Budda's Belly Bamboo question

I am still hunting Bamboo for my daughter. Is the Budda's Belly Bamboo the kind that clumps? The picture on the home page is beautiful!
Pati

Yes
Buddha Belly is a clumper.
I have found that once the plant is established in ground
holding back water encourages the internodes to swell.

I only water my buddha belly once in a while.
When it gets hot maybe every 2 weeks.

Here you can see the same plant with 2 culms
that have different characteristics.
If my memory serves me the Culm on the left probably
came up first after the spring rains which is why it is so straight. The Culm on the right is swelling pretty good and came up later in the season when i was watering it very little.

Some say that if the internodes bulge it Bambusa Ventricosa
and if the internodes are straight it is Bambusa Tuldoides.
Same plant.

Oh, that is so cool.

Thanks so much!!!! That is a beautiful plant and more interesting than any of the Bamboos I've seen. Is it usually available at nurseries? Perhaps one of our local nurseries could order it for me.
Pati

Better bamboo to get if you like swollen internodes is Bambusa vulgaris WAmin... Budday belly bamboo, once planted in the ground, can become a MONSTER- 50' tall plus and not one of the prettier bamboos in my opinion. I found that keeping it in a large pot keeps in 'buddaing' nicely without the monster issue. B vulgaris Wamin is pricey, though, and sometimes hard to find. But worth it.

I agree with Bob and since you live in FLA. chances are you would have better bulging then out here in the west.
Look at these bulges http://www.tropicalbamboo.org/subspecies/Bambusa/wamin.htm

Heres a link to see what Wamin does out here in the West Coast http://home.pacbell.net/taylor42/doli.html

3rd pic down is from Quail Botanical Gardens.
For some reason It does'nt really bulge here like it does in FLA.
I wonder if the humidity has anything to do with it?

BOB. thanks for the warning! We have too many things here in FL that become monsters without importing more. There is a Dwarf Budda's Belly Bamboo on the DG Plant Data Base. Is this the same or a smaller version? It says 12 or 15 feet.

Tom, those colors on the Wamin are just beautiful. I think my daughter would really enjoy that. Does it get really tall? About 15 feet is our limit. Also, I have a daughter that lives near Homestead and could see if she could get a plant from Don Holmes Nursery.
Pati

Here is a list with lots of Bamboo information.
I think your fortunate to live in FLA.
The FLA chapter of the ABS really seems to have it going on!
http://www.tropicalbamboo.org/bambusa.htm

GREAT website! I'm surprised that more people don't grow it here. It is so beautiful and graceful. My neighbor has some that I can see over the fence that must be 20' tall and looks like it's still growing!
Thanks,
Pati

BambooTom,

In reference to: "Some say that if the internodes bulge it Bambusa Ventricosa and if the internodes are straight it is Bambusa Tuldoides.
Same plant."

That problem was created by the ABS (American Bamboo Society) and the name change in its Source List. Bambusa Ventricosa will form bellies under certain condition, but when happily growing in the ground and getting plenty of water and nutrients, it will grow into a large bamboo (60 to 70 feet and 2.5 to 3 inch culms) without bellies. The clump will be a large fanshaped/weeping bamboo.

Bambusa tuldoides is an erect bamboo, growing about 55 feet by 2.25 inches in diameter. I've never seen it belly and I've been growing and propagating bamboo for over a quarter of a century.

I've been a member of ABS for over 20 years and I've repeatedly asked for information (identifying characteristics, such as sheath, auricles, ligules, etc) over the last several years, on how B. ventricosa and B. tuldoides became B. tuldoides ventricosa. But all I get is "Silence of the Culms".

Roy in Tampa, Fl

This message was edited Jun 22, 2004 11:27 PM

This message was edited Jun 23, 2004 4:15 PM

Roy is here!
Hey Roy it's TR from the Topica list. Did you just get here to Daves Garden?

BambooTom (TR),

I didn't get the connection between the 2 (BambooTom & TR).

I signed up on the free part a week or so ago. Finally got around to sending in the $15 yesterday. Just the free picture database is well worth the $15, so I figured I'd better help out financially to help defray some of the costs.

I see I double posted by trying to edit. I'll see if I can delete one without deleting both.

Roy in Tampa

Roy,go to you last post and click on the word edit under your name,you should be able to wipe it out by deleting.
Welcome to Daves.

I recently purchased and planted some buddha's belly bamboo from a local nursery. They ordered it specifically for me. My request was for a dwarf buddha. However, after doing some research I'm getting nervous that I wound up with ventricosa instead of wamin. Any tips on distinguishing between the two? I purchased two seven gallon containers. Each with one culm of about 3/4 of an inch in diameter and under 3 foot high.

After nine months of growth, each clump has about 10 culms. The tallest have reached 6 foot high and about one and a half inches in diameter in diameter. All are "buddha-ing" nicely and keeping a rather tight clump. The leaves are 6" long by 2" wide.

I attached a pictue of the culms.

Thanks,
Chris.

That sure looks like B ventricosa, not the Wamin style.

That's what I was fearing. Thanks for the input.

Been at Dave's for quite a while, just never here....

I was going to purchase a BB for an area next to a down spout. (Need some quick shade due to Wilma) But you all say to water sparingly. So what's a girl to do?????

I would like something to grown about 15' and it will be wet there when it rains.....any suggestions?

Thanks

Nancy Lee

Bamboo like it wet.. just not boggy. Only 15' tall? You sure don't want Buhda Belly! That will get over 60' tall, especially in Florida. You probably have pretty well draining soil (unlike here in California where it's commonly clay) so you probably have nothing to worry about in terms of overwatering your bamboo.

We meet again.
And again, thank you.
Sorry the BB is now Out of the Question, so my search will have to continue.

I am looking for a clumpper with large type leaves that grows about 15'.....any suggestions?

Hap

Get some Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin'. Don't get anything that has 'ventricosa', tuldoides, or tuldoides ventricosa attached to the name. Wamin will get about 15 feet tall, have fairly large leaves, and have culm diameters about 3 inches. In Florida, you can water all you want if you have typical Florida sandy soil. Extra water is not going to make 'Wamin' grow 60 feet tall like Bambusa tuldoides ventricosa Buddha's Belly (or whatever name the ABS can ever figure out what to call this plant--so much confusion they have caused over this issue of ID-ing a plant)

http://www.bambooweb.info/images/bamboo/B_v_wamin2.jpg

Roy in Tampa

That's just what I had in mind. Thank you so much.


Hap