Moso loves heat, what it doesn't like is a low relative humidity combined with that heat (Anderson, SC often gets summer high temps over 100F). When grown in hot, low RH conditions, its upper leaves tend to stay curled throughout the heat of the day. When the leaves are curled, there is little photosynthesis going on, and that is what is needed to produce large culms. During summer dry spells with its attendant lower RH, I have watched the leves in the upper canopy of my moso groves curl when the sun is out and then uncurl several minutes after the sun goes behind a cloud, then quickly curl again when the sun comes back out. Your best hope for growing large diameter moso in CA is to find a location in the midst of a forest of trees where their transpiration serves to raise the local RH. This is how Prafrance in southern France manages to grow large moso in a mediterranian climate. Plant it smack in the middle of 28 acres of bamboo with a few streams and ponds scattered throughout. You may want to carry a hygrometer with you as you search for the perfect spot.

i have recently been aquiring and growing various types of bamboo and done research for several weeks now. but one thing i can;t seem to find is a Relatively Close estimation on average rainfall in the native climate of Moso Bamboo. actually now that i think of it i could just look up the location of groves in china and then look at the rain fall in that area. ok but on to the next topic. RESPONCE @ kudzu9: Like Mike_Marietta_SC_z8a had said, those could be 2 reasons, another reason is when you perchase moso from a supplier such as Lewis Bamboo, they trip the bamboo top to fit it to the box. i buy most of my bamboo from them, if you get 3 gallon sizes and up the tops will be trimmed. trippimg the top greatly hinders Moso and other giant bamboos. when the shoots grow, as previously stated in this thread, the shoots will basically syphon vital exsessive nutrients from the neighboring culms. so when you order bamboo that has had the culms trimmed but the rhizomes are still large and will be producing large shoots, then the new shoots will not be able to syphon the much needed nutrients from the other culms. so if you grow bamboo from seeds then they should not be trimmed, also as previously stated any damage to the root systems will also greatly hinder the transfer of nutrients. then the roots take damage or are bent it's like kinking a water hose that feeds the new shoots. this also is regretably a more then likely happening from ordering bamboos. for both reasons i'd recommend buying either 2 gallon sizes or buying them as seeds from a reliable source. GROWTH RATE: from what i have gathered most bamboos Culms grow +30% in hight each year and the rhizomes can grow anywhere from 2-5 feet a year depending on conditions. also the rhizomes have 2 "rumors" as to how far out they can grow which i can't seem to disprove one or the other as of yet. 1 rumor is they can grow as far out as the tallest current Culm. the other rumor is they can grow indeffinately depending on soil conditions and as long as the newer culms increase in size. So say the "source Point" of your bamboo has a culm of 80' high, then the rhizome can grow up to 80' from that spot; however say down that rhizome about 20 feet away from the source location there is a newer 80' tall culm. then that new culm can have up to another 80' away from it. so it could grow 100' from the plant site at that point, and so on. Finally: i live in the houston texas area and will be growing a japanese / tropical styled grove. so far i'm planning on using "Weavers Bamboo" for the primary walls around this 1-2 acre grove, with Nigra Black in the corners, with Moso and Giant Grey Henon throughout. i was also considering adding Windmills and Blue Palms inside near an elaborate bamboo, shishi odoshi styled fountain and underground irrigation systems invovling soaker hoses, if anyone else can think of some black, jade, or rich dark green colored plants, then please toss me an email. hopefully i'll have this grove up and running in a few years in which case anyone would be welcome to visit the grove.

poaky1- Yes, the roll is 24" wide. I typically dig a trench 20"-22" deep so that I have a couple of inches sticking up above ground level. I've never had rhizomes penetrate the barrier. However, I have had a couple that hopped over a low barrier where built-up dirt and leaves hid that fact. However, the reality is that an occasional rhizome escaping this way is no big deal: I just dig it up when I see it. It might be a big deal if I ignored it for five years... ;-) It seems to me that a lot of people are irrationally fearful of bamboo invasiveness. Of course, if you let running bamboo go un-contained and un-maintained for 5 years or more it can cause a lot of work by the time you realize you've got to get it under control. However, containing it from the beginning and dealing with the possibility of an escapee is a non-issue, in my opinion. Just because a rhizome escapes doesn't mean that disaster has struck....

I planted a hydrangea tree in a large container last spring and decided to move the container to the garage during the winter as per recommendations I read online and on GW. It has been a very mild winter for us with temps above seasonal (above freezing). Zone 6a/b southern Ontario. To say this has been an off winter is an understatement. The buds have opened up and small leaves are growing. Due to limited light they are very pale green/white. I'm not sure what to do... keep it indoors to bring it outside? They are forecasting daytime highs of 23-37 F over the next 2 weeks, and nighttime lows of 9 to 30 F. Thanks