Another bamboo tale

Since temperatures have been around 70ºF (21ºC) for the last few days, I decided that it was time -- as early as it is -- to get the stream running again. I'm not going to show you that, as it involves lots of black, smelly water.

I will share something I noticed though, as I stood back and admired the scene (that moving water makes such a big difference!)

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Something near the broken clay pot caught my eye:

Have you noticed it yet? Here's a closer look:

A bamboo rhizome! How the heck did that get over here?

Another angle reveals the answer...

...as you can see (if you look closely) that this rhizome appears above ground three times, drawing a line to the source:

Even though this planter box has a layer of concrete pavers below it, I still must be diligent and check for escapes. I did not do that last year, as that southern side of the planter is hidden behind much foliage.

There was a time when this discovery would have led me to panic, thinking that I had to yank the rhizome out immediately or my garden would be overrun in a week. Now I know better, and in fact, leaving the rhizome in place until shooting is finished would be the best thing to do -- more rhizomes means bigger and taller shoots usually.

So I'll wait until after shooting to cut this and pull it up.

I wonder if I would have noticed this if I waited until things started greening up? Maybe not...


This is why I'm not a fan of rhizome barriers -- they give a false sense of security. Diligence is a requirement for all running bamboo plantings!

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