moso

[Adam-uk]

I've finally planted out my large (18ft) Moso, but have a question, last year it put out a load of small 2-4ft culms I guess due to being pot bound i its 130L tub and not having ideal growing conditions. Do you think i should remove these or leave them on until the plant is more established?
All ready there is a new shoot just under 1" in diameter bursting through the mulch, so I'm guessing that's gonna be bigger than 4ft, but the small shoots from last year are very dense and i don't want them smothering these bigger canes(plus they detract from the appearance), on the other hand I understand these canes maybe the driving force behind the new canes this year.

[Streetman_Buddy]

Don't do any trimming on a new planting unless the culm is dead. This is how the plant gets it's energy.
Let it continue to size up for a couple of years!
Bud

[mary ann]

Bud is correct.

Leave all growth (even the scraggly or ugly) for at least the first 3 years to help the plant get fully established and provide maximum energy for developing rhizomes. This is even more important for Moso than some other varieties since Moso is harder to get established.

Mary Ann

[Roy]

Bud is correct.

Leave all growth (even the scraggly or ugly) for at least the first 3 years to help the plant get fully established and provide maximum energy for developing rhizomes. This is even more important for Moso than some other varieties since Moso is harder to get established.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann,

What is there about Moso that seems to make it difficult to grow in most parts of the USA, when in China it flourishes?

[johnfe]

Moso is different in that it stores almost all its energy in the culms rather than in the rhizomes, so you can't cut it back like others. It's a very old form of bamboo, or so I've been told...

However, despite it's reputation as hard to establish and less aggressive growth than other runners, I've had really great growth out of my moso. Got a small pot, 2 gal. maybe, from Bamboo Farm in Sav. GA, set out in 1997, and it began shooting within weeks, and in three years was at about 75 nice culms. Its shooting is highly variable from year to year, sometime seems to alternate or cycle, but it puts up on average 15 shoots per year. This was a good year, with nearly 40 active shoots, most of them 2" to 3" diameter! Has expanded its range to about 25' radius from the original site, so it's making a nice grove.

I'm in southeast Georgia, zone 8b, about 40 miles inland, sandy soil, warm winters, hot humid summers, usually good rainfall, tho off the last 5 years so I water pretty frequently.

[john voss]

john evans, please expand on this rhizome energy versus culm energy idea.can you cite a source? thanks

[rfgpitt]

john evans, please expand on this rhizome energy versus culm energy idea.can you cite a source? thanks

I remember reading about this too, but never found a source or the study. Here is a previous post with a little bit of info in it:
Moso energy stores

[johnfe]

The most authoritative source I can muster is Mike Turner, Mariettta SC - he was an officer of SE Chap. of ABS... my info comes from an old article in SEChap newsletter (2001) - he seems very knowledgeable about moso, and his advice has been true in my experience of 10 yrs. growing moso.

He could probably give you background... MKTurner I think he goes by.

=John

[foxd]

I have my doubts about the idea that MOSO stores its energy in the culms rather than its rhizomes. I think it is more a case that MOSO shoots earlier in the Spring and is more like to lose its culms from a cold snap in cooler climates.

I've been watching the shoots from my MOSO seedlings. They got top killed in the winter, yet have energy to put up shoots the same size or larger than last years. If the energy were stored in the culms and the culms were topped killed, they shouldn't have the energy to do this.

[johnfe]

foxd: "MOSO shoots earlier in the Spring and is more like to lose its culms from a cold snap in cooler climates."

This is certainly true. It also has the interesting adaptive mechanisms of alternate shooting and second wave shooting to help it cope with it's early shooting habit. I've only lost moso shoots once in ten years, mainly 'cuz it hardly ever freezes here, but moso does have that second wave that comes up and takes over if the first is killed. They mostly just abort if the first wave survives. The alternate year thing gives those culms that get whacked an extra year to catch up. So that might explain how they survive the top kill.

Mike says that the alternate shooting corresponds with alternate leaf replacement on the culms - the ones that are supporting new shoots keep their leaves, the ones that are not drop all their leaves and re-leaf during the shooting season. He's been observing moso for a long time, including the famous Anderson SC grove, which reportedly produced the largest bamboo in the US.

I'm not an expert on this, but I'll try to find out more from those who are.
I have read other places not to clearcut moso due to it's peculiar storage strategy, but can't remember where that was...

[digiteye]

Hi, recently I have found an online shop selling Moso seeds... not too expensive, yet I wonder if its true or fake.
Does anyone have experience with growing Moso from seeds? If so please share your info! Thanks, much appreciated!

[Roy]

Hi, recently I have found an online shop selling Moso seeds... not too expensive, yet I wonder if its true or fake.
Does anyone have experience with growing Moso from seeds? If so please share your info! Thanks, much appreciated!

Even though you live in Hungary, the long arm of Uncle Sam is far reaching. Forum members in the USA might not want to reply to your request for information. Read this thread:

http://bambooweb.info/bb/viewtopic.php?p=25682#25682

[digiteye]

Forum members in the USA might not want to reply to your request for information.

Hmm... why? I don't really get it... Anything wrong with someone loving bamboo in Hungary?
Anyways, thanks for the link.

[digiteye]

Holy crap, I have never thought this was such a hot issue...

Well, the seeds I was referring to were from a Hungarian online shop, they wont cross any border (hopefully also wont attack the post officer).

What I am interested in is the technicality of growing a Moso from a seed. I think one can obtain seeds legally in the US, right? If so, I can't see why my question shall not be answered...

Btw, how to disable this spell check? It gives me head ache - I try my best to phrase correct sentences, yet this thingy pops up all the time...Thx

[Roy]

Holy crap, I have never thought this was such a hot issue...

Well, the seeds I was referring to were from a Hungarian online shop, they wont cross any border (hopefully also wont attack the post officer).

What I am interested in is the technicality of growing a Moso from a seed. I think one can obtain seeds legally in the US, right? If so, I can't see why my question shall not be answered...

Btw, how to disable this spell check? It gives me head ache - I try my best to phrase correct sentences, yet this thingy pops up all the time...Thx

Some have had some experiences with buying on-line bamboo seeds. Mostly bad experiences; such as not getting the species of seed they though they were buying.

I don't know of anyone who is buying moso seed in the USA legally. Could be, but I'll let them answer that question for you.

And yes, some have been growing moso from seed and may be willing to share their experiences on-line. I do not have the climatic conditions to successfully grow moso.

Nothing wrong with getting a little Hungarian moso. But before I would buy any moso seeds, from anyone (Hungarian or not), I would make the person tell me where they are getting the moso seed from. Most, but not all, bamboo seeds you buy on-line are not the variety stated. I don't know how this translate into Hungarian, but we have a saying: "Buyer Beware!" But if it's cheap, you got money, and especially time to burn, then give it a whirl (try).

The dictionary is your friend. Learn to love and respect it.