gardener1-
I hate to be a wet blanket, but, every time I have had flowering, it started with just a few culms, and then more the next year. I've even taken divisions off a large, flowering bamboo to isolate the "healthy" culms only to have them subsequently flower and die. So, don't get your hopes up quite yet. Good luck, and please keep updating.

Just wishful thinking I guess. But On the bright side there are lots and lots of seed. I will keep updating.

You could try germinating all of them, and perhaps get a mutation of some sort.

If you can find a different species of bamboo flowering at the same time, you might even be able to do some crossbreeding by snipping off all the pollen on the aureosulcata and perhaps adding some moso pollen to potentially get a new species of a 90ft tall bamboo that grows in cooler climates.

If 2 of my bamboos flowered simultaneously, I would be cross pollinating them, and germinating seeds like crazy.

I almost wish I had another one blooming. But really one scare a year is enough for me.

Any update on this? None of my P. Auresolcata are flowering, but one of my newly purchased P. aureosulcata ('Spectabilis') is flowering. Plant with three culms, after a week one started to flower. I saved all the flowers and planted them in a pot in the house in a window. Not really expecting anything. I cut that culm to the bottom to hopefully stop the process. Now I have a second one of the three flowering. I am just going to remove the flowers. I hope the whole plant doesn't die off. I am going this weekend to get another plant just in case.

Here is a link that might be useful: One culm of my Spectibilis is flowering. :(

richieboo-
Flowering typically starts as one or two culms, and then progresses. It might not be this year, but it is highly likely that all culms will be affected. Planting the flowers is not likely to produce anything unless they contain viable seed, which is produced in the flower head and is at its best when it has matured enough to be shaken free of the head. Finally, if you do get anything to grow from seed, there is no guarantee that it will have the same characteristics or coloring of the parent plant. This can mean you might end up with a new, interesting cultivar, or something boring. Or it may be like the original...

Richieboo, no new culms have started flowering it looks like an isolated incident. But I will def get some seed and try germinating it. And I'll check my spectab to see if its flowering.

kudzu9-
Thank you for the detailed response. I have some reading to do to learn how to identify the seeds from the flower. I bought a new, more mature Spectabilis and planted it on Saturday in the same bed with the one that is flowering so that in case it dies I'll still have some live on.

gardener1-
if you have pictures and any information on germinating seeds I'd appreciate it!

Thanks all!

Richieboo, Kudzu would be able to help you with that. I have never been able to get mine to germinate in the past. There are posts on here somewhere on germinating bamboo seed. But good luck with yours.

richieboo-
I hate to have to continue to be the wet blanket, but buying another P. aureosulcata may not be an insurance policy. Bamboo flowering is a not-well-understood phenomenon, but we do know it often takes place as "gregarious flowering"...which means that all plants of that bamboo species worldwide will be affected and potentially die over a several year period. There are exceptions: some bamboo do a partial flowering or a chronic flowering without seeming to die off. However, the last two bamboo that I had that flowered declined and died as part of a worldwide flowering.

Kudzu were you able to grow new ones from the seed? What were the species that you lost?

My husband wishes mine would flower! He told me the other day when we were in the pool...he heard it will die after it flowers. It's yellow groove.

gardener1-
I had a Fargesia nitida and a Fargesia adpressa. I was able to grow both of them from the seed, but it will take a couple of years to see if they look identical to the parents or not.

Kudzu, I am still patiently waiting, however the seeds feel like they are hollow on the inside are they just not finished yet? I put some in a glass of water and it took two days for them to sink. Does this mean they arent viable? we are having a terrible drought here right now we're like 5 to 6 inches behind in rain. It rains,but only for a few minutes never enough to soak the ground, will this affect seed viability? Thank you for the info, I really appreciate your help.

A few years ago we had all the Bambusa arnhemica do a mass flowering. It went over 3 years but was heaviest during the earlier part with a few stragglers towards the end. It's an 80 year occurance for this species so I'm not likely to be around for the next. All the mature plants died but germination and growth was so rapid you'd hardly notice the difference now.

gardener1-
Viable seeds should be solid like a grain of wheat. I've had the same experience that you did with another species, and none of the "seeds" germinated. You may still get some decent seeds this year, or you may get more seeds produced next year that are better. Keep updating, please.

Kudzu, Thanks thats what I thought. It figures my luck none will be viable. I am so anxious to germinate some bamboo seed. Some guy gave me some seeds he said he bought from china, they were just grass seed. I had a feeling when I saw them. But I just dont trust buying any seed from ebay. American sources only. I know some people have had success I just dont know who I can trust. Anyway I will keep updating and Thanks for the advice.

Garden1, Do you have some of these seeds left ? Please let me know..Thank you...have a friend who would want to buy a small amount...

None of the seeds were viable they were all hollow on the inside. Sorry italyy