Is that your only bamboo?

It's good to have a few species around just in case one of them goes to flower.

Bamboos that flower can sometimes recover if there is still energy left in the new rhizome tips, but it depends on the species and climate. Even if they recover, the grove may be split up by then as the old rhizome system probably dies off, and you can start all over again from scratch.

Zone 8 - Seattle area - none of my aureosulcatas are flowering...yet. Which specific species are you referring to?

Yellow groove! And not all of them are flowering, yet. I hope its just the few. Would they all be flowering now? I have 34 different species, thank the lord. but this is my baby that I've been growing for the longest 14 years and still waiting on the largest diameter (1 1/2) biggest cane so far. What worries me is they arent even done shooting yet. I live in Northern Kentucky 15 min south of Cincinnati.

Well, it's hard to predict what a flowering bamboo will do. The ones I've had do that -- several different species -- started out with a few culms setting seed and then more and more over about a three year period until it was zapped. There are a few bamboo that seem to flower and don't get fully destroyed, but I've never seen Ph. aureosulcata flower, so can't predict. I'll let you know if mine starts acting up.

The best thing you can do now is collect seed and see what you can get to grow from it.

I've actually had this happen to just a few canes in this same grove.Seeds were not viable. Twice and the canes did not die afterwards. Other canes nearby same size show no signs yet. Im just hoping for the best. Do you think the seeds will be viable?These are about 27 ft tall. If so, will they come true to the species or might I have some new species?

Seeds should be collected when they can be shaken free of the culm...often in the late summer. Lay paper or an old sheet on the ground to collect them. Just because seeds you collected before didn't sprout may not necessarily mean that they weren't viable. I have sometimes had great success with seeds and sometimes 100% failure, and I think it was just me, not that I had bad seeds. Not infrequently, when you have success with bamboo seed, you get an entirely new cultivar...sometimes great, sometimes boring.

Thank You Stevelau and Kudzu9 for the advise I'll keep you updated. I have Yellow Groove from many different groves, so it will be interesting to see what happens. I'm excited about the seeds though and I will share of course with both of you. I've noticed about 10 canes so far. There will be thousands of seed.

Gardener1,
Oh that's just great!
I finally got my bamboo to sprout where I planted it to hide the horrid C Box I have to look at in my neighbors back yard and now yours is flowering!
Mine is the same cultivar, yellow groove.
I can't win for loosing.
I hope it doesn't flower, but probably will.
Well, if it dies, i'm buying a Bamboo fence instead.

gardener-
Good luck...with whatever happens! Please do post when you have further developments.

After further inspection the canes that are flowering are not in full blown flowering mode..... yet. But I did see some seeds already formed so I'm sure those canes at least will produce many seed. But no signs on other canes nearby. I will keep you posted.