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newbamboonut

Fertilizer for the Upcoming Shooting Season

newbamboonut
10 years ago

Hello all,

Since bamboo shooting season is upon us I wanted to hear from the panel about their preferred fertilization methods for Feb/March as many of the running Boo's gets ready to shoot. I have not done a pre-spring specific fertilize and was hoping to try it this year and maybe follow some of the suggestions/methods from your replies. Historically, I've dumped hot chicken manure, composted horse and steer manure, goat bedding, leaves, and woodchips all around my small groves throughout the year as they become available but without any real specific schedule. Needless to say the bamboo has all responded well and I'm sure there are more than enough nutrients floating around. However, this year I was hoping to do a specific late Fall/early March application of a high Nitrogen fertilizer (time-released or otherwise), Miracle Gro, or something to that effect to see if it pushes growth during shooting time. I would love to hear what methods you employ in preparation for this very special time of year! haha. Thanks and I look forward to hearing your secrets.

Comments (29)

  • pcan
    10 years ago

    I have never actually fertilized my running bamboo, just added a lot of compost as our soil is extremely sandy and a heavy layer of wood chips. But I do clean the stinky nasty muck out of my pond filters on occasion and toss it in the bamboo bed. I actually just cleaned one the other day and got about 8, 5 gallon bucket of muck that was thrown in the bed. Cleaning the other one today and it will get get dumped in the bamboo bed as well. Stinky nasty goodness LOL

    When I scoop the bottom of the pond it gets put in a wheel barrow and dumped in the food garden.

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    With bamboo, it's not necessary to get fancy. Each of my runners gets a handful of Osmocote controlled release fertilizer in the spring. In the fall, each one gets a handful of 0-10-10, which will help rhizome growth without producing unwanted foliage stimulation at the wrong time of year.

  • newbamboonut
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you for the replies. kudzu-Is the handful of Osmocote you use in the spring just a high nitrogen controlled release formula? Pcan- sounds like me over here, but instead of a pond though I just fill up wheelbarrows of nasty barn delicacies and they go right to the Boo.

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    I use Osmocote Indoor & Outdoor Smart-Release Plant Food; the formula is 19-6-12, and one application is supposed to last about 4 months.

  • newbamboonut
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks kudzu, can i ask what one should do in terms of application if there i 8" or so of mulch? Ie move some mulch away and apply then recover with mulch. I wouldn't think a top dressing over woodchips etc would effectively get down to the root system. Thank you.

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    With time-release fertilizer, it will trickle down over time due to moisture, but I think you're right to wonder whether it will effectively get through wood chip mulch. I'd just clear away the mulch in about a 1' perimeter around the plant, throw down the fertilizer, and move the mulch back in place. However, I will also go on to say that you may want to reconsider using wood chips for mulch in the first place as I understand that they steal nitrogen from the soil as they decompose.

  • kudzu9
    10 years ago

    Good luck. It sounds like you've thought this through pretty well.

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    Just an FYI: Woody material on the surface isnt AS bad, but any wood in/on the soil will temporarliy bind up available nitrogen due to aerobic bacteria feeding on it in order to break down the wood.. Once the decomposition is complete the nitrogen will once again be available for the plants to uptake.

    I personally stay away from synthetics due to the high levels of salts that actually negate the natural work of bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi ( by essentially creating a high salinity environment which is detrimental to their existence, along with chlorine so know your tap water if you're going for mycorrhiza). Synthetic ferts make plants rely upon us rather than mother nature; how it was originally intended..

    I like to use some compost/manure and earthworm castings during the intial planting, and then I top dress with milorganite (8-10 week time release) mixed 4:1 with ironite, and bloodmeal for a quick shot of N when needed.. I also give'em an occasional root drench with "stump tea" (htg garden supply), which contains a variety of bacteria and fungal spores..

    This post was edited by michael723 on Wed, Apr 23, 14 at 15:39

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    As soon as I saw that leaf buds were starting to elongate, I applied a nice layer of rodent manure, then chicken manure. I also mixed in some milorganite, and brewed some alfalfa tea to water thoroughly. I add molasses and epsom salts to the alfalfa tea, and let the rain do the rest.

    Another thing I like to do is put pots around where I would like shoots to emerge. It may not necessarily happen, but I know where the rhizomes are, and it's possible that the heat from the pots will be enough to encourage shoots where I want them.

    Shooting season usually happens in May here, but it could be later this year.

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    Sounds like a solid regimen Steve! I use alfalfa on the veggies with nice results, haven't brewed any yet.. I just dont like the cancer warning on the packaging! LoL
    Any luck with the pot method? How about using watering to your advantage? Allow the places where you don't want them to thoroughly dry out (tarps etc), and keep the desired locations comfortably moist.. By your surroundings and zone it looks like we're relatively close! I'm in Southern CT myself.. No shooting yet myself but I've had one runner so far in the pruning trench. I like to guide them up through pots and then snip the rhizome once I get a decent shoot.. viola = new plant lol . ..

