Moso in Spring
Overnight, purple and brown shoots push through fallen leaves.
Drops of the mysterious bamboo sap sparkle on red and yellow bristles
Phyllostachys pubescens. Moso, mao zhu (Chinese: 毛竹; pinyin: máozhú), (Japanese モウソウチク（孟宗竹)
From: China
Characteristics
Under suitable climate conditions Moso can grow to heights of over 20m. Coupled with a diameter of nearly 18 cm.
Moso is characterised by Its numerous, small leaves. When Moso is a seedling, its leaves are quite big, but as a mature plant the myriad leaves are dainty.
The new culms are blue-green in colour and covered with soft down.
Asano Jiro
Requirements
Moso flourishes in moist, well drained soil. Its height will be reduced under warm climate conditions or if it lacks nutritional elements. We grow Moso in Sydney.
Temperate minimum 0 F, -18 C). A winter chill assists in achieving Moso’s maximum growth potential
The first shoots of Spring
Bursting with special bamboo powers
Hey ho, Hey ho
Interest
Moso is the largest of all running bamboo yet has tiny leaves. Tens of thousands nod in the slightest breeze. Around Anji county in the Zhejiang province – China – hillsides are covered with velvet green Moso, feeding hundreds of small and not so small factories producing a huge range of useful products.
In Japan, Moso, preferably from Kyoto, is considered by many as best eating bamboo.
Small Moso is very slow to get going. Starting off with a bigger plant will get you there much faster.
Our Moso stock, minimum height 6 metres. Regular delivery vehicle can accommodate 11 metre plants. Contact us to discuss even larger stock.
Smaller plants, in 300 mm pots – $215. These have been in the container for 3 – 4 years and have metres of rhizome. 400mm pots – $330.
Growing from seed is s-l-o-w.
Our 300mm size pots have around 3 years of rhizome in the pot. Plant any time, in prepared soil, keep moist and feed well. New shoots next spring, will be quite big, say around 25mm diameter and quite tall. It’s regular food and water that speeds up the process.
September/October is Moso shoot month, Mid-North-Coast NSW.