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what is happening to my red margin bamboo

18 years ago

I bought two five gallon red margin bamboo plants and planted them mid april. they lost most of their leaves and are now starting to slowly replace them. one plant looks normal with single leaves or stems starting to extend but the other one has literally exploded with clusters of multiple leaves or stems, from what would be a single growth on the "normal" plant. The normal plant also has some roots on the surface of the soil should I add some top soil to these tiny exposed roots. Could it be that the plant with the clusters forming is just in a better spot and better established than the normal one. I also wondered it this plant is possibly flowering and maybe that is what is forming. any ideas

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Comments (3)

hoosier52
18 years ago
Was the one with the 'clusters' of leaves topped and the normal one not topped, or is it possible that one suffered top killing damage while the other did not? When topped, a culm will often compensate the reduction in leaf mass by producing a flush of leaves on the buds on the remaining branches - buds which usually stay dormant until a later year. This same thing occurs when the culm has been injured or 'topped' by winter, varments etc. and the remaining viable buds go off.

Or restated, is the normal culm producing leaves all the way to the top of the culm while the cluster culm isn't?
cyberjets
18 years ago
I don't think It's flowering. I also have red margin here
In georgia. It prefers full sun, make sure you water it
the first year. If the leaves curl it needs water. My
plants took about 4 or 5 years, to put out the big shoots.
3" and 4" in dimeter and 30 to 40 feet tall. Also don't
forget " The first year they sleep, the second year they
creep, the third year they leap"
(don't forget to mulch, they love leaf mold) :)
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erm1981
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you have 4" diameter rubromarginata? I only thought they could get 3 - 3.25 inches? Would love to see some pics of them if possible?

thanks,
Evan

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