Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin' aka Buddha Belly Bamboo.

It is listed to grow to around 16 feet in height.

Kt

This post was edited by kentuck_8b on Wed, Apr 24, 13 at 22:34

Hey Kentuck, do you think it could be ventricosa? It looks like it was planted there from a ground division, because there are only two semi mature canes there that have definitely been top cut. I have seen ventricosa in the ground with swollen internodes. And ventricosa is a tight clumper, but i have wamin canes that have grown that close together. Tropical bamboo nursery in south florida will release a new type of bamboo called Eutuldoides 'swollen internode' that has the cold hardiness of ventricosa and the dependable swollen internode and it's beautiful.

Jon, I think it is Wamin. I grow both Wamin and Ventricosa, but only my Wamin has the short stubby limbs like the base of the limb that the young man has his hand on.

I have never seen the bellies on culms thicker than 1 inch or so on any Ventricosa, but it does grow differently in different environments.

I could be wrong, but I think it's Wamin.

That Eutuldoides 'swollen internode' sure sounds like a must-have bamboo.

Kt

Thanks Mr Jon and Mr Kt.

You are dealing with an absolute novice here so I can only tell you that I planted the bamboo two weeks ago...this picture was taken a couple of days after i planted it.There is a third culm hidden behind the other culms which is a white colour.

My other questions are....will other culms grow? It is quite hot here so how often should I water it? Will it grow much taller?....now it is only about as tall as my son...or will it stay at 4 to 5 feet?

Thanks for your knowledge.

and forgot to ask....the culms are tied...see the green string? Should i cut this off?

If it's Wamin, it will grow to about 15 feet in height, and it needs to be kept watered at least until it takes root, probably a few weeks.

It will grow more culms but it may be a year or so before it really starts to put out shoots, and I would leave the string since it was planted with it.

Good Luck.

Kt

Thanks. Mr jon mentioned it looks like it has been top cut. What does that mean? Does it mean it will not grow much taller?

If a mature culm is cut or topped, it will never grow any taller. Only side limbs will possibly grow higher.

Only new shoots will grow to a taller height. A shoot emerges and grows to it's full height in 3 months or less, then it stays at that height until it eventually dies. Whatever height you cut it off at, it will remain until it dies.

Kt

Sure is nice having someone so knowledgeable to talk with about bamboo. Thanks Kentuck for that. I think you're right about that species being Wamin. It's just that being in Thailand, they must have a more diverse selection, and when I saw that Tropical Bamboo Nursery had that swollen internode, I realized there could be more "buddha belly" style bamboos out there. So the more I know, the less I know. Weird huh? Mr. JauntyJohn, I recommend mulching around the bamboo and fertilizing it with manure. If the leaves curl inwards longways, the plant is low on water. I bet that pretty plant will be a big clump before you know it. And yes, cut off the green bands.

Thanks all for the replies, the rainy season is about to hit here...average 150 to 200mm of rain in May but I am watering it three times per week anyway as most days it is 35 celcius plus here plus the tree gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. What is a big clump? excuse my ignorance. i will send some pictures in a couple of months. JJ.

Been in the ground 5 weeks, existing culms have changed color to a deeper green, foilage has grown nicely, just a bit worried i may have planted too deep, will this prevent new culms from rising up to the surface or am i worrying unecessarilly? Should we replant?

How deep did you plant it?

Kt

I think 2 feet. More or less.

I think 2 feet. More or less.

I think 2 feet. More or less.

How deep from the top of the rootball?

Or how much of the green bellies(culms) is underground?

I would say approximately 1.5 feet from the top of the rootball.

The rootball is 3 or 4 culm nodules-green bellies below the soil surface, (see the green string on the picture on the unplanted plant and then on my original picture at the beginning of the thread; after the tree was planted).

This may be actually less than one foot. You can see the unplanted plant in the black bucket above the motocycle but you may have to zoom in! Is it too deep or should it produce new culms sometime in the future?

This post was edited by jauntyjohn_123 on Mon, May 20, 13 at 11:07

If it is growing nicely and staying a healthy looking green, then it should eventually put up new shoots, but it may be a year or so depending on your conditions there. New roots will sprout from the underground internodes but I'm not sure about the rhizomes.

I'd hate to disturb the plant again, now that it has finally started to take root. Maybe you could dig away some of the soil around the base of the plant...I know this would leave a 'hole' or depression around the culms, but at least it wouldn't be covered in so much soil.

Maybe someone else has more experience with your predicament, but personally I wouldn't replant it...not yet anyway.

Kt

Picture of bamboo planted exactly 6 weeks ago. Compare this picture with the pic at the beginning of the thread. Growing nicely but no new culms as yet!!

This post was edited by jauntyjohn_123 on Thu, May 23, 13 at 12:02

Leave it there. It'll be fine. If the plant was suffering, the leaves would have shown it. New shoots will come up from the deep when the plant is old, so theres no reason why they wont shoot when the plant is young. I have seen bamboo buried too deep and it is never a problem.

12 weeks after planting and we have new growth!!! Very exciting!!! How long will this baby take to grow to maximum height?

Very good. If you have wamin, which is what we think it is, then it will take less than two months for that shoot to finish growing. The shoot will likely grow taller than the mother plant. I grow wamin and ventricosa and am not 100 percent certain of that species, but it is pretty.

Thanks Jon, the mother plant is about 5.5 feet top cut so i would imagine it will grow a lot taller depending of course if it is wamin or ventricosa. Will post another pic in 6 weeks! Very tropical climate here in NE Thailand so things tend to grow!

Nice! Great to see it is shooting. Being a smaller diameter shoot, it will not get as tall as the larger thicker culms do but at least it is putting up shoots and thus will be putting up more in the future.

Kt

Hey JauntyJohn, I'm certain it's not ventricosa because of it's large leaves. I'm 99 percent certain it's wamin, but it could be Eutuldoides 'swollen internode'. I only think that because it's possible, but either way, you have a pretty bamboo, and the mother canes are still green (sign of good health).

Hey Jaunty Jon, Your name is not Jon Jandai is it?

New growth, new shoot thin but already as tall as mother. to jonjfrr, no, im a different john.

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