For those growing clumpers, what is your heat zone...

16 years ago

We all know about the USDA cold hardiness zones (zone 8 for me), but the AHS has released a heat hardiness zone mapping. For thos of ya'll growing clumpers, please state the particular bamboo you are growing and your corresponding heat zone. You can include the cold zone, but please sure to specify which is which.

I'm going to use this information and compile a list of bamboo and their hardiness (both hot and cold).

For example Chusquea gigantea can easily survive during the winters for zone 7+ because of its cold hardiness. But any place located where the heat zone is 7+, the Chusquea gigantea dies during the summer.

http://www.ahs.org/publications/heat_zone_map.htm

Taku

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Comments (15)

tcstoehr
16 years ago
Zone 8 (Canby, OR 97013, south of Portland, north of Salem)
Fargesia Nitida
Fargesia Robusta
takumaku
Original Author
16 years ago
Tcstoehr,
Canby OR 97013 is cold hardiness zone: 8, but heat zone: 4 5. I need the latter information.
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I have a small list, it was a lot longer until Mother Nature did enough "thinning" in the orchard. I am in USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 15/16. I have a long growing season but not enough heat units due to the proximity to an ocean whose coastal waters remains stubbornly below 60F. The ocean moderates temps so that most of the time we are freeze free but we get the occasional freeze. We are mild yet chilly, with anywhere from 600 hours of chill on an unusually warm year to as much as 1200 hours on those unusually cold years. I push the hardiness envelope with cherimoya, ice cream bean, tree tomatoes, lucumas, passion fruit and mountain papayas. These are all so called "Lost Crops of the Incas", they do well here except when we get temperatures that dip below freezing. Most of these trees are growing next to the house under the eaves or under big evergreen coastal oaks that provide overhead protection. I push both the hardiness and the lack of heat envelope with bananas and tropical guavas. I've only managed to get bananas to fruit here once, but the tropical guavas produce every year, they seem a bit more reliable. Most things that require chill seem happy here, including pretty much all cherries. Out of the 450 or so varieties of apples I grow, I have three varieties that aren't happy due to lack of chiil, they are French cider apples: "Bedans des pars", "Noel des Champs" and "Reinette D'armorique". I'm pretty stubborn, so I will re-graft these onto trees that are fully shaded for the Winter months, which significantly increases the chill accumulation. The bottom line is that there are lots of things one can do to push the envelope. The right spot on the south side of the house can give a full zone addition. THe right spot on the north side of the house can do the opposite and simulate a colder zone. In our transition climate, such things make a really big difference. My southwest facing patio can often reach the 70's on a sunny Winter day when the rest of the garden is barely peaking above 55F. Areas in full sun might top around 600 hours of chill when the fully shaded areas get up to 1200 hours. Lack of Summer heat can be overcome with an inexpensive impermanent plastic tunnel. In Northern zones that could make the difference in ripening figs for example. Things that have failed here and that I won't be attempting anymore include a plethora of tropical fruits like mangos, starfruit, longans and lychees, all of which don't even put on growth in our cool Summers even though they don't freeze here in the Winter. (I have a jackfruit in the ground that has suived 10 years without ever freezing but it put on a total of three leaves in that time.) A number of table grapes don't get enough heat to ripen well here, such as "Muscat of Alexandria". The bottom line is that it's possible to push the envelope with the right location in the garden, but it's also helpful to know one's limitations, because some things aren't worth the frustration and trouble required to get fruit. Of course, one can always get a heated greenhouse.
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hhh, I can give you a little insight on Thamno. Tessellatus as I grow this variety in 7a (SE VA). Your climate doesn't look as severe as mine (per weather underground) so I think you can grow this type with the right siting. The biggest difference being you might need a little more protection during the winter. Note that I wouldn't recommend this type if you're an absentee gardener (unless a water timer is used). They need to be watered and fertilized regularly in the spring/summer to stay strong and beat the heat. My climate >> Summer temps are 85~95 F during the day, 70~75F at night, relatively high humidity most of the time. As for sun exposure, my most exposed plants get 6~8 hrs of direct morning sun with dappled afternoon shade. My hunch is that a full afternoon of southern sun may be too much due to its strength (just speculation). Also my soil is pretty sandy so drainage is good, no standing water. WRT to your question about water/humidity, the key is to view the plant as living in two environments, one above ground (influenced by humidity) and one below ground (influenced by water/moisture levels). In the PNW, summer temperatures don't get as high as in the SE. Warmer air can hold larger amounts of water vapor (humidity) than cooler air. So while plants in the PNW see moderate humidity during the summer (along with high avg rainfall), plants in the SE are swimming in humidity and have to deal with only moderate rainfall (or none like last year). The native habitats of many of the mountain bamboos have similar environments to that of the PNW, so they grow well. But we can do it too :) If you end up getting a TT and have any specific questions, let me know.
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huachuma
16 years ago
takumaku,

My heat zone is "8" (Folsom CA); Cold hardiness is "9a".

