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Kind of hard to tell. It even resembles Al Karr. There are many yellow culmed bamboos with green stripes.

Are any of the leaves variegated, or are they all-green?

Kt

They appear to be solid green. Is'nt Al Karr a smaller bamboo that gets about 1 1/2" in diameter? This one is supposed to get up to 3" in diameter. The guy that traded them to me lives in zone 10. I'm in zone 9 and would like to know if this bamboo will survive outside.
Thanks for the help.

I have Bambusa Eutuldoides ÂViridi Vittata and Bambusa Pervariabilis Viridistriata Sunburst. Both get larger than my Al Karr but look very similar.

I don't have B. vulgaris 'Vittata' PAINTED BAMBOO, since it is not cold hardy enough here in zone 8b. Is this what you refer to as Golden Hawaiian?

Wasn't there some at the botanical garden in New Orleans, at least before the Hurricane hit?

Kt

Bambusa vulgaris 'Vittata is also known as Golden Hawaiian. If it is GH I have a protected spot where I will try it once it gets bigger. It's reported to be hardy in zone 9a. Bambusa Eutuldoides ÂViridi Vittata and Bambusa Pervariabilis Viridistriata Sunburst are the two others I ran across looking on the web. I'm not sure about the GH in New Orleans. The Baton Rouge zoo has some large clumps of what I suppose is Al Karr.
Isaac

I would try it in a protected area. Remember, the first couple of Winters(average Winters) will be the hardest on it and it may need some extra protection.

Mainly planting it away from, or keeping the harsh cold winds from it will help the most. Planting on the south side of a building is helpful. I always water mine before a frost or a freeze sets in.

One other thought, I always divide it or keep one in a pot just in case the inground one doesn't make it, then I have another to try somewhere else.

Good Luck.

Kt

The spot I have in mind is blocked from the north and east wind and gets lots of sun so hopefully it will be alright. Thanks for the help.

Of the common ones this looks like 'Alphonse Karr'.

I'm the one that traded the bamboo. I am pretty sure that this is Golden Hawaiian because I looked at all the photos on the internet, and this was the one that was most likely the Hawaiian. It's not alphonso karr because they are pink. I got these plants from cuttings.
Last week, I bought a bambusa chungii for $55. It was 12 feet tall with 2 shoots. I'm trying to propagate it. Does anyone know how to air-layer?

Hey Eric,
Hows the p.nigra doing? I put mine in the ground the day I sent yours, and one of them is already sending up two new shoots. The heat is still curling the leaves during the day though. So you broke down and bought some chungii huh? I copied and pasted this from http://homepages.hawaiian.net/madmonk/bamboo.htm

Air layering
You may have noticed that at least some bamboo has what look like rootlets at the base of branches. These may be propigated by putting moist spagnum peat moss over the area, covering with plastic wrap, and waiting until roots grow. The small, rooted plant may be cut from the culm and planted in a pot (or even in the ground). The advantages of this method are that (1) a valuable culm is not destroyed and (2) many plants may be propigated from a single culm. The disadvantage is that branches may be well above ground level in some species.

Al Karr only has pink on their culms at certain times of the year, but as you mentioned, if it is getting 4 inches in diameter, then it is probably Golden Hawaiian.

My chungii is the slowest of the bambusas to put up new shoots. Each season two to four culms over the past four seasons.

Kt

Isaac, I love the nigra you sent. It's doing well. I am air-layering the chungii. I cut the leaves around the culm, then I placed sphagnum moss around the culm, then wrapped aluminum foil around the moss. How long do you think it will be before roots start showing? Maybe you should put some shade over your bamboo until it gets established. Thanks again for the nigra.

Eric, I'm not sure about the air layering. I've never tried it. Just read about it. Surely someone who has will come across this post. I wonder if plastic wrap would be better to hold in moisture. I don't know, just talking out my head. That nigra we have I believe was layered in the ground. Each start was growing from a horizontal culm that had obviously been buried in the ground for a while.

Isaac, I just got two bamboo plants today for my birthday. I got angel mist and tropical black from Holmes Bamboo. He has a website: holmesbamboo.com. He has a lot of nice bamboo but he doesn't ship. I think it's because he only sells only big, healthy plants. I'm going to bury some culms in the ground to make some more.

Well you've aquired a great collection over the last couple of weeks huh? That's a nice b-day present!