In the fall I give my bamboo some 0-10-10, which stimulates rhizome growth but doesn't encourage foliage growth at the wrong time.

what is 0-10-10?

N-P-K
0-10-10 the numbers represent % of nutrient content by weight
by weight it would contain 0% nitrogen 10% phosphorus 10% potassium.
An abundance of nitrogen makes for less hardy new growth and you would do well to avoid stimulating late season growth.

In the fall I would prefer to add a few inches of mulch which will extend the time rhizomes have to grow and moderate moderate the soil temperature as well as slowly decaying returning nutrients to the soil.

I think it was Ron B. who mentioned something to the effect that the availability of salts may perhaps help increase cold hardiness (~lower the plant tissue freezing point) over winter. Well, I probably misinterpreted his post but I am trying some mild fertilizer application this fall.

Also wondering... has it ever been shown that nitrogen application in fall would stimulate new vegetative growth? I tend to think that the plant is "smarter" than that, realizing that it's going into dormancy.

Ah well, if all my stuff dies this winter I'll attribute it not to my cold-season fertilizing but to a malicious secret plot by al-Qaida. ;)

In October of last year I fertilized a P. rubromarginata, a Decora and a Nigra with Miracle Grow 20-20-20 and the only diference that I could see is the Rubro that I fertilized remained upright while the ones that were not fertilized fell under the weight of the snow. The exposed culms were winter killed and the one not fertilized is now over a foot taller than the fertilized plant.
The Decora and the Nigra showed no difference in winter hardiness.

Bill

One botanist told me that liquid fert containing silicon was best for maximizing bamboo resistance to cold.

http://www.first rays.com/fertilizers.htm

OK That's interesting info. I don't want my Rubro getting too rigid over winter. I've never seen fertilizer with soluble silicon but will take a look. Thanks.

I got some from Tradewinds......not affilated in any way...

DynaGrow Protekt

http://www.superiorgrowers.com/product_details.php?id=113&PHPSESSID=ca1b11ade7aa91b366ce50bb4c911c51

Notice results at all yet or too soon to tell? Let us know please.
Thanks
CJ

Well, I went down to the local pot shop and found tons of silica fertilizers/mineral supplements. I couldn't believe my eyes. Anyway, I finally decided on trying one called "Silica Blast" which supposedly contains sodium & potassium silicates. I also got one called "Agri-Mineral 72" with silicon and 72 trace minerals. I'll let you know if anything significant happens in my garden. ;) I told the clerk I am growing bamboo and he seemed incredulous.

Maybe Balco can make us a special "Mix" for fertilizing bamboos...can you imagine Moso on "roids"..

Silica is an important nutrient for plants in the grass family. Grasses use 10 times more of it than do dicot plants. It provides strength to cell walls. Most soils have plenty available except well weathered soils and low pH soils. Sandy soils have the highest availability of this nutrient. Silicate fertilizers are applied in the tropics on rice crops and sugarcane. So if you live in an area that receives a lot of rain, have a low pH soil, or alot of organic material in your soil or in your container grown bamboo it will be necessary to add silicate fertilizer to ensure proper boo nutrition.

Here is a place I go to for my fertilizer which has silica in a liquid concentrate. It's called www.bamboogiant.com and they are full of useful info like ocimum's post.

Here is a link that might be useful: here is the link

I have been web surfing on the question of silica supplying fertilizers.... seems there are several liquid solution Potasium silicate solution based products (mentioned by others Protekt, Silica Blast)which sound interesting but seem very expensive for the content esp. for even smallish clump (10 ft square)
There are also available in the turf grass and agricultural markets, products with Calcium and Magnesium silicates extracted from metal refining slag. Lots of silicate but not likly to be providing high concentrations of free silica for uptake.

Caution, silicate salts, disolved in water tend to be very alkaline, pH 8 to 11... it is in this state where high quantities of free SiO2 monomer are available in solution.
Another bit of lore/factoid... the Ca, Mg, slag derived treatments are in effect the same chemicals you would see in portland cement, and pH changes near fresh cement installations. ...

Issue for all salt silicates as suppliments is that free silica, at soil pH. polymerizes and/or crystallizes into insoluable forms. It appears (from a couple sources) that plants like bamboo activily absorb Si02 (monomer) as hydrated acid from soil.

Anyway, I would be very intersted in obtaining some dry, concentrated Potassium Silicate or a dry powder fertilzer based on that. I am ordering and will try some turf fert. based on Ca, Mg silicates as a plan C.

Hmm... maybe you should try sprinkling some Portland cement around your plants. That's got to be the cheapest route. Maybe it would work as a rhizome barrier too. ;)

I've been applying 100 ppm silicate as a foliar feed. This would get around the soil pH issue, that is if potassium silicate can be absorbed thru the foliage. I have no idea what would be an optimal concentration rate.

I've been using a lawn fertilizer called Ironite and come to think of it, it does look like little pellets of cement.

Woops, I take that back, just did a search on Ironite and this warning came up. Looks like it contains arsenic and lead. Think I'll stop using this stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: Irornite Warning

""Silica is an important nutrient for plants in the grass family. Grasses use 10 times more of it than do dicot plants. It provides strength to cell walls. Most soils have plenty available except well weathered soils and low pH soils.""

I havent had any luck tryin to fing fertilizer with silica but I do find one small thing that have it..

is silica gel (the ones that came into the box of shoes, radios, etc) to control humidity..

can I use that silica gel in the soil for the boo?

I have used the Ironite couple times on my potted bamboos last year. Each time I used, they all seems to have the leaves turned yellow and fell off. So have have stopped using them since.