Whitening of Canes during spring

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Canadrew
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Whitening of Canes during spring

Post by Canadrew »

Hey all.

I took a good transplant of a neighbour's Vivax last winter (November). It's a 4 mid-size cane root ball about 12" in every direction. I planted it in it's new planter in January and anxiously awaited the spring.

Spring is here! But as the plant awakes from dormancy, the canes are slowly turning white. Most of the 4 canes' leaves are white (and dry) and now the canes are starting to go.

Is it dead? Or sacrificing the canes to make new roots? I gently tug upwards on the canes to see if there are new roots and I think it is? None of my other transplants of this type are shooting, but those canes are healthy.
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needmore
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Re: Whitening of Canes during spring

Post by needmore »

I'd venture that the whiteish canes are dead but the clump might not be, did these experience temps below say 10F? It is quite possible that you'll see new shoots maybe 25% the size of what you planted come up but I do think the white ones are goners.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
Canadrew
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Re: Whitening of Canes during spring

Post by Canadrew »

Yeah, I wasn't expecting the white ones to miraculously come back, but I hold out hope for some movement in the next couple weeks.
I'm In zone 9, the coldest we got this year was 28F, so it's unlikely to be cold damage?
Would the white canes be doing anything useful? Or should I cut them down?
Thanks!
Steve73
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Re: Whitening of Canes during spring

Post by Steve73 »

I took two divisions of vivax a couple of years ago. Each rootball was probably over 100 pounds. I transplanted them pretty close to eachother. On one of the divisions, the culms turned the same color as yours, and within a month or two they were dead. Nothing has ever emerged from underground from that division. The other division did not shoot at all the year after I planted it, but has put up several nice culms this year. Probably not very helpful, but my conclusion is that sometimes a division just does not take off. It just happens sometimes.

I guess thats a valid enough reason to always get more that one division whenever possible. Hope you see some life from yours soon.
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needmore
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Re: Whitening of Canes during spring

Post by needmore »

It sounds like your rootball was a decent size and if it was dug from the outer edge of the patch then it seems likely that you got some viable buds on the rhizomes, I personally would leave the white culms until either nothing comes up and you give up or until new growth is up and has made it's own leaves.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
http://www.needmorebamboo.com
Canadrew
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Re: Whitening of Canes during spring

Post by Canadrew »

Thanks Brad and Steve,
I saw your post Steve about your vivax'es. What a heartbreak to watch such a great clump pass away! But those new shoots are very promising.

We're getting some nice warm weather this week and one of the other divisions still in a container has put up a single shoot yesterday. So there's hope!
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Re: Whitening of Canes during spring

Post by Tarzanus »

If one shoot appeared, more will follow, I am certain. Next year. This season it will most likely channel all the available energy into growing healthy root system. You should be able to see the rhizomes crawling around during summer. Mulch around it, it promotes rhizome growth closer to the ground.
Sometimes old culms can get sacrificed to promote new growth. Some of the stored nutrients from that culm can get re-located and used again. If it's completely pale and dry, you can cut it off at the base, but you can wait a while, just in case if there's still any activity and possibly nutrient flow from it.
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