Bamboo is brown: has it dried up or frozen to death? What to do?

If during or at the end of winter the leaves of a bamboo (Bambusoideae) turn brown and / or the plant appears dead, many hobby gardeners think that it has frozen to death. Contrary to this belief, however, this is rarely the case, because bamboo usually dries up. How you can tell whether it is frostbite or dehydration and what needs to be done to ensure that the plant survives can be found out below.

Bamboo is brown

If individual leaves turn brown and fall off in autumn, this is usually a normal process, even though bamboo is an evergreen plant. This is therefore usually not related to a drought. If the temperatures have not yet fallen far below zero degrees Celsius, that cannot indicate frostbite. In the normal process, only a few leaves are affected. The rest stays green and goes through the winter like that. In spring the Bambusoideae sprouts again and fills any open areas.

Damage image

When it comes to damage, a distinction must be made between frostbite and drying out. These are easy to recognize based on the following features:

Bamboo has dried up

• Leaves roll up first (to reduce evaporation)
• Leaf green increasingly decreases in intensity
• Leaves hanging
• Then turn brown and appear dried up
• In principle, several / many leaves are affected
• In the final stage almost all leaves are brown
• The stalks become paler
• Dried up roots: the plant loses its elasticity and color, becomes increasingly stunted and dies

Plant has frozen to death

• Leaves turn brown from the Leaf tip towards the handle
• The shade of brown is darker than that of dried leaves
• Dark brown discoloration often also on the petioles
• Leaves hang, usually do not fall off
• Mostly only individual regions affected
• Very susceptible to fungal diseases
• Very poor new growth in spring or die off

causes

Dehydration

Winter drought

As an evergreen plant, a Bambusoideae also needs moisture over the winter because it evaporates it again through its leaves. If the winter remains very dry for a longer period of time, and if there is no rain and / or snow, the hobby gardener is asked to cover the water requirements of these specimens by watering. If he does not receive water, he dries up.

Dry frost

The cold is less of a problem here than the so-called dry frost that troubles him. A layer of ice forms on the earth and the frost penetrates a few centimeters into the earth, where the roots are usually much better protected than in a bucket. But the surface of the earth is compacted by the dry frost. This means that there is no longer any moisture in the soil. Moisture evaporates, especially on sunny days, while no new moisture can be absorbed through the roots. The result: dehydration occurs.

root

Especially young bamboo plants with their still fine ones Root system, but even roots that are only planted in autumn are not able to settle and spread in the first two to three winters in such a way that they can absorb sufficient water. They are particularly prone to dehydration.

Frostbite

Hardiness

Most of the varieties of this sweet grass are hardy. As a rule, frostbite is not found in the cold-resistant varieties, although there are a few exceptions. This is the case, for example, with non-winter-hardy varieties that are only frost-resistant to just below zero degrees Celsius as well as "moderately hardy" varieties that are exposed to extreme minus temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius for a long time are.

root

It should be noted that the roots of a bamboo planted in autumn are by no means different have established and also need two to three years in their location to become fully winter hardy to develop. Furthermore, it should be noted that potted plants are significantly more exposed to the cold than a Bambusoideae in the garden bed.

measures

Dehydration

Cut

If the first signs of drying out appear in winter, cut off the lowest leaves and water the affected plants. If stalks have dried up, they should be cut near the ground to make room for new shoots in spring. If the bamboo is brown from drying out, no matter how much, it will sprout again with these measures in the upcoming growing season.

to water

When watering dried up bamboos, it is important that they come with lukewarm water to be poured. Has a Frost layer Placed over the surface of the earth, this is to be thawed with the lukewarm water so that the water reaches the soil and the roots.

tip: Never use hot water because the temperature difference is too high and the plant could be damaged.

Frostbite

Cut

You should not cut the affected plant until spring. When pruning in winter, freezing temperatures and the risk of frostbite and fungal infections could be increased. From April, nothing stands in the way of a radical cut back. If no new shoots have appeared by summer at the latest, it can be assumed that the plant has died. Usually this happens very rarely.
Prevent

Cover water needs

Regular watering in dry and / or icy winter times is essential in order to address the causes of dehydration.

Cold protection for roots

You should not wait with a cold protection for moderately or non-winter hardy or young planted specimens until they have frozen to death. Even before the onset of frost, cold protection made of brushwood, straw, leaves or pine needles should be laid over the root area. At immensely low temperatures and especially with plants that spend less than three years in their location, a fleece should also protect the plant.

tip: Tying the stalks together in autumn to prepare for winter lets the cold wind through less Bamboo pulls and reduces evaporation, so there is less chance of dehydration and / or frostbite Has.

Potted plants

Buckets are to be placed on an insulating surface such as wood or styrofoam. The bucket can be covered with foil or fleece so that the cold does not hit the roots with full force and freeze the bucket soil.

Location

A sheltered location reduces the risk of frostbite and dehydration. Under no circumstances should potted plants be moved to warmer climes if they have already been exposed to winter temperatures. A bamboo rarely survives high temperature fluctuations.

Planting time

The ideal time to plant bamboos is spring. If the date is missed, YOU should plant no later than mid-September. After that, the period of time until the onset of frost is too short for the roots to settle down reasonably well and still be able to grow into the depths.

Hardiness

In view of the fact that ever colder winters are expected, it makes sense to pay attention to extraordinary winter hardiness when buying a bamboo. From "moderately hardy" the chances increase immensely that the bamboos will not suffer frostbite.