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Post by isabella on Oct 13, 2009 19:11:12 GMT
A few months ago I bought a pot of Black Bamboo- I kept it in a pot and put it by the fence down the garden.Unbeknown to me my neighbours had moved their barbeque near the fence and the consequence was that the bamboo got scorched  I thought it was dead so cut the stems off but didn't want to throw it away and just kept it watered. I was really pleased a few weeks later to see green shopots appearing where the shoots had been cut off.Then I was puzzled because these new shoots seem to be producing flowers and the stems look more like grass than bamboo  I am really puzzled  |
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Post by JennyWrenn on Oct 13, 2009 19:29:38 GMT
I've had a black bamboo for number of years and never seen it flower
Dont forget if you put it in the garden it will "travel" so best to keep it contained with some ground cover matting or similar
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Post by isabella on Oct 13, 2009 19:54:21 GMT
I have always understood that if a Bamboo flowers it dies |
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 13, 2009 20:58:31 GMT
The new growth does look like grass but it is your Bamboo regrowing. I took a root cutting from work home in an old compost back, left in the bag for ages but kept watering it and thought it was grass growing too at first - it was loads of new growth though! I don't know about the flowers though as I've never seen any but it will be interesting to see what happens, Isabella!  |
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Post by Tig on Oct 13, 2009 22:45:01 GMT
How exciting! I thought bamboo very rarely 'flowered', so it could have been the stress of the scorching? I really wanted a black bamboo for ages, but had doubts about the size of container I would need to get a decent plant and still 'contain' its growth The number of times one has been almost at the GC checkout, and then got put back beggars belief! From what I have read they can die after flowering, but it is not a given. Just don't feed it while it is in flower as I believe that can be the kiss of death! And evidently, if the seed is collected as soon as it is ripe and surface sown at 20c in damp compost (kept damp) they can germinate quite quickly ;D Good luck with it x Tig |
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Post by Ladygardener on Oct 14, 2009 18:52:12 GMT
Tig that's great news that they don't all die. I do hope it does'nt die Isabella, I've heard that they die after flowering too. Wasn't there something about them flowering and then dying all over the country a couple of years ago. |
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Post by isabella on Oct 15, 2009 15:16:33 GMT
Thanks very much for your thoughts everyone I will let you know what happens to it I am pleased I didn't pay full price for it which was about £40.00  I bought it reduced to £16.00 and got my staff discount off as well |
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Post by Chuckles on Oct 16, 2009 8:31:24 GMT
Looks like you have some nice young bamboos there Isabella. I never knew they flowered, learn something new everyday ;D
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Post by Dutchy on Mar 17, 2010 10:21:12 GMT
Flowering is the last thing a bamboo does and then it takes ages to get to that state of being big again as it starts from scratch ( seed and some real young roots ) So how is the black bamboo ? My neighbours have a black bamboo still 8 meter tall and I haven't seen any flowers on those but they might do so this year. Once a certain bamboo flowers in one spot it does so all over the world. Funny plants. Which might be why the Panda is such a rare creature as it needs the bamboo to live and when all around it dies it needs to migrate but there are too many Chinese in the way  |
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I thought it was dead so cut the stems off but didn't want to throw it away and just kept it watered. I was really pleased a few weeks later to see green shopots appearing where the shoots had been cut off.Then I was puzzled because these new shoots seem to be producing flowers and the stems look more like grass than bamboo 
