Leaves weighing down bamboo culms

[cngodles]

One of my second year shoots is being heavily weighed down by it's new leaves. It's super leafed out. Anything I can do?: Should I just let it be?

As of now, I'll just let it be, let it be.

[Mark Meckes]

This reminds me of the Beatle song ...
When I find myself in times of trouble ...
.... There will be an answer, let it be. ;)

Well, this is the nature of bamboo, and some species have this behavour more then others.
Phyllostachys species can do this big time, (some sp. more than others). especially with younger culms that haven't become deep rooted.
There seems to be an ulterior motive for this happening too, or at least in a natural setting it can help a bamboo secure a place in the landscape.
What I mean is that on the second year of a young culms life it can produce a flush of new leaves which can weigh down the culm causing it to bend outward. New shoots can then rise up through and behind these bent over culms, while these arching culms expand the scope of their territory and help to suppress other 'weeds' .

Sometimes with a new planting, if the growing conditions in it's new home are ideal, and/or if the planting has not produced enough new shoots to consume all the nutrients the plant is drawing up, it may instead divert these new-found resources into producing an extraordinary flush of leaf growth.

Options are ...
- cut back some of the upper branch growing tips
- cut off one branch (alternating) per node to reduce the weight load
- tie the culm(s) to stakes (bamboo can be tightly and securely tied without injury to the culm, unlike with a tree which has a continually expanding trunk diameter and can be damaged or killed if tightly staked)
- all of the above
- or let it be, if conditions or aesthics will allow it. :)

Mark

[sasa fool]

I learned to value the leaners in young plantings. If left alone they often times will be buried in snow when the real cold temps hit as we seldom have subzero temps without snow cover. I remember some springs where the only live culms were the leaners that had been buried, so if the leaning bothers me, I'll stake them up but then I let them loose once winter arrives.

[Mark Meckes]

This is the same approach we take for growing the more tender sub/tropical clumpers, (at the fringes of their cold hardiness zone), whereas if the summer shoots arise too late in the autumn, their tops can get frozen, with only the smaller leaners and lower buds on larger culms having any surviving leaves, which provide the sustenance for the following years new shoot growth.

We've been getting some reasonably mild winters lately, which has made me become more brazen about removing the leaners after the new shoots emerge, and cutting off lower branches to expose the beauty of the culms and give more space in the garden.
But I'm anticipating that a cold winter will come along sometime and zap everything down to ground level.
However now that the roots and rhizomes are becoming well established, they should be able to send up new shoots and begin afresh.

This year we've been getting abundant rain, (I heard that we've had as much rain so far this year as we did in the last 2 years combined), and this has led to succulent culms and heavy leaf foliage.
Fortunately Phyllostachys aurea, (our main grove), has a stiff upright growing habit, so no problems, whereas our Phyllostachys nigra has a tendency to arch and bend over and needs to be clipped and/or staked.

Many other plant species in the garden can flop over and become obstacles around garden paths or crowd out other plants.
Bamboo staking, trellises and fencing has become an essential element for maintaining, providing supports and growing more plants in our overcrowded garden.
In fact, I can't imagine how I could garden without having our homegrown bamboo stakes readily available for these purposes.

Mark