Bamboo seeds...

Other things that involve bamboo

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Kostas
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Bamboo seeds...

Post by Kostas »

Are there true Gigantochloea atroviolacea,Bambusa lako and Dendrocalamus asper seeds on the market? I read many bamboo seeds end up being of different species or something else entirely. I have bought G. atroviolacea seeds and was thinking of buying seeds of the rest i mentioned from here:http://www.exotic-plants.de/seeds/bamboo.php?Seite=1 as it has good reputation but would like your input on that. Is it worth bothering? And i am still searching for divisions of Gigantochloaea atroviolacea and Bambusa chungii of course.

Thank you very much in advance!
Kostas
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Kostas »

I just got the Gigantochloea atroviolacea seeds in the mail. Do they seem correct for Gigantochloa seeds to you?
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Thank you very much in advance! :)
Tarzanus
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Tarzanus »

I think this is common wheat.

... but it can also be bamboo. Try to germinate it and report. :)
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terrabamboo
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by terrabamboo »

some of the seed embryos seem damaged as well.
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Tarzanus
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Tarzanus »

These are not embryos, that's the part where the grain is attached to wheat ear. If it's wheat ofcourse ...
Kostas
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Kostas »

Thank you very much for your replies!

These are from a supposedly well reputed seller from the German site for bamboo seeds,so they should surely at least be bamboo seeds but would be awesome if they truly are G. atroviolacea instead of a random species...Unfortunately,from the photos i found of Gigantochloa sp. seeds,these seem different while they look identical to the common 'mixup' species,Bambusa bambos.
I am tryin to germinate them and hopefully we can ID them sooner than latter as Gigantochloa species have pretty big leafs even as seedlings while Bambusa not quite as big or tropical looking. They will be grown in big pots next year for faster growth and even if they turn out B. bambos,i have a friend who really wants this species...so there he will have them!
Nicholas
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Nicholas »

Kostas wrote: These are from a supposedly well reputed seller from the German site for bamboo seeds,so they should surely at least be bamboo seeds
I've received normal grass seeds before from reputable sources...

Unless they post pictures of their seeds germinating or actually are located where the plants grow naturally I'd be reluctant to believe anything.

There was a recent discussion on the topic here:

http://www.bambooweb.info/bb/viewtopic. ... 807#p66701
Kostas
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Kostas »

I see... Thank you very much Nicholas! They are just starting to germinate so I should hopefully get an idea what they are. Gigantochloa grows big leafs so anything small leafed won't be what I ordered. But a friend of mine has plenty of space and we will be growing them out and in ground starting next year,so that we know what we have sooner than latter. He likes all kinds bamboo ,so whatever and if they are,he will be happy.

I did read that topic,a very interesting one!


Btw,true G. atroviolacea and B. chungii divisions will be arriving here next week :)
stevelau1911
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by stevelau1911 »

If you are in Greece, I'm guessing the warmest climate zone you can be in would be zone 8, or lower based on the region, and tropicals may be very marginal. I think starting with some of the mosos may be a better start. They are not hard to grow as long as you have fresh seeds.

This may be the best source. http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hot-sell ... 48625.html
Tarzanus
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Tarzanus »

I'd say most of Greece is in safe solid zone 8, with many places above that - islands all around the Mediterranean. Except the northern part, which is most likely somewhere around zone 7b.

PS: Might be a bit dry for Moso with too much sun if not position somewhere in the shade. At least in southern parts of Greece, mid and north... should work.
Kostas
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by Kostas »

Thank you for your concern, I am a solid zone 9b with most winters being 10a and only once in 20years 9b lows :mrgreen: I have a tropical garden in Western Peloponesse,so Southwestern Greece. Most of the coast of Greece is at least zone 9 with the southern parts being zone 10 or a little better,including the islands. Greece has many rainfall patterns,from temperate,wet deciduous rainforest to arid to dry semi-desert on certain Aegean islands but the hotter parts are dry in the Summer,so irrigation is needed in general unless you have shallow ground water or live next to a river. I am blessed with a very shallow water table,a humid climate and high rainfall(for Greece...1m annually) and my water usage is minimal for the many rainforest palms,trees and epiphytes i grow :)

I don't have the space for huge spreading bamboo like Moso and many Phyllostachys,plus i don't think the cooler growers like Moso will enjoy my hot and humid climate in summer with the scorching sun unless grown under huge canopy. I mostly like the large tropical clumpers which grow huge culms to great heights without taking much space and are large leafed,as well as the large leafed Phyllostachys sp. that can grow huge and thick culms without the need to have many culms on them or take over big areas to do that but can be grown among other plants in a garden. The species a local friend gave me seems ideal as a Phyllostachys species for me with its few and nice size culms(6-7cm) :) And it takes the summer sun without stressing like a P. nigra i had and got rid of(thin culms and spreading 4m+ from its 3rd year).
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KhunDieter
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by KhunDieter »

Seeds received as "Gigantochloa atroviolacea" from Exotic Plants in 2007 and 2009 turned out to be thorny Bambusa bambos:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t4K ... sp=sharing

Here you can see how seeds of several Gigantochloa species look like:
http://bamboo-seeds.blogspot.com/2013/1 ... chloa.html

Here you can see how seeds of Bambusa bambos look like:
http://bamboo-seeds.blogspot.com/2013/11/bambusa.html
(Bambusa bambos, the first entry only, seeds are possibly from India received via China. The second entry, seeds from Thailand 2014, is so-called Bambusa bambos and assumed to be a different species of Bambusa, which I hope being able to get to know in a couple of years. The third entry is on Bambusa lako.)
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by fredgpops »

Seeds and rhizomes are really a fools game. Chances for the success of either is very low. The first question that you ask prior to purchase is " What is the date of the product?" In the case of seeds, if the seeds are over 4 months old, you can expect low to no success. Rhizomes even less than a week or two and kept moist are a waste of time. In addition, mistaken or misidentified product is extremely high. I spent this last year working with a variety of seeds and will not spend more time unless my own plants flower. Rgds Fred
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KhunDieter
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by KhunDieter »

fredgpops wrote:... In the case of seeds, if the seeds are over 4 months old, you can expect low to no success ...
Bamboo seed germination tests of many different species from temperate and tropical climatic zones clearly show that seed viability largely depends on species. There are species like in genus Borinda/Fargesia and Dendrocalamus with seed viability of much more than 12 months, and in Chimonobambusa and Melocalamus less than 2 months. See results in the Compilation of Bamboo Seeds.
http://bamboo-seeds.blogspot.com
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Re: Bamboo seeds...

Post by fredgpops »

I'm sure that you have far more data than I do, but tests I ran (2 only) on fargesia and dendrocalamus seeds gave me far different results than you present. Your tests are done in a zone that remains tropical (hot/humid) almost throughout the year. I'd say (non-scientifically) that the items affecting germination are far more than species. Further, I'd say the tests you run can not be duplicated in other climate zones, especially temperate. Lastly, as you pointed out to me, the seeds coming out of China are very suspect in terms of what the true genus really is (making genus predictions difficult). For the average Joe buying and planting seeds for the first time, I'll stick with the fresh is best rule and further shy away from anything older than 4 months of shelf life. Rgds
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