I've been growing the following species successfully for approx. four years.

Bambusa oldhamii
Bambusa ventricosa (Buddha's Belly Bamboo)
Bambusa multiplex 'Alphonse Karr'

I've never had any apparent issues with heat and only leaf die-off with cold (this year it dropped down into the mid 20's F at night for nearly a week).

Mike
brie39
16 years ago
I've grown B. oldhamii since 1988 in Santa Cruz, CA with no heat problem whatsoever. Of course we have fairly mild weather. My stand came from one that my cousin got from the 1939 World's Fair. He grew it in Hollywood, CA and gave a portion of it to my parnets in Concord, CA where it grew from the 1960s. Concord can have really high temperatures in summer - in excess of 100. It showed no heat problem in their garden.
sundazing
16 years ago
Heat Zone 6 7; Hardiness Zone 6b. Fargesia Murialae. Partial Shade in moist, organically amended soil. Heat not a real problem. Mine never did this, but if it is overheated, FM will start curling its leaves to save resources and to let you know to act quickly. This winter, however, we bordered on the hardiness with an abnormally cold and windy period. My FM was protected with mulch and foliage covered to protect against cold, dry wind which could be a killer. With this precaution, it was fine and healthy.
tropicallvr
16 years ago
Heat zone between 9 and 6(probally a 8, and many days above 100F). Chusquea gigantea is in it's second year putting up larger than expected culms(neighbors plant in sun looks like a dwarf, but pretty looking.) Have 2 varities of C.culeo, and C. cumnigi that seem to be shooting early which is a good sign, since my neighbors other C.culeo aborts mid summer shoots.
Another closer neighbor has huge clump of H.darampa falconeri that does amazingly well in heat.
mike_marietta_sc_z8a
16 years ago
Marietta, SC (Heat zone 4, cold zone 8a) Bambusa emiensis, B. multiplex, B. textilis, Borinda boliana, B. fungosa, Chusquea culeou, C. gigantea, Fargesia dracocephala rufa, F. nitida, F. robusta, F. utilis, Yushania anceps, Y. maculata
tropicolorado_z5a
16 years ago
North portion of Colorado Springs at 6400 ft elev. Heat zone per AHS query is 4 5. USDA Hardiness is 5a.
I am having excellent success w/ Fargesia murielae. Planted two more last weekend. Never gets over about 97-98F ever here. High 90s for 3-5 weeks total but not usually consecutive.
PS to Mike (huachuma): Oh, my! Mid 20s lows for almost a week ! I had minus teens for a week two or three times this past winter! Regards, Dave
huachuma
16 years ago
Hey tropicolorado,

I did my time! Spent my first 25 years in Minnesota; coldest I ever saw there was -43F (that's not including windchill) ;)

Mike
sundazing
16 years ago
Tropi, how long have you had those Fargesia Murielae and how tall are they now? How tall were they at 3 years? I swear I have a dwarf from a mutant seed here in MD.
tropicolorado_z5a
16 years ago
Mike- Whoa! Yeah- with 25 yrs in Minnesota you can appreciate my situation :) D

sundazing- last year was my first year experimenting after I discovered coldhardy bamboo/bananas. Have appreciated the good info/ideas from these forums. I was happy the Fargesia murielae survived the winter at all. I got 3 gal size, about 36in tall- just recv'd two more a couple weeks ago (Bamboo HQ- wonderful folks). I didn't see any real height increase last year but got some new culms- assumed they were getting adjusted. With some moderate mulching effort they stayed green near ground all winter (-17F and lots more cold weather/blizzards) and are now leafing out even up at last year's tops. I thought I'd have to cut them back but I waited and they began leafing out in mid-March here. I was after the 15 ft height & typical boo fast growth as well but I think I'll just have to be more patient I guess especially given the climate here. How are yours doing overall-greening up,etc?
Regards Dave
sundazing
16 years ago
Hey, Dave, thanks! I moved my response and the discussion to the "Mutant" thread. Check it out!
User
16 years ago
Otatea acuminata aztecorum
Bambusa multiplex
Bambusa textilis

USDA 8b AHS 8

Regards
Chris
User
16 years ago
That should have been AHS 9

Regards
Chris
Otatea acuminata aztecorum
Bambusa multiplex
Bambusa textilis

USDA 8b AHS 9

Regards
Chris
ltalent
16 years ago
Fargesia Rufa in containers
hardiness 7 heat 5

Great idea!

For those growing clumpers, what is your heat zone...

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tcstoehr

takumaku
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For those growing clumpers, what is your heat zone...

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takumakuOriginal Author

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takumaku
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