I would keep the Moso seeding out of direct sun completely, esp with that much browning. Bright shade, at most.

Nice work on the dolly.

But why the $$wheels/dolly when you could wheel the half-barrel around on your hand truck? I use my hand truck to wheel around 27-gal (half-barrel) HDPE containers full of dirt, darn heavy, strapping the container to the dolly with a ratcheting motorocycle tie-down.

Kurt, be careful with overwatering your seedling. I am pretty sure that all of the container bamboo I've killed has been the result of up-potting too large/quick and then the soil never fully dried out between waterings and the bamboo rotted in the large containers where I believe that it would have been better to keep them in small pots that dried out between H2O's. I can't say if your brown leaves are from overwatering or too much full sun but it could be either one so it looks like you moved it to the shade but watch the water.

I think that the conventional advice on watering here in the forum is often too much! Leaves curl when they need water but they also curl just the same when they are in too much water. I've never killed a container bamboo from letting it get too dry, but as I said above, I've killed a few by too much water.

Yesterday my Bambusa Burmanica was curled up pretty tight but I literally saw the leaves unroll as I watered the pot - within 30 seconds the leaves started unrolling. I lean towards the dry side for them...

Kurt, I thought maybe you had pictures of cloned sheep & cloned bamboo for us. Wow, those are some wheels! I made a similar barrel (pix in the gallery) but the wheels are much smaller. I plan to keep mine on the deck or concrete, so rolling it around should work ok. Yours is the all-terrain, Hummer version.

I have used a hand truck to move whiskey barrels and I end up with the soil dumping out when I hit a bump because I need to tilt it back so far. I guess if you have a root-bound bamboo it wouldn't be a problem. Maybe those plastic barrels are a bit narrower so moving them is easier?

Ditto what Hoosier said about watering. I'd be more apt to recommend lots of sun and infrequent waterings assuming your Moso is acclimated to full sun. I have 3 Mosos planted outside in the ground in full sun and they are going to town. One would think the ground is like an infinite pot but my theory is that there is wicking action going on outdoors that doesn't happen in a pot. Anyway, if my Mosos keep going as well as they are this summer I'll have something to send you if yours doesn't do much.

kurt-
Well, it looks like it's alive, but definitely struggling. I was wondering if it might be helpful if you got a $5 moisture meter to monitor just how wet you keep this. I'm presuming this is one that I sent you, and I can say that its brothers and sisters have not had a problem like this. I let mine sit out in pots in the Seattle winter and rain and they're doing fine, but they are also much more established. Here's a picture of one of them:

{{gwi:420278}}

I grew Mosa from seed two winters back. Mine look about like yours Kudzu. They are in 2 or 3 gallon plastic nursery pots and I have 'em in the shade where they get dappled light at best. The mature clumps I've seen grow fairly thick so I guessed that seedlings would be adapted more towards shade than sun.
I plan on planting out the larger plants this coming March/April.
Oh and if anything mine stay on the dry side. I have mucho potted plants, all awaiting planting up in Ms., and if it doesn't rain then they get watering nearly daily. In this La. heat those pots dry out fast.

HA!!! Love the silver bricks ;o)

Mike

I just transplanted some P. Rubromarginata from a half-barrel pot like that one into a large plastic pot over the weekend. I noticed that the tip of one of the rhizomes was stuck in a crack in the boards that the pot is made of. This is probably nothing for you to worry about anytime soon, but keep it in mind for the long term.

The wheels were free...I got them from work....the browning on the Moso was from me having it in the green house here at work. I think it was getting too hot. thats why i brought it home. where it sits right now gets almost no sun directly...maybe an hour of early sun. Kudzu, i am hoping mine will bounce back and look like yours soon. it is showing signs of improvement since it has been home. It is a bit ugly.....I'll watch the watering.

Hmm... Arrow, huh? Kurt, I might need to try that. I hadn't thought to try growing it here, but now I wonder...

Mike if you want some..NP...I took a look at them this morning. they seem to be doing OK..I'll keep you posted as to their condition as time goes on. My first effort at potting some bamboo. Only time will tell.

hello
imho moso likes high humidity that we have in the se usa..i am growing moso that started as seed by way of lousianna...i put mine in the ground in feb and all the leaves turned brown..i increased the water with a drip system and they doubled there culms and are real thick now and back to the height they was when i first planted them...young moso does not like bright sun...after a few years 3+ they do from my understanding...kudzu idea of a moisture meter sounds like a great idea..i am in the mtns of tn and i question if my moso will make it..anything north of me id say its going to be a tough one to make it

question....how do i put a picture in like you all did?

Here is a link that might be useful: east coast bamboo group

Hmmm...might explain why my moso seedlings are suffering right now too. They had been under the deep shade of a large oak until about 6 weeks ago when a storm forced us to cut most of it down. Now the majority are browning and not looking so well.

Maybe time to move them to a new location...

Chele, I will tell you how to post pics in here if you promise not to promote your yahoo group in here. I think we all know by now that you own the east coast group. No offense intended....there are many others in here who post here but they don't try and promote their own wares,goods,services. It is part of Gardenweb's policy but i think it's a common courtesy. Feel free if you want to discuss this further email me out of the forum.

Kurt

Kurt, thanks for the Arrow offer. If I can try Moso I might as well try Arrow too.

I guess you'll have to folow your "green thumb" instincts when it comes to growing your baby Moso. My seedlings are growing out in full sun here in Wisconsin @ 43*N. I'll post a couple pix in the gallery.

Lately Mike i feel my
"green' thumb instincts are more similar to my moso leaves....for us growing Moso or trying it....i figured something like what i made will work for me. At least i feel i can give it a fighting chance by bringing it in, and getting it in will be a bit easier on my back... The arrow pots are looking a bit dried...leaves...but the soil is moist to the touch so i'm leaving them as is for now. i don't want to flood them. It's funny, having a green thumb with most landscape/houseplants definitely doesn't mean it will cover bamboo. It appears to be such a different plant...as far as how it reacts....seasons/growth habits and such. It can be a bit humbling. Even after a couple of seasons spending time in here. I am certainly no expert.

Kurt

Moved several hundred Moso seedlings to the shade of a few oak trees today. Immediately they responded with leaves opening up. Hoping in the weeks to come they will appreciate this and return to the vibrant green such as in Kudzu's pic above.