    Here's a pic of a new planter I just finished... Wanted to mix it up a bit.. Left to right: Spectabilis, Nigra, Decora

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    Winter is still lingering around, and we have gotten enough rain or snow recently so that there hasn't been a need to water at all. If the soil still appears moist, I really doubt watering will do any good at all.

    Your spectabilis will probably dominate that box in a couple years.

  • pontyrogof
    9 years ago

    Elsewhere on this forum I had read about people urinating on their bamboo. Some here may now know me from my problems with squirrels. Elsewhere online I have read that urine is a good deterrent for squirrels.

    So I put two and two together. It is awkward for my gender to collect urine on a daily basis or pee in situ, so my husband volunteered. He's a bit of a vitamin pill popper I might add. Anyway, I have never seen any plant respond so positively to ANY substance. Where shoots have been bitten off at the ground and do nothing for days, the day after a dose of pee, I find inches of regrowth or brand new shoot. We will be careful not to overdo it so we don't accidentally burn them.

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    Steve, what I was referring to was the use of controlled watering (and lack thereof) to influence the running direction of the rhizomes and thereby effecting the approx shooting vicinity. . .

    Yea I was planning on the Spectabilis over powering the two, but I'll root prune as necessary... no biggy ..
    I've entertained the thought of doing some HDPE between the three just to keep them as separate specimens but I'm still undecided...

    Ponty: I've never used urine straight up, but it seems you're having good results!.. It's an excellent "watering" agent for compost lol. . .

  • pontyrogof
    9 years ago

    Maybe urine straight up is effective fertilizer in my location because the soil is high in decomposing pine needles and leaves, and sandy.

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    Now that shooting season has started, I have added a good 6 inches of grass clippings to heat the soil up some more, and give a good boost of nitrogen for shooting season.

    Here's how it looks. The west side of the greenhouse was left up since there is tree shade anyways once the sun gets to that angle.

    {{gwi:403370}}

    {{gwi:403371}}

    {{gwi:403372}}

    {{gwi:403373}}

    Existing culms can produce a ton of foliage too so it's good to have plenty of nitrogen available.

    {{gwi:403374}}

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    Looking good Steve! Have a bunch of new shoots coming up from the decora and the spectabilis as well.. The Nigra has yet to begin her ascent..

    Funny, neither the Auerocalis or the other Nigra's (another planting of around 80x4' property line screen) have started shooting yet.. Plenty of new foliage on the way though..
    Just gave them another dose of milorganite to be sure they're chock full of N ...

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    Once they get over 3-4 inches in height, they will usually accelerate their growth until they get close to their full height.

    You can tell that these gained more than an inch since yesterday, but once they are taller, they could gain close to a foot on a warm day.

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    Loving that ruler! Yea I notice they start slow but once they get off the ground they just explode, nothing like it!

    So to my surprise I came home to about a dozen Nigra shoots coming up in the longer screen, and a few aureocaulis as well! The decora shoots are starting to get beautiful, as well as the spectabilis! I'll have to take some pics

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    For some reason I can't select multiple pics on the mobil format so I'll have to do a few posts.. Here's the spectabilis:

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    Supposedly decora but the sheaths don't look like other images I've seen, although the culms do... Strange? Perhaps it's another variation? It resembles nuda with the spotting... Beautiful none-the-less...

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    Here's the aureocaulis.. Made it through its' first winter but it was a cold one this year in CT.. The culms took a beating..

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    And last but not least, an extremely photogenic Nigra shoot lol :

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    The big shoot gained another 2 1/2 inches today, and we are getting some warm rains tonight so I expect it to be taller than the ruler by tomorrow.

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    Going from 6 inches to 12 inches in a span of 2 days is not bad. It looks like in another 2 weeks, this shoot should exceed 10ft in height. I just hope it doesn't hog all the energy for itself.

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    We're shooting like crazy now! I have a monster erupting as well from the spectabilis. I'll take a pic and throw it on here tomorrow.. Beautiful sheaths on the spectabilis...

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    The bicolor shoot from the previous picture is now over 5ft, and should start accelerating its growth. There are definitely 4 shoots that should make it, and this is the biggest.
    {{gwi:403375}}

    It is branching all the way to the ground.
    {{gwi:403376}}

  • Mike
    9 years ago

    That's a giant! I find it amazing that some of my divisions will throw up monsters, and little sucker shoots as well... I usually just chop the suckers as to not waste the energy, I assume you find the same thing?

    This post was edited by michael723 on Wed, May 28, 14 at 11:23

  • stevelau1911
    9 years ago

    I believe the plant knows what it is doing when it sends up smaller ones so I generally leave them alone.

    I only have 4 shoots that have committed to growing up on the bicolor, and the tallest one is around 9ft now. The rest are not growing at all likely because the grove can only handle 4 shoots at a time so hopefully I can have enough energy for another one to come up. That would only happen when one of them is just about done sucking up energy, and there is more left over.

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