Bamboo gone soft...help?

[JGcalifornia]

Hello, just discovered this site, I LOVE IT!! Thank you for being here!!
I recently cut some stalks of my Giant Timber garden, to use as support for some sagging shelves that I had. I cut multiple pieces about 2 feet tall, and it worked amazingly for about a week, and then, sad bamboo ;(. Got soft, shrunk, and its now looking like someone sucked the life out of each piece with a straw...What did I do wrong?
thank you!!

[CaroleMeckes]

Hello and Wel'culm' to the Bamboo Forums.
The piece of bamboo that you cut probably grew this year and is not ready to support any weight because it has not developed strength yet.

kinda like a new baby who could not hold him or her self up yet...

Try cutting a more mature piece and I bet it will not sag.
Carole

[JGcalifornia]

ok, thank you!
When you say "mature", is that defined as months, weeks, a year? I was trying not to cut the pieces that have been here the longest, I guess out of respect.....weird maybe, i know...
So, there is no treating, or curing process?

[CaroleMeckes]

"years"

The oldest culms are the ones to cut - as they are in their prime and will decline if left there longer.

Do you have any canes on your plant that are no longer green?

Do you know which species you have growing?

Carole

[JGcalifornia]

can i send you a picture???

[CaroleMeckes]

try posting a picture as an attachment (scroll down in the reply screen to: Manage Attachments)
Carole

[JGcalifornia]

got it, thanks. heres some pics!

[CaroleMeckes]

All the canes look young - how long have you had this plant in the ground?
Carole

[stevelau1911]

looking at the last picture, it looks like the cane you cut still had the sheaths on it so it was probably only a couple months old. Bamboo only get strong enough after 1 year, max out at 5.

[JGcalifornia]

i rescues this bamboo from a nursery that was going out of business. it had 2 tiny stalks on it about 2 feet high. This was 5 years ago.

[CaroleMeckes]

It does not look like Bambusa oldhamii because the leaves seem different from oldhamii.

If it is 5 years old there should be some canes that would be good to harvest.
Study the colors of the culms - the lighter colored canes are older.

Carole

[stevelau1911]

5 years with 17 culms with 6 new shoots means you've been cutting out the older canes right? I don't see any that are smaller or look older.

[JGcalifornia]

So if not Bambusa oldhamii, any thoughts? So i should only cut the lighter ones, and all the way from the ground? What about all the shoot offs coming off the cane I cut.. am I killing those?

[CaroleMeckes]

It looks like the cane you cut is growing new branches. You could leave it - but is will not become a big cane.

Culms are best cut as flush to the ground as possible.

The second culm on the left side of the screen looks a different color from the others. Is it older?

Carole

[stevelau1911]

It looks like it could be Bambusa odashimae.

[JGcalifornia]

their all from that same "rescue" plant, so around the same age...I think once it got the nutition and love it needed, it just went nuts! I also throw used coffee grounds in thee about once a week, so theres new ones everywhere...

[JGcalifornia]

5 years with 17 culms with 6 new shoots means you've been cutting out the older canes right? I don't see any that are smaller or look older.

I havent cut much

[JGcalifornia]

forgot to show this pic, i like this one.

[stevelau1911]

I havent cut much

23 culms+shoots means your bamboo hasn't really spread out much at all in 5 years which is a good thing because you don't have to control it.
Newly planted running bamboos will spread to way more than a 3-4ft diameter area in one season. I wished I could get a giant tropical clumper to grow here.

[JGcalifornia]

Im actually someone who would not mind being taken over by bamboo. I hear this from people all the time, how they wont plant any, because of it "taking over". I wasnt sure if this was running or not, but clearly, its a clumper!
Its the nicest thing to wake up to, and now so healthy!

[stevelau1911]

A lot of people don't mind bamboo taking over their yard, but their neighbors might complain about it coming up all the time, and ruining their garden. The only reason I grow runners only is because they are the only kind that can get pretty big, size up/spread fast, and cold hardy.

A clumper is a good choice for your area.

[JGcalifornia]

honestly, i thought this was Giant Timber, and i didnt know that was a clumper, im not sure anymore...It has gotten so tall, and seems to be finally doing more than well on its own, now that its not sick....i did want to cut some culms off, and use them for stuff, and I know you guys said to cut the oldest ones first, which would appear lighter in color...I think my hesitance is not wanting to "kill" the ones growing off the ones I cut....What should i do with all the little shoot offs, some of them are quite big??

[stevelau1911]

Your whole bamboo plant is interconnected so if you cut off an old culm which appears to have a shoot on the side, other culms will provide energy for it, so no, you will not be killing your emerging shoots.