Black Bamboo Struggling

[photonbucket]

My Phyllostachys Vivax was planted 5 years ago and it is only in the last two years that it has regularly produced decent culms. The rate seems to accelerate year on year.

I'm never sure how much to feed and water bamboo. At Hardy Bamboo Paul claims to leave his boos to their own devices, and he has some stunning examples.

[Vagetarian]

My Phyllostachys' are way behind my Fargesias. The Phyllo's started moving in the March warmth but went back to sleep until about last week while the Fargesias have been slowly plodding on regardless.

Just to prove everybody else's point that there's nothing to worry about yet.

[jacko]

yeah all my bamboos are slow to get going this year,this recent heat has helped though.comparing photos from last year to this year ive worked out they are about a month behind in terms of growth.

[simon]

The best regime is supposed to be; lashings of water but no feed from early spring until the new culms have reached full height and leafed out. Then lashings of feed from then until winter. This second phase is when the rhizomes are in growth so they take on energy to produce culms the following spring.

[cartel]

I planted 3 large specimens in 60cm square pots in early 2009, they did fantastically well that first year but have got worse after each severe winter and now only seem to recover by late September, so tent to look rubbish all spring and summer.

They get a daily watering of about 10 ltrs, so don't think it's anything to do with that.

[Vagetarian]

Should you really give a potted bamboo constant lashings of water or should you let it dry out a little bit? There's a bit of a difference between peat potting compost and garden soil in terms of water/oxygen retention I think.

[cartel]

They are not in the usual peat based stuff but are in the John Innes no.3 soil based compost with good drainage, it does make the pots extremely heavy, at least they don't blow over in the wind, unlike the yellow one (Aurea) I have, which falls over in the slightest gust.

[Dave in Warrington]

yeah all my bamboos are slow to get going this year,this recent heat has helped though.comparing photos from last year to this year ive worked out they are about a month behind in terms of growth.

This delay you suggest Jacko gives me a little hope since the one I planted in March now has pushed out a couple of culms


Thanks Simon for the tip, I like the simple advice !

lashings of water but no feed from early spring until the new culms have reached full height and leafed out. Then lashings of feed from then until winter.

[Clive60]

My two Phyllo Nigras in pots for two years and planted in early April have just stated to move, as they are in very sandy soil I have been watering them daily. At least mine aren't the only slow movers. What is the best feed, palmbooster, Miracle grow or anything Nitrogen based ?

[karl66]

Clive, they will soon settle in, they will romp away when in the ground & i only use palmbooster on the initial transplant with bamboo, otherwise a fortnightly dose of miracle grow will be fine, nitrogen feed is fine as an early spring feed to get them going after winter. karl.

[jacko]

simon's advice is right dont feed in spring 'to get them going'.theyve already got plenty of energy in the rhizomes in spring to get going.i made this mistake last year and fed my nigra in early spring and the resulting culms were soft and weak like they were forced.as a result i had to cut them off.

[karl66]

jacko, the advice of nitrogen in early spring ' to get them going' was given to me by a bamboo specialist in shropshire, so it just proves its all about opinions. karl.

[Clive60]

I guess the varying kinds of soil we are growing them in must make a difference. I'm on very poor sandy soil so I thought a feed would be beneficial at the start.

[Yorkshire Kris]

The best regime is supposed to be; lashings of water but no feed from early spring until the new culms have reached full height and leafed out. Then lashings of feed from then until winter. This second phase is when the rhizomes are in growth so they take on energy to produce culms the following spring.

This is the regime I work to.

[Clive60]

I had a poke around this morning and found some new growth, three new shoots which weren't there ac ouple of days ago and new blades are emerging so perhaps I was a bit hasty.