp8CFQ_yDAodfG_oMw&


There are a number of vendors for this particular type of stink bomb and it is very effective. So if you can figure out some sort of delivery mechanism...

BTW, be sure to have a 55 gallon drum of baking soda dissolved in water handy in case of accidents.

Disclaimer - Use of this product on a Whaling Vessel is regarded as an act of eco-terrorism and possibly banned under international law.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

Here is one of my rabbit traps....

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40 miles N.E of st louis

Here are the other 2 rabbit guard dogs...
.
They hunt well together almost every day.

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40 miles N.E of st louis