A long banana and bamboo story

[John Case]

All,

Please bear with me as it is a small success story out of this long and cold winter (my apologies to the GW true believers).

Last April I ordered and received by mail 3 Blue Jave bananas and 3 Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin" shoots. They were so smal I cound hold all six in one hand and not drop the beer.

Hoping for the best, I planted them all individually in 15 gallon nursery pots using primarily compost as the planting material. I watered them heaviliy and daily through the exceptionally warm summer we had (it hit 117 degrees one day in July last year, undoubtedly a GW event).

By the end of summer, the bananas were about 12 inches tall, the bamboo about 24 inches tall with a few new shoots. Naturally, I was a bit disappointed as the growth was substantially less than I expected, but they appeared to be alive and growing, although I wondered how they would fare in the winter months.

These two selections were made by me because they were noted to both be hardy to Zone 7 and the bananas were supposed to be wind hardy to a point. This appealed greatly to me as I am not Zone 7 tolerant and dry out quickly in the wind.

In November I brough all siz pot into my protected courtyard and put them close to the house as it seeemed that their growth might be less stunted in a more protected area.

Then January happened (obviously another GW event).

I dropped to 23 degrees in the front yard and the courtyard spent a large number of hours substantially below freezing, with the prdictable results.

The bananas died to the ground, and in short order, too.

The bamboo froze at the tops but the lower branches stayed a very pale green.

I had some tremendous doubt if these plants would survive, let alone ever make the yard.

On February 3rd, it was 70 degrees in Brentwood and my soil temperature on the hill (where these plants were to go) rose over 50 degrees. I figured it was time to take the plunge and get these bad boys in the ground if they were still alive.

As I carried the pots up the hill, no mean feat for an overweight grandpa, I wondered if it was worth the effort. Luckily, my soil is primarily sand and digging is not a large effort. As I rolled the pots for the bananas, I was amazed to what I saw. Roots throughout the entire volume of the pot were white and brown and healthy! The entire contents came out as a single rootball! Fabulous.

The bamboo was even more amazing! I had to trim roots from the drainholes in order to remove the plants from the pots. The roots had grown multiple times around the pots and were also very healthy.

Everything is in the ground now and 2 weeks after planting, the first leaves are emerging from the bananas. I noticed on new shoot from the bamboos.

In retrospect, it seems that what I did last year was contributory to the survival of these plants:

1) Compost is always my choice when potting plants. It drains well, provides a full (if not in great quantity) set of macro and micro nutrients.

2) Moving the pots when the cold began was probably not necessary, but did not hurt. In fact, there was some small growth through mid-December.

3) I learned later that bamboo, in particular, will create roots in its first year, rather than top growth. I hope that on the planting this year, it is not a repeat of a first year.

Thanks for reading....it is one thing I can be proud of through this year's brutal winter.

Good luck,

[Scott]

Hi John,

Glad to hear your success story! It's always good to hear them.

I had planted three Bambusa Oldhamii in September, and by November one was putting up plenty of new culms. The other two, while healthy seeming, had no above ground action.

Two came from a professional nursery - and they are fairly large. The other came from Lowes, and is a bit smaller. In the last month the Lowes bamboo started putting up a new culm. While the other one with no action is still that. No action.

I really want instant jungle, so I'm hoping that it'll put forth. As a matter of fact - that one is just two stalks, cut about 8' up. Much like the other one that has had many shoots. So similar types, but one really active, and the other nothing but alive and healthy seeming.

They all survived the 25F nights, as did almost all of my palms. The only exception being a Dypsis Lutescens which is still in the process a dying.

Thanks for the story!

Scott

[JakeK]

Regarding Bamboo...

The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps and the third year it leaps!

Doesn't matter if it is a temperate runner or a tropical clumper.

Btw, Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin' is NOT zone 7 hardy. It's 9b at best.

[John Case]

(JakeK @ Feb. 18 2007,20:35)

QUOTE

Regarding Bamboo...

The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps and the third year it leaps!

Doesn't matter if it is a temperate runner or a tropical clumper.

Btw, Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin' is NOT zone 7 hardy. It's 9b at best.

Either way, it survived the brutal (for our area, at least) cold in pots.

I'm pleased it did. Even if it dies to the ground each year, think of all the new plant stakes I can harvest!

Thanks,

[Scott]

Jake - Do you have bamboo growing there in Ohio? If so, what kind? I was wondering about your winters.

Thanks,

Scott

[JakeK]

(Scott @ Feb. 19 2007,18:28)

QUOTE

Jake - Do you have bamboo growing there in Ohio? If so, what kind? I was wondering about your winters.

Thanks,

Scott

Yep.

It's hard to grow bamboo in an apartment, much easier to grow palms.

All of my bamboo is over at my parent's house. I have Phyllostachys vivax, bissetii & Pleioblastus viridistriatus. I also have Dendrocalamus minor 'Ameonus' which is seasonally grown outside. I am on the waiting list for Phy. kwangsiensis & Phy. parvifolia.

I think getting new bamboo into the States is 10x harder than getting palms because everything in Poaceae is considered invasive.

The winters in Cincinnati aren't too bad. Check out my sig for our averages. This year, December & January were both the second warmest in recorded history, but February is shaping up to the coldest in recorded history. The average temperature so far is something like 16*F.