Clumpers on the move!

[Mark Meckes]

Is the grass greener on the other side of the fence?
In it's 4th year from planting, this Bambusa oldhamii thinks so ...

Howdy Neighbor!
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/505/thumbs/B-oldhamiiATX050807-879.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=1316) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/505/thumbs/B-oldhamiiATX050807-881.jpg See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=1317)

This neighbor is thrilled!
- We own both sides of the fence.
- Planted too close to the house, at 3M/10ft distance, it is wandering away in the right direction.

[stevelau1911]

Your neighbor must be fortunate to have it growing in to their yard. My neighbors keep asking me to get a piece of my bamboo, but they are still only 3 months planted, far from transplantable.

[CaroleMeckes]

Mark ended up moving the fence so the Bambusa oldhamii would have more room. I'll take a picture soon and post it.

This particular oldhamii is from a cutting that I started about 1995 or 1996.
At that point - I did not know that one could propagate any bamboo from the culm cutting - since I was newer to bamboo then. One of the bamboo folks told me it would work and gave me a cutting at a Texas Bamboo Society meeting and he was correct!

It has certainly grown as you can see from this picture taken in April 2007:
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/505/thumbs/BoldAuTX070425-7699.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=4006)
About this picture: Mark had used the ladder to climb up to the top of the plant, (not something that I highly recommend doing) so that he could prune out the dead branches at the top. He had an old tarp bungied to the top of the ladder so that it would lean against the plant as a cushion at the top.
The tarp is still on the top of the ladder as I can barely lift and move the ladder by myself.....
Carole

[Dean W.]

Carole, I will see how my Bambusa oldhamii fairs this winter. It is probally over 20' tall now. Fast growing with plenty of water and fertilizer. Hopefully I will not have to prune the top like, Mark, did.