Dendrocalamus Validus

[ZZZ]

This past hurricane resulted in the highest storm surge I’ve had since living here off the Gulf Coast of FL. All of my tropical bamboo was breached, and it’s not a pretty site. Nearly 10 years of cultivating various species of tropical bamboo along the property line all for naught.

I’m waving the white flag.

It will be sea grape and clusia from here on out, just like everyone else has.

One bamboo of interest, in case anyone stumbles across this thread: I can attest to Dendrocalamus Validus as being curiously impervious to salt water.

I planted two of these so-called red bamboos (new growth has an orange shade) about a year and a half ago, and while it seems to be a particularly slow-maturing bamboo—and not to mention tough to find available—my two 6ft clumps of this species look just as lush as they ever did. Other than that, my Chungii may eventually recover, but all of the other 6 or so species are dead: it’s a tropical bamboo graveyard here.

[T9D]

Is it possible to plant some in those 8 foot or 10 foot round stock tanks? That way they would be above the ground, and if somehow salt water got in them you could easily flush them out with clean water from the hose. At least you could keep some bamboo instead of giving up.

[webgator]

Interesting observation on the Validis and saltwater tolerance for sure.

While it not pure ocean water, another I know who lives on the St John's River has been flooded numerous times due to hurricane storm surge, and and while some sufferred none of his bamboo died. Curious what the other species were....and post some pics!

[ZZZ]

Hello--

Thanks for offering the suggestion of stock tanks, but I have visions of 40' bamboo clumps falling over during our yearly tropical storm/hurricane events.

It's cooling down here this time of year, and I spent the day removing dead avocado trees and too many dead bamboo culms. Timor/Lako, Emeiensis F and V, Alphonse Karr, and Dendrocalamus Minor Amoenus all perished. My clump of Chungii has proven to be semi-resistant to the salt water inundation over the years, and as this past surge was the worst since I've been here, about half the Chungii culms died; the half that made it are looking so-so, but they should bounce back over time.

Through all the carnage, my two clumps of D Validus were a sight for sore eyes: just as green and lush-looking as ever. In fact, I even noted a new culm shooting up (see photo, with dead Emeiensis in the background). I planted this one three years ago, and apart from the aforementioned new culm sprouting, there is a 1" diameter culm that's about 6' or 8' tall, and three or four very skinny culms. Weird how most tropical bamboo species perish after salt water contact, though D Validus not only survived, but it's sending up new growth.

I did just buy six more of the 3-gallon D Validus from the guy in Loxahatchee who appears to be the only one offering it here in Florida. No way am I going to deal with digging out the dead rhizomes from the other species; I will just plant the six new D Validus around them.

I'd be embarrassed to admit how much I have spent on bamboo over the years, and this will be it for me from here on out. D Validus isn't the ideal bamboo for a privacy hedge--not a tight-plumper and no low branches--but I will be relieved now that I won't have to worry about storm surges anymore...or so it appears.

[pokenei]

Interesting that one bamboo is salt tolerant.
Not sure which is worse: storm surges or Winter damage? I think the later. You can at least plant bamboos on higher grounds or on mounts to migitage storm surge damage. Winter protection is much harder for large bamboos and has to be done yearly if you want to grow it up north.

[ZZZ]

A king tide this past weekend resulted in water as high as any hurricane has caused since I've lived here: Dendrocal Val was underwater for a second time in two months but it's absolutely fine. In fact, the new culm in the picture I posted above @5-6 weeks ago is now 20ft tall and growing. For any exotic bamboo enthusiast who lives in an area prone to storm surge and doesn't want to end up with a bamboo graveyard, DV is the way to go. Even Chungii and the plain-looking Seabreeze are merely "salt tolerant" in that they will get zapped, drop half their leaves, but will eventually grow back, while Dendrocal Val laughs at salt water and remains completely lush.

Future info seekers who live in flood zones take heed: learn from my multi-thousand $$ mistake.