Black bamboo has several clumping varieties, but none is more sought after than Black Lako or Timor black bamboo.This is a tropical bamboo and does not do well in climates that have temps dip below 30F. It is  a plant for zone 10 and above. Black Lako grows well in S. Florida, south of Palm Beach, but has real problems with the cold any further north. We get lots of people who want to try growing Bambusa Lako Timor Black Bamboo in Zone 9 across the state and although you are welcome to give it a try, but it is usually a disappointing  endeavour. It is my opinion that if you are in zone 9 or below if you you are better off skipping the Bambusa Lako timor black bamboo and choosing something more cold hardy. There are cold hardy blue bamboo varieties like Tropical Blue Chungii and Yellow varieties like Asian Lemon Bamboo, each very beautiful and each much more cold tolerant than the black lako timor black bamboo. Unfortunately none of the other clumping black varieties are cold hardy below 30f. But the good news is that if you live in an area where temps don’t dip below 30F, you should be fine to grow this beautiful bamboo. Black Bamboo Lako tropical timber bamboo is spectacular shiny black bamboo that’s color resembles that of an eggplant. it has shiny black culms and looks quite different from its Java Black G Atroviolacia cousin. Java black has a flat mat black finish and contrasting white nodal bands. The black Lako timor black bamboo grows to 55 feet and when compared to the 70 feet that the g.atroviolacia grows is a better choice for most landscapes. Black Lako is available at a special price of $39.95 by clicking here.

mycorrhizae lecture notes

Can You Plant Bamboo In Fall And Into Winter?

That answer depends on where you live. If you live where it does not freeze much, like Florida, Texas and Louisiana you absolutely CAN grow bamboo all fall and winter long. Here is the long and short of it: Bamboo continues to grow all winter, but not above ground, all fall and winter bamboo plants grow their roots or rhizome mass below ground. I have seen a 3 gallon Seabreeze bambusa Malingensis grow from 3 gallon size to 10 gallon size within 4 months from November til March! Then that March each clump produced between 6-11 new shoots of bamboo, some over 10 foot tall!

Fall and Winter are actually really great times to plant bamboo as it gives lots of time for roots to take hold and the rhizome mass to develop and expand. This way the plant has a sturdy and well rooted anchor when it starts to shoot the next summer.

Bamboo Shoots from Summer to Fall and then expands its root mass from Fall to Spring. Planting Bamboo in the fall and winter assures that the new clump will be able to support new shoots come spring.

You should feed and water your bamboo through the fall and winter. I use a 1 year slow release bamboo special fertilizer so I am delivering nutrition all year round. Some people choose to not fertilize in winter. In Zone 9 or above I have seen benefits from fertilizing bamboo through the fall and winter, and year round into spring and summer. This is why I place such a high value in the 1 year slow release 13-3-13 Bamboo Special we sell. It is nice to fertilize once a year and have constant nutrition delivered Year round.

Anyway I just wanted to drop a quick line about planting bamboo late into the season, because bamboo is not like other plants. We plant bamboo starters and they take a few months to get going. Why not get them acclimated to their new home and rooted in well before the stress of the growing and shooting season is upon them. Just ask my customers, I was as surprised as anyone to learn that December and January are huge months for people buying bamboo. Who would have thunk it?

Happy Gardening

Scott

here we will be showing lots of bamboo pictures and bamboo species information