First shoot of our Phyllostachys bambusoides bed this year!
Every day I go out to the centerpiece bed in the middle of the backyard and look for new activity. This bamboo species is the latest of our kinds to shoot in the spring. Today I found our first new shoot. I am hoping that this year as it is more established, brings many new shoots as it is pretty bare at the moment. A friend recently asked me if that was a mulch bed rather than a bamboo bed as it is mostly empty.
I was glad to find this after I left the black bed. The thunderstorms last night took out one of the thicker culms / shoots. I learned yesterday that if I pull off the sheath it will cause that node of the culm to harden faster. This culm was taller than me and still had most of the sheaths attached. Perhaps if I would have peels some back earlier in the week it would have hardened it enough to handle the wind. Who knows, just a shame to lose one. At least this year the varmints have been leaving it alone. now that most of the beds that are ground level are established I don’t worry about that as much.
