Dendrocalamus asper "Black" likes to be near a constant water source to look good and grow well.

Heres a few pics I just went and took with our stumpy tail cattle dog for scale, the red/brown weed floating ontop is a great natural water filter and good camouflage for the ducks, and its "common name" here is Duckweed

Pete

Awesome!

Awesome!

Thanks Nick, it is an Awesome Bamboo.

Pete

Years ago I bought a very young plant of Black Asper. Today it's still green and only a bit over head height. After a couple of years I came to the realisation I was robbed.

By the way, your "Duck Weed" looks like Azolla. Duck Weed is usually very green. Azxolla is a floating aquatic fern.

Beautiful!

Duckweed is green - never red, under any conditions - so it's something else. (Not that it's ugly! It's nice!) It could be Azolla, or it could be a number of other things - but i can't tell from this distance.

To the guy who got a green boo - sorry to hear.

Years ago I bought a very young plant of Black Asper. Today it's still green and only a bit over head height. After a couple of years I came to the realisation I was robbed.

By the way, your "Duck Weed" looks like Azolla. Duck Weed is usually very green. Azxolla is a floating aquatic fern.

Yeh Zig, it is the floating fern Azolla but all locals incl me just call it duck weed.

Yes , you got robbed alright, bummer, they are easily avail now days and not pricey anymore.

Pete

cool pictures

Pete, have you tried propagating that bamboo? I've got forests of big bambusa near my house, but none of them in my yard. I'd like to get a half-dozen going on my own but don't know how...

The black looks great!

JT

Pete, have you tried propagating that bamboo? I've got forests of big bambusa near my house, but none of them in my yard. I'd like to get a half-dozen going on my own but don't know how...

The black looks great!

JT

John, yes I propagate Bamboo here by cutting a select culm that is a few yrs old ( not new) and cutting the culm each side of a node and placing in a pot or ground with node under the soil so it can grow roots and shoots.

I went and cut a thin piece to help with above rave to help make sense.

Best time to take cuttings is Spring /Summer.

Pete

So, cutting one of the thin branches near the top of an old shoot, near the nodes, it'll root ? Never knew that. I thought they had to be divided to propagate them. A friend once tried this method, and all they did was dry up. He put them in water.

Thanks Pete. Your explanation ties with something I found on the internet yesterday. I'm not at my desk now but will post the link later. Very informative, and goes on to add other details like packing the ends of the culms with dirt to aid sprouting.

Jude, the stuff I read recently about sprouting with water always mentioned using rooting hormone on the cut ends before soaking. Have you tried that? I'll try both methods, if I can find rooting hormone here in japan.

JT

John and Jude, I only used the very thin ends as an example, the thicker the "culm" the better and Yes John, to help stop the culm drying out 'fill with dirt" and keep moist, also make sure the mix is free draining. I prefer cuttings to go straight into the earth rather than pots and make sure the mix is light not boggy so the root can easily expand out.

Once youve tried a few times you see what works best, its a V easy plant to propagate from cuttings.

Pete

He did try rooting hormoe - the generic white powder - Very cool to know - I'll have to try! Thank you!