I'm Digging Up My Baby Bamboo Shoot...

Sing the post title to the tune of "I'm bringing home my baby bumble bee...".  Add a huge amount of sheer glee, as we have germination and a baby Moso bamboo shoot (whom we shall call "Baby Boo #1")! Count them, just fifteen days to germination and ground break! Mind you, it's only a single seedling, but it lives!

So exciting!

I was expecting anywhere from a month to several to see the skinny green twig of a culm escaping the small plot of soil it would be lounging in, teasing us while we waited.  I've let it sit for a couple of days just to make sure it had sufficient humidity.  Bamboo should not be in the same level of humidity once there is any inkling of green rising from the pot.

This one sprouted on the coconut coir side of the sown seeds.  I will repot in nice soil with about 25% coir to avoid any shock.  As it turns out, this transplant was so simple--just pricked it out with a plastic spoon, set it on the 4" azalea pot, raked the mix over rhizome, tamped lightly, and set it in the window.  I am keeping it under warmth at night however as the window can get drafty with the furnace air return just under the sink.

Moso bamboo is very fast growing, so an inch a day on some days at this infant stage of the lifecycle is interesting to oversee and not uncommon. The growth will slow, but right now it is an amazing specimen to ponder.

Cross your fingers and green thumbs for the next!