In Vancouver's West End, on an 8th-storey, northeast-facing balcony with an alley-and-dumpsters view, we have just acquired two old, falling-apart wooden tubs containing very congested 6-foot bamboo plants, to our scavenging delight. The former owner knew they needed TLC and likely a transplant. I bought a couple of much bigger containers, in the form of two 90 Litre blue plastic recycle bins, each with 4 holes in the bottom. But now I hesitate. It's April, and I know nothing about bamboo. Luckily, you do. Can you please identify my bamboo, from the attached pictures? (Leaves are 4+inches long, as shown.) And can you suggest whether I should go ahead with transplanting them, or whether they might be better left as they are until autumn? Thank you very much. The pots are bad but would last until fall. Rather surprisingly, I was able to stick a half-inch diameter stake deep into the soil of both pots. The soil is presently damp but not wet throughout. All advice appreciated. Throw the plants out? No; this is the West End. ;-) Thanks again
Oh, boy! Thank you very much, Mr. Grizzle. I'll go with your ID and look up care and treatment accordingly. Hmm—30 feet! Well, I'll likely go ahead with the transplant into the larger pots, as I don't want to starve such robust plants. One very good aspect of your P. aureosulcata is its cold-tolerance to a few degrees below freezing. Here in Vancouver, very close to the water, we see just a few days of just a few degrees below freezing annually, so that is perfect. Looks like I've brought home some pretty heavyweight new plants. Thanks again for your help, which is very much appreciated.
-26c according to this site. http://www.bamboobotanicals.ca/html/bamboo-species/phyllostachys-aureosulcata-yellow-groove.html
Enlargement and sometime crowding of nodes points to Phyllostachys aurea - one of the most prevalent kinds.
Thanks again to all of you. Ron, I need some education here. If the plant is a cultivar, Phyllostachys aureosulcata Cv, as suggested by saltcedar, then isn't it possible—and here maybe I'm wrong—that aureosulcata is an artificial cross of P. aurea and P. sulcata? I could be confused on that point, or perhaps you are suggesting that it seems to be more like the natural species Phyllostachys aurea, and is not actually a cultivar.
Phyllostachys aureosulcata and P. aurea are distinct species native to different areas in China (Phyllostachys in the Flora of China). The similarity of name is because aurea means golden or yellow and the aurea has yellow culms, while the aureosulcata has yellow grooves on its culms. Bamboo are tricky. I can't ID them. Not sure about this as P. aureosulcata though. That species has a distinctive trait of having a zigzag in about 10 percent of its culms and I don't see that in the photos.
Looking out my kitchen window I see swollen nodes on 'Spectabilis' yellowgroove so that feature is not specific to golden bamboo. But the one culm that has two nodes quite close together would still fit, in addition the bluish cast. If you go look at similarly sized golden bamboos at outlets they will probably look like yours. Whatever kind it is, what is surely needs is some fertilizer.
I missed the congested nodes which are diagnostic for P. aurea. Plus Ron_B is in a better position to say what's commonly available in your region.
Okay, do we have general agreement that this is P. aurea? —At least, within a very good, reasonable likelihood? And, Ron, I'm sure I saw my new bamboo plants jump up and down a bit at your mention of giving them some fertilizer. I have some Schultz Plant Food, 20-30-20, which I could mix into a solution and "inject" deep into the soil via the test holes I pierced the other day. But maybe I'm way wrong in guessing that would be the right thing to do. Would you have a better suggestion? I still haven't repotted them, but I hope to put them in their new, more voluminous containers within a few days. (First I intend to build wheeled wooden trucks (flat dollies) to support the pots and to keep them a couple of inches off the ground. All this woodwork taking place in an extremely congested, terribly hard-to-get-at-things apartment.) Here is another photo, which I took at the most congested place I could see. The culms typically have longer spaces between their, um, nodes. (The joints are called nodes, are they?) I don't know if this picture helps any, but just in case.
Second/third good ole' Phyllostachys aurea. Swollen nodal rings (also found on P. nidularia farcta, but this one has additional characteristics), compressed nodes (especially visible in last pic), overall appearance, and fact that it is one of the most common Phyllostachys grown in Vancouver all point to this being the one in question. You could get away with a shallower planter, though: it's only likely to root in the top 2 feet, and most importantly, give it a good mulch of wood chips.
