Hardy Tropicals UK

I've been cleaning some of the bamboo bed's from my large aurea & aureocaulis today, under about 3inches of spent leave's I've found a few horizontal runner's, if I chop them back will it have any effect on the grove?, I guess if it dive's under itself I may not see it again!! . karl.

Chopping them off will thwart it's corporate tendencies it will remain a good grove but can't take over the world.

this is the best time of the year to do rhizome pruning which is what your doing karl.it can be hard work but worth it.if rhizomes are are on a mission to find new areas to grow where you dont want them to chop them off.i've just removed yards of spectabilis rhizomes that are hell bent on going walkies.tough job but i'm glad i did it.

Thanks for bringing this up Karl, I've got the same problem

Keith

Pseudosasa japonica makes a bid for freedom through the council footpath

Keith, I didn't think you grew many boo's?, to be fair most of my phyllostachy are good as gold, for the last few year's I have been feeling around the perimeter of the grove's for any escape merchant's!!, normally there no more than a few inches under the soil it just seem's sad to keep cutting back as I believe this also stops new culm's becoming thicker than previous one's. I've made some big changes since your last visit & added a lot more plants . I believe some boo's depending on soil & light conditions clump & run as some culm's start to develop vertical then lay flat waiting to dive under!, I wont bother with my fargesia's but from now on every autumn i'm going to excavate a shallow trench around all 25 grove's! & snip away There will be the odd runner's that start to grow a little deeper that may escape. karl.

karl66 wrote:Keith, I didn't think you grew many boo's?, to be fair most of my phyllostachy are good as gold, for the last few year's I have been feeling around the perimeter of the grove's for any escape merchant's!!, normally there no more than a few inches under the soil it just seem's sad to keep cutting back as I believe this also stops new culm's becoming thicker than previous one's. I've made some big changes since your last visit & added a lot more plants . I believe some boo's depending on soil & light conditions clump & run as some culm's start to develop vertical then lay flat waiting to dive under!, I wont bother with my fargesia's but from now on every autumn i'm going to excavate a shallow trench around all 25 grove's! & snip away There will be the odd runner's that start to grow a little deeper that may escape. karl.

I just have a couple of phyllostachy's Karl, the one at the front I noticed has put out about five runners, all just above ground level, I'll snip 'em off today. Do you know if they can be propogated from?

Cheers, Keith

Keith, i'm not sure about propogation of just runner's, I think you may need the rizome? jacko will be the man to answer this question for you. karl.

It depends on the bamboo.
I have grown bits on, any old piece of fagesia rufa will grow.

yeah you need to propagate from rhizomes its a bit hit or miss.out of all the rhizomes and rootmass from this years spectabilis prune(there were lots) ive got three viable plants that have gone to friends.

if they have roots coming off the runners they will grow once snipped, I have done this before

fieldfest wrote:if they have roots coming off the runners they will grow once snipped, I have done this before

They have to have an eye to grow, so should include several culms. Without them it will sit there alive but never grow.