I usually just pound three stakes in the ground in a circle around the plant and attach the largest one or two culms to the stakes with twine.

Thanks I followed your advice. I used up to four stakes per plant that had issues.

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I can't wait for the bamboo to start settling in. Hopefully next spring I'll have some shoots.

With bamboo that tall and with that amount of foliage, the wind can exert a lot of leverage on the "sail area." It will probably take until at least mid-summer for the rhizomes to grow enough to lock into the soil, so don't remove the supports prematurely.

I'm having trouble keeping them from blowing around and loosening the supports in place. I hope bamboo is as hardy as they say because they are getting blown around like mad out there. I guess I'll try adding more stakes and perhaps use something thicker than twine or garden ties.

You need to use long enough stakes that they are solid after you drive them in with a hammer or hand sledge. It doesn't matter if the tops are getting blown around as long as you have them tethered tightly enough to the stakes that the root ball doesn't rock. I usually tie my tall culms at about chest level and run the twine down to the stakes from there. I use standard sisal twine and tie it taut. If you have been using something like garden ties, that is not going to cut it.

I bought some much bigger stakes and thicker rope for tying them down and am using four per plant. The robert young and nigra is doing fine without being tied down.

The henon that was getting blown around doesn't look great. The leaves look like they may be curling. Is there hope that they will live? Is it possible the top may die but the roots will live? I'll try and get some pics.

Thanks for the advice.

It's not uncommon with such large divisions to have some loss. This can range from a little leaf loss, to the culms dying, to the whole plant dying. Just make sure it stays well-staked and gets adequate water, regardless of how it looks. Even if all the culms die, the rootball could be fine. However, if it really loses a lot of above-ground growth, it will take a while to recover, so don't do anything radical. I've had several bamboo lose all their leaves, and one that looked like it died off completely, and they all came back. But it took over a year in some cases for new growth to reappear. Keep updating here...

This is the Henon that looks the worse. The leaves have turned brown but there are some green ones mixed in. I have been watering heavily every afternoon for the last couple days. I was watering just every couple days before.
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Fortunately this Henon is looking good still.
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These robert young are looking ok but I am also watering them heavily every afternoon.
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This henon has leaves that are curling. I think they are looking better today than last week but not positive.
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Any advice on the two henon with issues is much appreciated.

Thanks

iain42-
I don't think you can do any more than you are. I've had exactly the same issues with big divisions, like you have, and they generally make it, but can look crappy for quite a few weeks. For future reference, one alternative that has worked pretty well for me is to heel a big division over in the shade and bury the rootball in a big pile of compost that you keep moist. This can ease the shock caused by dividing the plant. After 4-6 weeks, you can then plant it and it seems to suffer less.

All I can say is good luck, and report on any progress, please.

Thanks for the tips.

I checked on them yesterday and the henon with the curly leaves is doing much better. There are no more curled leaves. The other henon with the leaves going brown still has some green spots so I am hoping it will come out of its tailspin. If I kill something as hardy as bamboo I'll be very disappointed.

Now I am looking for ground cover plants to mix with the bamboo. I have lots of elephant ears and cold hardy banana trees but I am looking for something to cover ground and blot out the weeds.

iain41-
Glad there's been some recovery. Don't give up on even the worst ones too easily: I've had bamboo that totally defoliated and came back fine after a couple of months.

As for ground cover, I don't know anything that necessarily blocks weeds. I usually plant whatever I like (ferns, hostas, small grasses, California poppies) for accent and do a little weeding occasionally. I also do not rake up the leaves that fall from the bamboo and form a layer after a couple of years: I like the look and it may have some weer-suppression abilities.

Marigolds have a chemical in their roots that prevent weed growth in the area. They also have a scent that prevents bad insects from messing with plants close by. They are not my favorite flower by a long shot, but I would say they are the most useful flower. I plant them along my irrigation ditch to keep weeds down and keep bugs away from my garden.

BTW, nice bamboo, I hope it comes around for you

Thanks for the advice. The wind has been brutal.

I've been watering regularly and so far so good. I do see some yellowing on the leaves but I'm not going to panic.

I have two more questions. Since I planted in February will I see any new leaf growth this year? I usually use fish emulsion fertilizer on my elephant ears and banana trees. Should I use this on my bamboo?

If the bamboo stays healthy, no reason you shouldn't see new leaves in the next couple of months. As for fertilizer, any standard, balanced fertilizer should be fine, although I prefer slow release-type fertilizers.

Holy &^%$&^ I have new shoots from two of my smaller Nagra plants!!!!!!!! These have appeared the healthiest out of the lot. Amazing. Dug moved and planted Feb 28 and shooting by April 11. Wow!

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Another update.

The smaller Robert Youngs on the left are putting out new leaves!!!!!!!!! It seems they are happy in their new home.