Phyllostachys Nigra Bamboo dying?

Hi everyone
Im new here.

Has anyone else black bamboo flowered?

If so when?

Has it now died?

 

Is it planted in the ground or in a row of pots? If in the ground, have you limited its spread within the soil by putting some sort of shield or barrier into the soil? If in the soil with nothing to stop it spreading, could your neighbour have been dealing with it from her side?

It seems odd that the lower half of every plant looks healthy (unless that is another type of plant) while the top half of the entire length looks dead or dead-ish.

I grow a couple of bamboos in big pots but have never seen this 50/50 alive and dead look.

 

I'm not a fan of bamboo, but doesn't it put up new stems each year, and in time the old stems die back.
Are you getting new stems from the base each year?

 

It is planted in the ground, its around 9 years old now. It was planted with a barrier....although I do know that the neighbours get a few shoots. But her main grievance is that it blocks her view onto me.

I told the neighbours to always let me know if anything is a problem and i will sort it.

 

Im not either lol......it wasnt my choice to plant it. But now im left to deal with it.

New shoots do come up..... but tha majority is dead

 

So why do the new shoots not replace the dying ones, I would have thought they would get taller and leafier as they grow, usually getting to their final height in the first year.

 

the stems grow for a few years then die. the old dead ones are great for wildlife actually, I cut them out and bundle them together then jam them in the ground somewhere. you can cut the whole thing to the ground even and itll 90% survive and grow back up.

you can also get bamboo die off if they flower which many black bamboo did a few years ago? they flower once every 80 years then most of the clones of it die at once

 

They just seem to be dying along the neighbours fence line. Odd way to die. Its a funny one.

 

I've only grown the P nigra in dustbin sized containers and it always thrived in a sheltered N facing site.
Difficult to tell how many plants are in the row but have you considered removing every other one ( or just 1 or 2 ? and revitalising the ground round the remaining plants?
Seems odd that any new shoots are "dead on arrival" so to speak. Presumably you can confirm that your neighbour hasn't been attempting to spray the plants above a certain height with toxins ? Good luck with sorting out the problem anyway

 

Having looked again it does seem strange how they are really green lower down but dead on top, maybe the neighbour is using one of those ineffective new weedkiller's from garden centres.

 

You would think that. I suspect they are being sprayed to be honest.

 

Yes possibly.
Any new shoots just cant compensate for the damage....its like swimming against the current.
Not sure how to move forward.
They are pensioners..... so although I've had to speak to the police in the past..... im reluctant to keep on doing so.

 

New shoots seem fine
Yes.... I suspect this also

 

It does look quite suspicious and the only other thing that might cause problems is if it's in a windy area (with the bottom half protected). We have black bamboo in a sheltered position and it does well but our neighbours is in a pot and in an open aspect and that gets dessicated by the wind easily.

 

That's a good point. Yes its quite windy at times here......