First time posting and know almost nothing about bamboo... So I bought a home about 6 months ago and I want to plant some bamboo. I would like to get a black clumping variety like a lako but not sure if it survive in my area? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Jorge

Tops of B.lako fries with the lightest freeze. For clumpers your best bets would be the B. multiplex group or Maybe B. textilis group.
MarCat

Hey Jorge. I do not know anything about clumpers, but there are a lot of smart people on here who can direct you to certain species. I am only in first grade in bamboo school, and for the last year I have been studying Phyllostachys species only. I prefer runners and I hope one day to convince all the uptight people in my region who are scared of it.

Sorry Jorge but yesterday I swear your title to you post said 8b not 9b. Lako will still be tricky and need a very protected spot for it. But your choices of species really opened up. There are blues Chungi and Angle mist for example you might want to check out. Some variegated ones too.
MarCat

Yes it was, I checked my zone again on the 2012 map and it said I was in zone 9b. I already have to protect my mango and avocado tree from the cold, maybe I could try a lako?

As much as I've read, new hardiness might be quite off. Perhaps it would be best to keep in mind "the classic" hardiness map.

I'm with Marcat..If you're not stuck on black as a color, the lighter shades of culms stand out a bit more. When the sun hits them, they can be beautiful. Black culms, unless given a great background, can tend to suck the light out of an area.

I'm 8b, so B. chungii is a bit marginal here, but I grow it anyway. It cold damages at about 21 degrees or so- which in Austin is about every 4th year.

http://www.bambooweb.info/ShowBambooPictures2.php?BooID=16&Desc=&Loc=&Match=16&Cat=*&Genus=*&s=7

If I were in 9b like you, the Dendrocalamus minor amoenus- Angel Mist, would be first on my list. This one is supposed to damage at about 24 degrees, but folks from warmer climates could fill you in better...

http://www.tropicalbamboo.org/subspecies/Dendrocalamus/dendrocalamus_minor_amoenus.htm

Like the previous posts said, 9b opens up a whole range of clumpers that most of us- save south Florida, deep south Texas, and California, just can't grow.

If you are stuck on Lako- just imagine trying to protect a 25' tall plant when the weather threatens to go below 25-26 degrees....

*** Need your input ***
I just got a sunburst and a Bambusa Chungii from tropical bamboo both about 4ft tall, should I just plant them now or wait? Should I let them get used to California weather?, rest from shipping?, wait till April? These are my first bamboos and don't want to kill them! Thanks in advanced for your comments!

Jorge

Good choices Jorge! The Chungii is a bit more open clumper than the Sunburst, so plant it with plenty of room to grow. If it were me I'd be picking the spot and putting them in the ground now.

My personal favorites are Mutabalis and Gracilis, which takes 18F here in NE Florida with no problem!

_________________
Someday maybe I'll find a bamboo my wife likes...in the meantime I'll keep planting more!

My Bamboo Pics
Bamboo Propagation Info

Plant them mulch them and if you get a hot bright sun spell shade them a bit if you can. You shouldn't kill them but they might get leaf burn which will slow down their growth till they replace the burnt leaves. But the sooner you plant them the better unless you feel you might still ge ta freeze this year.
MarCat

I've tried B. lako in the SF Bay Area; the part I live in is 10a. In the coldest part of winter, we rarely get an actual freeze, but we do get some nights in the mid-30s.

Despite this seemingly mild climate, my B. lako has seriously struggled, more so than any other bamboo in my collection, and I have some true tropicals (B. oldhamii, B. emiensis, B. chungii, Drendrocalamus minor 'amoenus'). It was completed defoliated during the winter, the only one of my bamboos to suffer so.

I think common hardiness rating of 9b for B. lako is highly optimistic. Maybe big mature specimens are hearty at 9b, but little starter plants aren't even close, IMHO.

_________________
David
San Francisco Bay Area
My zone info
My blog: Modernist Gardening