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Bamboo Dying

KiredoryorKiredoryor Posts: 7
in Problem solving

My father planted bamboo brought from his family home some 55 years ago. I do not know the variety. He and I have since split up clumps to make large barriers, borders and backdrops all of which have multiplied over the years. They represent a very significant part of the flora in our garden and wood.

Last year they all flowered and looked very poorly. I can see no new growth this year. Is that it? Am I just left with, probably several million, bamboo canes or will there be any regrowth from the root stock?

I've tried to upload an image of the bamboo but the GW uploader seems not to be operating at the moment!

Posts

  • Emma CrawforthEmma Crawforth Posts: 264

    Hello Kiredoryor,

    I am sorry to say that is a strange part of the biology of bamboo that it tends to flower en masse (after decades of growth) and then die. In the wild, the flowers that were produced will become seeds that drop on the ground and sprout into seedlings. I have heard that bamboo does not always die after flowering, but unfortunately it usually does.

    I do hope you have some life left as your garden does sound spectacular.

    Emma

    gardenersworld.com team

  • KiredoryorKiredoryor Posts: 7

    Thanks for that Emma. We do seem to have some seeds formed so may be able to persuade some to germinate.

  • happymarionhappymarion Posts: 4,591

    Some ten years ago my spread of bamboo all flowered at once and I thought that was that as I knew they then died but not at all. I now have a thicket again eevery bit as lovely as the original.  You just need to wait.

  • KiredoryorKiredoryor Posts: 7
    Well that certainly is encouraging; it seemed as if we were doomed to a bambooless garden. After your bamboo flowered did it all die the next year, as ours has done, or did you get leaves appearing on exising canes. In other words do you know if your new bamboo grew from seed, on existing canes or from the existing roots?
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