I thought I'd really made a big mistake letting the Parvifolia get too dry, and it was a big mistake. Everything else shooting and Parvifolia just sitting there teaching me a lesson.
But , as of this morning there are two shoots are up, I cannot tell the size at the moment. At this point they look about the same as last years.
If they are not bigger than last years then I'll be snapping shoots to try and push some big ones.

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Always experimenting to get Timber Bamboos Timber size

It's cute but it ain't no Molly Ringwald.

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It seems like parvifolia and rubromarginata tend to produce a lot of feeder roots so these species have a higher water requirement. After checking my groves, they really didn't seem dry at all despite the lack of precipitation, maybe because of the cool weather accompanied with them being in the ground with a couple feet of compost/tree leaves.

I'm still using the soaker hose every few days just to make sure my groves perform when they shoot in another month or so. I've seen the same exact thing with garlic bulbils. The ones that are planted where there is soil that generally stays moist will grow stronger so it might work the same way with shoot buds on bamboo. I've never seen any leaf curl on my groves, but watering every so often might result in a better shooting season.

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

http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

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Always experimenting to get Timber Bamboos Timber size

I think I have a potential solution to the watering problem. The soil may no longer be able to hold as much moisture as it once did after a few years, especially with all the roots sucking up all the moisture so fast.

Have you ever heard of Polymer Gel Crystals?

They are supposed to be mixed into the soil and help the soil retain a lot more water, and each of these crystals have the ability to take in 400 times their weight in water so 10lbs of it would take in 4000 lbs of water. They are supposed to be effective for 5 years as they act like sponges, taking in water. This might help ease the drought situation.



I've seen this quite a bit myself when I observe mature bamboos that are not maintained tend to make all of their shoots on the edge of the grove perhaps due to perhaps too many roots forming a solid clump that cannot take in that much moisture. Maybe regular culm pruning can help prevent this so that the grove doesn't become a solid root mass.

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

http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

I noticed that effect with my potted Borinda fungosa. Last year it would rather get waterlogged than too dry, but no more... I left it outside during 4 days of rain - soil got totally dry despite a lot of precipitation. Almost no water got through the dense foliage. Have to place it into something larger, sadly our winters would most likely kill it.