It all sounds good. I'll put in that mulch for sure. And, again, Ron's fertilizer suggestion: my question is whether I should mix up a (very weak) solution of water and my Schultz Plant Food (20-30-20), and dribble it deep into the roots by means of first poking very narrow, deep holes with a finger-diameter probe. Would my P. aurea like that?
Sure, fertilizer however you like. Wouldn`t worry about making an especially weak mix, usual ratio is fine. Couple of other things: when you re-pot it, make sure you water the soil well enough to fill in any air pockets around the roots. For watering in general, don`t overwater bamboo, but give it special attention water-wise when it`s shooting. Golden bamboo is tough: if you don`t let it dry out or get too wet, it will thrive in the container with little fuss. Main issue to watch for is bamboo mites: they usually show up (or arrive already on the plant) eventually, but you can catch them early.
Okay, Mr. Schmoe, I'll follow your instructions. After reading your post, I've looked up bamboo mites and spider mites. No one mentions it, but I've always wondered what a thin solution of ethyl alcohol does to such critters. I would think it would be deadly and then, soon after, the alcohol wouldn't be a problem to anything else. On the other hand, possibly I'd just end up with very loud bamboo mites, singing and carousing through the night. However, two Black-capped Chickadees have recently made offers on a house I built for them a few years ago, and this house is located within five feet of one of the bamboos. Chickadees have nested in this house before. Plus I have a couple of dozen bushtits as regular visitors to an upside-down suet container suspended near the balcony ceiling. I could easily place a sign, BEWARE OF KILLER CHICKADEES, on the bamboo; if indeed the chickadees prey on such teensy critters as mites—I don't know that they do—then I would think the sign would legally absolve me from charges of murder. Or else I might contract the job out to ladybugs as my main muscle. Anyway, I've been warned. Thank you, and thanks again to all the very helpful people who've recently been educating me about my gigantic grasses.
Oops, forgot: Second question for Mr. Schmoe: About that woodchip mulch, that goes on the top, right? I am quite happy to add the woodchips, but, when a friend asked me, "What is that for? What does it do?" I found myself explaining it was to make the surface more agreeable for woodpeckers to walk around on. Actually, I had not a clue. Don't get me wrong: some of my best friends are woodchips. I have not the slightest resistance to the woodchip-mulch idea, but, er—what does it do? What is it for? —Those following this thread will be happy to know that today I have sawn the wooden pieces that will make the made-to-measure wheeled "trucks" that will support the new containers. I've also given the bamboo plants some 20-30-20 in solution. I hope to have the trucks finished and the transplanting done by mid-week. 'Tis a good day today: nice bright male Rufous Hummingbirds at nearby Stanley Park. —And, Eric, that Flora of China is an impressive work. So obvious when something is created for the joy of it; the love of the project. Thanks for that reference.
The wood chips keep the roots, especially the fragile roots closest to the surface, cool and moist. As you probably noticed when transplanting, the rhizome (runner) lives at or near the surface with lateral roots branching off of it, and finer hair roots off of these. If these dry out (an inherent hazard of container gardening especially), the plant suffers, maybe aborts shoots, and eventually, dies. Mulch guards against this, giving the rhizome the loose, moist and cool environment in which it thrives, and slowing evaporation of the water you do provide. Bamboo (as most plants) is always doing this in the 'wild', constantly shedding leaves to make a deep, loose litter mulch. In short: a happy rhizome is moist, cool-ish, and protected from direct sun. Ergo, mulch.
Well, I have really learned a lot in a short time on this forum. I very much thank you for that. There is a great deal of difference between assumptions and speculation, or just not caring—and learning the actual, real, specific reasons why something works. For you, I suppose mulch is something very elementary indeed; but for me, this is all quite a wonderful experience in learning new concepts. In return I simply say "thank you", but it runs deep.
