steelhorse - Phyllostachys love hot weather if they get regular water, but they do need to experience winter. If you get a frost or thereabout they may do fine. Some are better than others and Aurea is one that seems less impacted by warm winters. Also look for some of the Taiwanese bamboo - Phy. Makinoi, Lithophila.

Brian & hossier

thanks for the answers, I already have one oldhamii, one buddha's belly and doing my firsts attemps with cuttings from vittata, Im also have some seeds of Dendrocalamus Strictus and D. Calostachys hoping to get nice plants from them

so, phyllostachys are doing well in this climates? I think I'm going to buy one plant that are selling me of 15gl at $40 dls,

I'll look for those taiwanes bamboos you said, but i have the problem that I can't bring plants from U.S.A. to Mexico if I'm not a nursery owner. I can just bring them here if the plants are small and can be insede the trunk as any other ornamental plant that we normally buy

Steelhorse, good to talk to you via email the other day.

If I know the climate you live in, I don't think that phyllos are gonna do too well. Just never gets cold enough. I'd stick to tropical clumpers, get some good soil, and water frequently.

Otateas should do well. They need the least amount of water for a bamboo that I've ever encountered...I have been watering my Dendrocalamus' and Gigantochloas almost every day/every day during the summer, and both my Otatea Acuminata Aztecorum (mex weep) and Otatea Acuminata Acuminata need watering about once every 7 to 10 days. The difference is pretty dramatic. Mex Weep can get pretty good in size (to 20 feet)...there are two huge ones at SD Zoo and Quail Botanical gardens in Encinitas.

hey Paul how you doing?

well, you see I've been looking for that Mex weep but the only places in which I've found it are pretty expensive, I since all the plants are shipped by UPS and I don't have a real Adress in U.S. (only a P.O. Box), I cant order bamboos by mail so, my options are kind of limited, I only have S.Diego and yuma nurseries to find a small plants from 1 to 5 gals pots, or cuts to try to propagate them that way.

by the way, what kind of bamboos does everyone in here has in his backyard or front porch?

steelhorse,

you can find mex weep at Pura Vide Tropicals in Vista, 760-726-4038 Cell: 760-519-0397, Bob Dimattia, bamboobob@cox.net, but don't know how much he is charging.

most walter anderson nursuries carry it - i know the one in sports arena (off Pacific Coast Highway) carries it, where it is something like $50 for a 5g.

As for what everyone has, there was a thread maybe 3 months ago where everyone listed their bamboos. Some post them on their "My Page."

I believe that Phy. Aurea is grown commercially in Mexico and Costa Rica, used for furniture making export.

ok, I have another Question.

Is there any natural compost or "plant food" that I can add to the bamboo soil that will give them the benefits of those chemical/artificial fertilize 0-10-10, 10-10-10, etc?

I dont know, maybe if I trow/mix some fish garbage, some clams, orange peels, wood straw, coconut peel,etc...

well, you can respond anytime you like at any question you like too, I will be posting Q's that pop at my head and only after have look for the answer with no luck in the infinitive WWW.

how long I have to wait in order to know if one of my seeds will germinate or not, I sowed +- 300 seeds (the ones that were 3 years old) well only 15 germinated in the next 5-10 days after sowed but nothing more, now I dont know if keep moisting the soil of the other ones or use it for other seeds I have (not bamboo).

There are a couple threads nearby regarding fertilizer. I've read several people here use cow or horse manure and claim that it is ideal. Makes sense since manure has dry grass material mixed with nitrogen fertilizer. I think the fish garbage & organic materials you mentioned would be good fertilizer too but maybe best after some composting first to break them down and so animals aren't attracted to it.

3-yr old seed will likely have low germination rate since bamboo seeds aren't known to have a long shelf life. I have read that it can take months and up to a year for bamboo seeds to germinate. My guess is most will germinate within the first month. One thing you might do is plant the rest outside somewhere where you don't need to worry about them daily. Maybe a few will pop up when they're good and ready.

why I can find always the minimum temp. for any kind of bamboo, but I' havent be able to find something about the max temp. a bamboos can handle.

and this apply to runners to clumplers

High temperature are harder to predict than cold temperatures because you have a larger effect from the sun exposure, soil moisture and humidity.

Most of my plants have been exposed to 110 degF temperatures with less than 10% humidity and some plants have had some leaf curling but no long term damage. I do keep the ground mulched and during the high temps I irrigate every day with drip irrigation. The temperature is also normally at least 30 degrees cooler at night so that helps with mountain clumpers.

Bill

thanks for your answers folks

I will need help in I.d. too, as far as I know I have an B. Oldhamii boo, but I took a look on it and it seems to have too large leaves to be an oldhamii, what do you think is an oldhamii or what B. specie do I have?

{{gwi:423121}}

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At it side you can see my new adquisition golden bamboo (9ft) and one old friend my buddha's belly

nobody answer? :(

well in the meantime, I will post another Question;

my D. strictus and D. Callostachyus seedlings are 1ft long now, all of them are just one big and very thin culm, i was wonderig how much time I need to wait for the second culm to appear.

I've seen seedlings of 6" long with 2 or 3 culms, and just dont know if that is normal deppending with the type of bamboo, any thoughts?

I have both strictus & calostachyus seedlings and, yes they were thin and spindly for the 1st few months. Eventually they should send up gradually bigger & bigger shoots. Then all of a sudden (during the 2nd year) they surprise you. :)

do you have big dendros in Zone 4b??

Ha ha, I wish! My Dendro's took a real beating digging them up to bring in the house for winter. How's that for a boo-nut? This morning got down to 5*F/-15C so my tropical season is now officially over.

Hey steelhorse. Back to your question of Oldhamii, I am only a boo enthusiast not an expert but, I have 3 Olhamiis and thier leaves look like yours.

thuja, that's what I can call a real boo-nut ;) , I remember chating with you in another thread about dendros strictus and Callos, yesterday I repot the biggest dendros (8 of 15) from a 2"x4" pot to a 9"x9" ceramic pot.

temp. here is 75*f but getting lower everyday. nights are in the high 50's marks.

serenityinbamboo, thanks I think its an oldhamii too.