Taking bamboos from the greenhouse and bringing them inside.

[stevelau1911]

Based on the clear difference in performance of my indoor bamboos compared to in the greenhouse, I'm starting to think that they are better off being kept inside.

I have a P Nigra and a couple of Rufas that have already been dormant in the greenhouse for at least 2 months and bringing them inside to force them to shoot might increase the over-all energy gained from the plants in 2010 since they'll at least increase their foliage in the next 3 months. They aren't getting much sun anyways in the greenhouse since it stays cloudy and snows almost everyday. Has anyone had any negative experiences with doing this?

I don't think they really need 5 months of dormancy. In the greenhouse where it typically ranges from around 29-38F these days with nearly no sunshine and risk of the water barrels freezing I don't think they are very happy. My flourescent bulb also seems to have enough power to attract some leaves turn to it instead of the window.

[needmore]

I think that you are wrong and I would bring fewer into the house, not more. But let me know a few years down your bamboo growing experiments road if I am mistaken about this...growing bamboo is a marathon not a sprint. There is no way in the short amount of time that you've been growing bamboo that you can have reached any real conclusions yet about what does what to encourage performance- you do not have enough data. In time you'll know, but you'll have to be very consistent in your experimentation and have a control group. Short of that you are leaping to conclusions exactly like I did at first!

[Iowaboo]

haha, I remember those times I was naive. 50ft tall bamboo in Iowa, mark my words!!!!!!!!!!

[GrowingHabit]

Well, I can't say as how I've had bamboo in a greenhouse to answer about experience. But the quick positive results you look at now are actually antithetical to longevity of same. I surmise that from the basic biomechanics of how plants function, in general.

[stevelau1911]

I guess it doesn't hurt to wait another 2-3 months to let them shoot in the greenhouse.

Do bamboos inside a greenhouse shoot several weeks earlier than they would being outside?

By March, the increase in daylight and temperatures should raise the soil temperature in the greenhouse even more than back October when when they were still shooting.

[bambootony]

I think that you are wrong and I would bring fewer into the house, not more. But let me know a few years down your bamboo growing experiments road if I am mistaken about this...growing bamboo is a marathon not a sprint. There is no way in the short amount of time that you've been growing bamboo that you can have reached any real conclusions yet about what does what to encourage performance- you do not have enough data. In time you'll know, but you'll have to be very consistent in your experimentation and have a control group. Short of that you are leaping to conclusions exactly like I did at first!

Just for the record, my spectabilis is inside for protection not propagation.
Loosing this species is NOT an option for me.
I got the last one Brad had and I do not know where I would find another....

[needmore]

Steve, they will start shooting much earlier in the ghouse and for me that is problematic so I try to slow them down. I'll watch the weather closely and pull everything out of the ghouse sometime in Feb. I keep it cold enough in there all winter that there is no shock factor, and I'm gambling that the REAL cold is over by the time they are out.

[stevelau1911]

What's wrong with letting them all shoot in the greenhouse?

Shouldn't it still be fine to let them shoot and then take down the greenhouse after the shoots have hardened?

[needmore]

Leaving them in should be fine for you but I start selling plants in March and I have to have everything out of the greenhouse to do that. We will still have several weeks of frost & worse after I drag them out so I can not afford to have anything shooting at that time. Once they start to shoot inside they have to stay until May so for me that is very undesirable.

[stevelau1911]

Night time lows inside the greenhouse have been around 35-40 and highs have been as high as the mid 80s in the last few days and warm weather is supposed to continue. I hope that doesn't mean they're going to shoot in February because there's still a freeze risk in there until the beginning of March. If some of them shoot and then it suddenly gets cold, I might have to bring some in to prevent the shoots from frying. The only thing I can do now is leave the door and windows open, but it still heats up anyways. Soil temperature in there is around 42F.

The test bamboo that I did bring in 8 days ago has already managed to produce 7 shoots, probably more just beneath the soil. This just shows how fast they can shoot with a little bit of heat.

One problem I've started to have with indoor bamboos is that they seem to by drying up and rolling their leaves faster throughout the winter so I've had to start watering fairly frequently.

[bambootony]

Hello Group,
None of my "IN HOUSE" bamboos have shoots except for 1 pot of Sasa.
Lots of re-leaf on my Phyllostachys atrovaginata.
Not much happening on my phy. Nigra.
I have 2 pots of boo that I forgot the name.
I will start a post later when I can post photos to see if Brad can help me out.???
They are both re-leafing well.