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Have I killed my bamboo?

WaysideWayside Posts: 845
in Plants
Picture the unrelenting rain at the beginning of the year.   Picture my bamboo in two pots romping away, sending up new shoots.  Think about the dry spell, and someone too lazy to climb to the top of the garden to water his grasses.  Now picture two pots with dead looking bamboo. 

Will they possibly re-shoot?

Posts

  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    A lot of bamboo roots I've removed over the years are pretty indestructible ; if mine I would cut off all remaining or damaged foliage , and assume there's a 50% chance they'll recover .
    PS What species are they ?
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    edited July 2018
    Sadly I don't know the species, I've been slowly growing clumps from a neighbour that were hard won through heavy hacking.  Small leaf kind.  Bamboo looking is about as best as description as I can give!  About 4ft in pots, but in the ground in the neighbours garden it grows to at least 14ft.
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    There isn't much sign of life left on the top.

    I did buy a pot with some dried out bamboo and a small shoot for 50p from a charity shop, and that's done really well, so I figure some of them do bounce back.
  • PlantOverlordPlantOverlord Posts: 9
    This has happened to me before. Give it a few months. Bamboo can spend a long time looking dead but not being dead. The buds can take a while to appear but keep an eye on the base (that was where I noticed my bamboo starting to revive).
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    @PlantOverlord should I cut back to the base then?
  • PlantOverlordPlantOverlord Posts: 9
    I never did. Some of the buds appeared on the cane whereas there were also a few shoots from the ground. I'd give the cane a chance to come back.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Yes , take off all stems completely ; stem regeneration should hopefully occur from the base .
    August on Wednesday ; hope they make a bit of growth prior to autumn .Good luck !
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    edited July 2018
    August on Wednesday!  What a downer.  I could always throw them in the greenhouse late in the year.  It's usually pretty warm here in the SE even in to November.  Moisture is my current worry, we've finally had a day and a half of rain, but it soon disappears here on chalk.
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