They will black after 9 months

>

Not always: many culms of my GB are never turn into black
(somehow they either stay green or look like Bory) -
it may be useful in that case :)

I use black spray paint if they don't change color, preferably a low lustre or semi-gloss...

Hey Kudzu... thats cheating man!!!
CJ

Kudzu
Is your Spotted Vivax caused by the overspray?

Bill

Yeah, but it fooled you didn't it! I think I'm going to start a bamboo refinishing service. High gloss black, candy apple red, turquoise, a little pinstriping, you name it. I just offered to do some flames for WildBill's timber bamboo. If the business takes off, I may offer franchises under the Ty Ty brand.

Well... it fooled me for a moment until it seemed like the lighting was very similar between the two pictures. Then I noticed that shoot on the left hadn't changed in "three weeks". Good fun though.

I don't mess with the bamboo but I do spray paint my globemaster lillies after their blooms brown out. Since the bloom is very woody, it takes paint great. I use red. People often ask for some of those flowers that change colors mid-season.

tcstoehr was right: I cheated in the first picture since
I didn't take a picture when I wrapped the culm (I thought
it looked "similar" since the unwrapped part didn't change much) but the
result was true: try it yourself :)

Or the labels for those two pictures should be corrected as

"I wrapped a GB culm: before removing the wrapper"...

"and after removing the wrapper 3 weeks later"

coolshare: Interesting discovery! I had been puzzling over why my black bamboo had darkened so quickly last year and why this year it has been taking a long time. The fact that I'd cut back some tree branches, so it could get more light, apparently was the cause. I think I'll try the experiment too!

Next you guys are going to be putting suntan lotion on your plants to spell your names out and make pictures.

I tried the experiment and there was no change in color on the section of the culm covered relative to the rest of the culm. I could post before/during/after pictures if anyone's interested, but all they show is a lack of color change.

I wonder if it was the aluminum foil reacting with the culm instead of lack of light. foxd, when you covered yours, did you use foil or something else?

Duct tape with the sticky side out to make removal easier.

Ok, I'm confused. I thought it was exposure to sunlight that caused the darkening. Is coolshare saying the covered section darkened faster?

Bellingham: Yes.

My suspicion is that it may have something to do with temperature, rather than light.

Here is an update

{{gwi:415694}}

As you can see, the difference is still big: the non-wrapped
area is turning black but very very slow.

MacDaddy's suggestion is actually what I was thinking as
next step: do some art work with coloring:)

Another experiment: what about leaves?

This is one for a leave of Bambusa affinis Flavidorivens
after covered half:

{{gwi:415695}}

BTW, the "update" is based on keeping the wrapped cover
at the same position so far.

I will now move the cover to a different position to see
if is is matter with timing. I think the early you cover
(right after starting breaching) the better the effect.
Maybe there is why foxd didn't get the same effect:)