Update: I transplanted the first bamboo today; that one is all done. It wasn't rootbound. The rhizomes were like steel; I was impressed. To extract it from its pot, I cut the metal band that encircled the pot and quite easily dismantled the pot by removing the wooden slats comprising the sides. That done, I lifted the entire bamboo plant as it was, intact, with its associated soil clump, and plopped it down into its new blue recycle bin home. I'd already built the soil height up to what was required. I did have the considerable quantity of earth required; I hope there will be sufficient for the second bamboo. The bamboo plant weighed about half a ton or maybe more; but I'm a strong old codger. Apart from breaking my back, I accomplished everything with the greatest of ease. The operation was within a very constricted space on a small balcony, and recent rain guaranteed lots of mud everywhere. To gain the proper picture, you have to envision a very ancient man (that would be me) in an extremely confined space, with mud everywhere. There used to be a much younger man, in his 30s, who helped his parents move plants and generally did a lot of their heavy work for them. I remember my mum quite appreciated his assistance. I wish I could remember who he was. My folks passed away in their 80s and 90s a long time ago, now. They and their beautiful garden are memories. They are always with me. Don't know why I'm telling you this. And who is this mid-60s fellow, and where is that younger man with the muscle to do these things with all the easiness of laughter? The bamboo loves its blue recycling pot. Question: Is it okay for me to plant climbing Nasturtium seeds in the bamboo's pot? I have an extensive "twig trellis" I built for climbing vines, so the Nasturtiums definitely have a place to grow, right beside the pot. But the Nasturtiums and the bamboo wouldn't be nuisances to each other, would they?
'Nother Update: I returned to the balcony and transplanted the second bamboo. The main job is done now. The two bamboo plants turned out to be quite different. One wooden tub had seriously disintegrated, and the bamboo in that tub had fewer stems and its stems averaged a greater diameter. The other tub was in better condition, and the bamboo in that tub has maybe twice as many stems, but they are thinner. The roots were denser in that tub—not root-bound, but on their way to being. The height of the two bamboo plants is about the same; six feet or so. My guess is that the tubs were previously some distance apart, and one had received more water. That would be the tub with the greater deterioration and the wider-diameter stems. I'm guessing that it was a healthier plant for a time, but eventually received too much water or too little drainage. Maybe that tub was in standing rainwater for a time. But I think the bamboo plants began as equals, sister-plants from the same nursery. Their tubs were the same. "Were" because I destroyed both tubs in order to get the plants out. I hated to do that, but I couldn't manage the job any other way. In both cases, I moved the plants intact with their root-balls, simply lifting them into their new containers and sitting them on top of soil I'd previously prepared for them, so the soil-surface level is correct. Some of the broken wooden slats from the destroyed tubs has rotted to the point of being useable as wood-mulch. I could break some of it with my fingers. Thanks again for all your help, everyone. My Golden Bamboo, Phyllostachys aurea, looks a lot better for its transplant. In awhile, on a different part of these forums, I'll likely show more pictures and ask more about pruning the dead parts. —Entire cost for this project: $24.62, including tax, for the two plastic recycling bins. (I don't like blue recycling bins as plant-pots, but they will hardly be seen when the rest of the balcony is made nice for the summer.) The bamboo plants were alleyway discards, and the soil was from our stored balcony soil. The wood I used (for constructing the two "trucks" on which the bins sit) was long-stored alleyway-scavenged wood, and the 8 casters were likewise saved long ago from my hunting-and-gathering instincts.)
16 months later: With appreciation for advice I was given last year, I would like to say both my Phyllostachys fellows are alive and well and happy. (Golden Bamboo, Phyllostachys aurea.) Their pots have been a success. Over last winter, these plants lost a lot of leaves, and I was concerned at the time. They both retained leaves toward the top, and their culms were largely without leaves. That was during the time of cool or chilly days, not a whole lot of sun, and perhaps too much rain getting into their soil. Actually the rain is hard to gauge on our balcony; it gets blown in, for sure. How much rain actually falls into the peripheral planters without the help of wind is uncertain. We do have times when we feel the plants' soil might be too wet OR too dry, and sticking a thin dowel into the soil doesn't quite answer. In any case, guessing and hoping, with occasional worrying, seemed to work last winter. One spring day this year I suddenly realized both bamboos were full of bright new leafy green, right from the soil to the top parts of the plants. They are still that way, and we are delighted. These are humble, pretty small bamboo plants, but we treasure them. I was in Costa Rica for six months in 2013-14, and there the bamboo plants grow so fast that occasionally orbiting satellites get snagged; the bamboo are so prolific that one can pick entire bamboo tables and chesterfields from their lower branches. So I'm familiar with the big guys, but ours have been a real joy. I'm hoping they weather the coming cold season better than last year. And thanks, all, for advice provided last year, that made a big difference.
