Bare rhizome results to date

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cole
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Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

This surely isn't scientific, but I thought I'd share my most recent experience with bare rhizomes. In past years I received bare rhizomes as family gifts, and had good success. It was always for fun, and I planted just to fill in the odd spot. But this year we had an emergency, as our next-door forest was cut to put in a house. Our beautiful wooded privacy was robbed by chainsaws and excavators.

So early last winter I took a family member's offer to dig yellow groove rhizomes, and also called in favors from vivax and river cane growing friends. We're zone 5b/6a in Northeast Pennsylvania, where I already have yellow groove that thrives. River cane has a shot, and vivax will get hit hard every other year, probably complete top-kill. Also added to last winter's planting were more yellow groove rhizomes early this spring. I planted 36 rhizomes in all, and I believe it was 16 p. aureosulcata, 14 arundinaria gigantea, and 6 p. vivax. The average rhizome was slightly longer than 12", and all had multiple viable-appearing culm buds. My goal is to have the yellow groove dominate, and my understanding is that it's no problem to mix and match runners. They'll do what they do. I need the yellow groove to top out at 15' for an effective screen.

I prepped the site last fall, pulling rocks and adding two 40 gallon tubs of my homemade biochar (activated with worm casting, flour, and rock dust). This is a 500 sq. ft. space, and then a narrow 40-ft strip. We have natural containment from boulders and ledges. Before planting, I dusted the hair roots with rooting hormone, then put a four-foot layer of leaves for insulation (which matted down to less than two feet by spring). Our minimum temp this mild winter was -6F, and only twice did we have back-to-back sub-zero nights.

My shooting season has normally been pretty late because of how shaded my old patches are. I get a first push in mid-June, then again in mid-July.

Anyway, in this new mostly sunny location created by the chainsaws, I've had 20 of 36 rhizomes throw up shoots from May 27th through today. Thirteen are yellow groove, four are river cane, and three are vivax. That's more or less proportionate to the number of each type planted. So my success rate is anywhere from 56 to 100%. Four are just whip shoots, which is totally fine because it's confirmation of life underground. The others range in size up to 3/4". To be honest, I expected next to nothing this year. I anticipated a full year of dreading they all might have rotted.

We're experiencing a horrific case of pine beetle in this region. Majestic evergreens are being killed from the bottom up. My only option was bamboo, and so far so good. Here's a collage of my new shoots, including a shot of the vivax I received.

Such an amazing plant ...

(edits in bold, plus I'd mistakenly written March instead of May)
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cole
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

This is an update pic of the p. aureosulcata shoot that's top row, third from left, in the collage. It's the first real "woody" culm to grow on my property. On Day 18, it's currently 40" tall. It's been loved pretty hard with 9-0-0 bat guano tea, eggs shells pulverized in a Magic Bullet, and coffee grounds, to go along with the biochar worked into the soil. I realize some uber basic yellow groove is totally mundane to most, but I think its the most beautiful non-human thing in the world. Hey, I look at your pics, too. :wink:
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needmore
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by needmore »

Looks great! Be careful not to keep it too damp, I have the impression they don't like that.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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cole
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

needmore wrote:Looks great! Be careful not to keep it too damp, I have the impression they don't like that.
Gotcha. Thanks. I'm working on my moisture meter skills.
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by fredgpops »

I think the following is true re seeds and roots - both lose ability to produce as they get older. If you see either for sale, check on shelf life before you commit. The original post is a win, but conditions were right. I have had positive results with both seeds and roots but the (positive) window is narrow. Rgds
stevelau1911
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by stevelau1911 »

If you are in zone 5B, the must need bamboo would have to be parvifolia because in zone 6a/b upstate ny, this has been the only bamboo that has never seen any sort of top kill through 7 winters, including the last one which had a record low of -12F, in the zone 5b level. The 22ft culm released right back up to the tip, regardless of heavy leaf burn. The same goes for many of the parvifolia divisions I have spread out into the local area. This is allowing it to consistently get bigger every time it does hold a significant amount of leaves through the winter. I know it may require a few mild winters in a row, but this is the only species I can see getting into the 30-40ft range here. It's simply the toughest phyllostachys that I've ever grown.

Even the local yellow groove groves in the area have been consistently fried, and downsizing. I'm not living where my bamboo is now, but I know lots of people on this forum have parvifolia, some of them in PA, perhaps within driving distance.
cole
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

Steve, your parvifolia is brilliant. And I love the white rings. The first time I came across parvifolia was during a Google search that showed your photo from April 2013. Your 14' grove would have been my perfect solution.

I'm hedging my bet on the fact that I have a three-year-old YG division (from the same grove as most of my bare rhizomes) that survived a brutal spell the winter before last. It's out by our road and gets hit by even more wind than where my needed screen is shooting.

I'm also counting on the newer Abor Day Foundation map to be accurate, since it shifts us into 6a. My own records put us at an average minimum low of -5F since 2000. Heck, that pushes 6b. I'm not blindly hopeful - when we first bought this house, we had a week of -20F.

Thanks for the input!

fredgpops: I made the mistake of buying Jiuzhaigou IV seeds from an unknown online seller. It wasn't even the money that pissed me off, but the fact that I wasted so much time and effort for seeds that were likely years old. Fool me once.
cole
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

Set of Yellow Groove quintuplets that arrived shortly before dawn this morning. The bare rhizome was planted early this spring. My apologies for being giddy. Cigars all around ...
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Cooper12
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by Cooper12 »

here is a megurochiku that was a 30-36" rhizome piece that i took from a friend. and had to cut it into 2 pieces to get into the 25 gallon tub.
it did have a few really short shoots with leaves when i dug it.
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Jason Floyd
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Emmett Idaho
Zone 7A
Potato country
cole
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

Just a quick four year update from the Yellow Groove rhizomes that have survived some epic winters of -25F and sustained 50mph winter winds. I've had complete leaf kill two winters, and some top kill. But the YG roars back. I've been trenching in a U shape to keep it contained.

I put these in after people leveled the forest next to us to build a two story house overlooking our yard. This summer I could no longer see him working in his garage. The rhizomes came from a grove that was >40ft tall, in zone 7a. We're 5b/6a. It went from 8ft last year to 12ft this year. I suspect it's maxing out, which is fine. It gets many pounds of coffee grounds and a gallon of fish emulsion every year. And I bought a really nice Worx leaf mulcher and annoy the crap out of everyone for two weeks every fall. I blanket each bed with at least 40 gallons of fine mulch, then pile leaves another three feet deep as winter approaches. Last year I tarped one grove with a 30'x30' tarp, but it wasn't worth the hassle. It was dark blue and I almost had a disaster on a few sunny, warm days that caused too much heat.
IMG_0002.JPG
This smaller grove in the front of our house blocks our across the street neighbor's lights.
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Lastly, I'll be forever grateful for the valuable info and inspiration I found on this site.

Peace.
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needmore
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by needmore »

Looks good, if you get a mild winter watch those guys leap up the next spring!
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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Alan_L
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by Alan_L »

Really nice. If you put in the work it's such a rewarding plant!
cole
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

needmore wrote:Looks good, if you get a mild winter watch those guys leap up the next spring!
Ha, thanks, we're def due for a mild one here in the NE.
cole
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Re: Bare rhizome results to date

Post by cole »

Alan_L wrote:Really nice. If you put in the work it's such a rewarding plant!
A wise man once said 'it's not work'.

Thanks, Alan!
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