Robusta Campbell - snapping culms breaks my heart :- (

[cordyman]

My Robusta Campbell hedge gets a Musa Basjoo and Ensette Maurelli leaf mulch before winter, come Spring its all beautifully rotted and the new culms are poking through, only early days but its looks like it will be another good flush...








The heart breaking part unless anyone has any suggestions is the 20 or so culms which always come up under the ridge of my coping stones, with enough force to actually start lifting the stones (which are a little loose in some places)

I end up snapping these off, and I guess the energy is used elsewhere, but it just feels so wasteful as the clump is at a stage where each cane is reaching 12ft, with good thickness and along with the checkerboard effect looks stunning Would a piece of wood under the edge of coping stones deflect next years culms and bring them up in front of the ridge?

[samtobuk]

They look great! Love the hairy culms, and a really good size to them - can see they will be tall ones!

Would have thought the wood plan would work nicely, as long as it is a tight fit as otherwise they'll just find a way to push between the two and shove the wood out I'm sure!

[karl66]

My Campbell's are also doing well & its the best fargesia in my opinion. I would suggest you separate/divide the grove, you can then plant elsewhere in your garden or pot up & sell on.

[miketropic]

I have taken culms that were new like that and bent or trained them to go a certain way. is there any way you can pull them back from under that stone and let them grow? even tied with string to keep them back until there hardened off and will stay where you want them 2

[cordyman]

They look great! Love the hairy culms, and a really good size to them - can see they will be tall ones!

Would have thought the wood plan would work nicely, as long as it is a tight fit as otherwise they'll just find a way to push between the two and shove the wood out I'm sure!

Need to measure up then

[cordyman]

My Campbell's are also doing well & its the best fargesia in my opinion. I would suggest you separate/divide the grove, you can then plant elsewhere in your garden or pot up & sell on.

Grove is looking good but no plans to seperate it just yet, it has a lot more room to move on the side and back in towards the garden

[cordyman]

I have taken culms that were new like that and bent or trained them to go a certain way. is there any way you can pull them back from under that stone and let them grow? even tied with string to keep them back until there hardened off and will stay where you want them 2

I could try and pull them back, not sure how i'd fix the string in place with enough tension to keep it bent though, very small work area, with existing canes close by. I've seen a couple of kinked canes before so i'm guessing its a goer if I can find a way though?

[miketropic]

Any way you an tie the new shoots to some distant canes and get it to hold? I knew a guy who used pluming pipe over them to train them in the direction he wanted..it was some kind of garden art deal but the same principle applys with the training..