Hey Seagal, Here is a picture of bambusa multiplex fernleaf growing with callissia repens as a companion plant. Multiplex fernleaf, in my experience, always gets sooty mold. This fernleaf has none and not one ant in sight. I agree with kudzu that you can mechanically remove the problem. I just like to grow callisia repens with it because it's beautiful, it works as a living mulch and it has kept away ants. I'm the one who posted about callisia repens. You can find it at lowes or home depot. It's called turtle vine, hawaiian inch vine or bolivian Jew. It's normally grown as a hanging house plant. My opinion of sooty mold is that ants farm the aphids for their excrement and for some reason, it does create a lot of mold. It is believed that it has no growth effect on the bamboo, but I'm going to humbly differ with that. My fernleaf grown with turtle vine is bushier than any fernleaf i've seen growing with mold. Just my opinion. I have not used soapy water, so maybe thats a better way, but I prefer prevention rather than treatment. From what you've said about transplanting, I don't think it could have been done better. I'm sure your bamboo will do fine. Now, although many species are prone to sooty mold, I don't think Wong Chuk or Oldhamii have issues with it. But Wong Chuk is a Textillis, and I've seen a textillis with sooty mold (bambus textillis 'RG' Rockledge Gardens), so it is a possibility. But in my opinion turtle vine will remedy that issue. Your new rhizomes have not died because you took so much root mass with the culm. I had angel mist shoot five days after removing it from the ground and all shoots lived. As far as what you read about bamboo, I always say there is no steadfast rule with bamboo and there is an exception to every bamboo rule. Good Luck!

Your best bet is to water deeply, rather than mist the tree with a hose or mister. By that I mean pour a bucket (3 gallons or so of water every 3 days or so, if you get no rain. They most likely gave you some liquid root stimulator like Ortho's UpStart with B1 vitamin with nutrients (N-P-K) in the ratio of around 3 - 12 - 3 or close to that. That middle number is good for encouraging root formation and growth. I think you mix about 6 tablespoons to a gallon of water and just pour it in the area of the root ball (read directions). If possible form a bit of a concave (sunken) dish in the soil at the top of the root ball when you plant so that the water will be channeled down into the root ball and won't run off or spill out into the adjoining soil. Also, use a liberal amount of mulch like shredded, treated bark to help keep the moisture in the ground and to keep the soil from baking in the hot sun and reduce evaporation in the early weeks of getting the tree established. Remember deep, soaking watering every other day or every 3rd day is better than misting the tree every day. However, for established rees, I truly believe they enjoy a little shower now and then during extremely long, dry spells. Make sure the water you use is of good quality for the plants and doesn't contain a lot of salts or chlorine. Oh another thing I always tell folks when planting trees is to dig a $100 hole for a $50 tree. That is, make sure there is at least (more is better) enough room around the root ball to that you can get one foot in between the root ball and the side of the hole for gently tamping and firming the soil as you backfill the hole. I usually fill the hole up halfway with soil and gently compact with either my foot, or my hands/fingers/fist and then pour a gallon or so of water with the upstart into the half-filled hole. This will wash soil into any air pockets to make sure all the roots come in good contact with the soil. Let that water settle. Then fill the remainder of the hole almost to the top and water again, pouring the water and upstart solution over the ball until the concave area fills up with water. Let it stand and soak into the soil around the top of the root ball. Then finally, finish filling the hole near the top of the ball, but still leave a concave area in which you can continue to supply water in the days ahead. Even if you use mulch, form and mini-wall of soil and mulch around the original edge of the hole to contain and localize the water over the root ball. Always plant the tree at the level it was growing in the nursery or container or even slightly higher, using mulching material if need be, to cover any surface roots.

Mike, According to wikipedia: "The hormone 1-Naphthyl acetic acid (NAA) does not occur naturally. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), products containing NAA require registration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as pesticides. The sale of Superthrive is prohibited in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Oregon as an unregistered pesticide." So if you buy it online as a "fertilizer," what do they have to say to that? :) Kenny

Pepper plants don't like their roots messed with! I learned that the hard way many years ago, when I was upsizing a hab plant, and got the "bright idea" to unwind and spread-out the roots into the new, larger pot. The poor pepper plant went into SHOCK, and took nearly a month to fully recover! One thing I do whenever I transplant now, which will likely help your plant recover as well - I place the re-potted plant out of the Sun for at least a couple days. Plants use water to keep themselves cool (via transpiration & evaporative cooling), increased photosynthesis also increases water loss. By removing a plant from direct sunlight for a bit, you can dramatically decrease the water demand being placed on the plant's damaged roots, as well as reduce wilting, by making more water available to the plant for non-cooling purposes.