I am in Zone 5A in SE Wisconsin. I have a small grove of P. Aureosulcata that was planted in 2006. I experienced total top kill this year with the harsh winter. The grove is approx. 50' in length and 5' wide. I have a large section of rhizomes (2'x30') that have not had any growth. The area with out growth borders a sidewalk.
My growth in the rest of the grove is coming in nicely, although smaller than previous years. There are other "spots" in the grove that have no new growth as well.
Previous culm size was an average of 18'-25' and 3/4 inch dia. The new batch of culms are10'-15' and 1/2 inch or smaller. In addition I have areas where the culms are 4'-6' and 1/4 inch thick or less.
I did a little digging in the area with no growth and the rhizomes appear to be alive. They just have no shoots.
I am hoping they will come back next year.
I thought I would post this and see if anyone has had a similar experience like this. Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanx