Chapter 74 Arundinaria tecta
74.2 Soil: Moist Deciduous Mix
Ratio: 4 parts bark, 1 part grit
Add-ins: dolomitic limestone (~5 lbs/yd), Tree-Tone (15 lbs/yd)
pH: ~6.5 (slightly below neutral)
74.3 Moisture
Average to high. Can tolerate periodic flooding.
74.4 Light
Can tolerate low light, but does best in half-day sun to full sun.
74.5 Cultivation Notes
74.5.1 Potting
Cane prefers warmer weather so I wait until well after our final frost date to repot. I have repotted cane well into June.
Cane is not fussy about soil, but I have had better survival when growing it in more moisture-retentive soil. It tolerates drier, faster-draining soil but is not as lush and does not survive division as well.
Repotting a densely packed clump takes some time and patience. Cane will send runners in all directions, then the roots that emerge from the runners form a tightly tangled mass.
After repotting I cut the main culms back to the lowest side branch so the roots have as little top growth as possible to support. The existing culms may not survive though. Often they will a dusty green, gray, or yellow-brown. I cut them off flush with the soil line, but keep watering the pot. Most of the time new culms appear from the growing points within 2-4 weeks.
74.5.2 Pruning
Like bamboo, cane culms emerge from the ground at their final diameter. Culms should be allowed to reach 2 feet or more before cutting back. Cut back to a node with a well-developed side branch or bud. Trim stubs back close to the solid wall of a joint so that water does collect in the open end.
Cane does not reduce leaf size in response to leaf pruning. Remove individual leave blades that are too large at the joint where they emerge.
74.5.3 Feeding
Arundinaria is not fussy about soil, but does do better when fertilized 1-3 times a year. Most any fertilizer you are using on trees is appropriate, including soluble fertilizers like Miracle-Grow. Like most trees, avoid fertilizing in fall.
74.5.4 Pests & Problems
I have never had problems with pests attacking my cane, either in the ground or in pots.
74.5.5 Winter Storage
The culms are evergreen and cold tolerant in our area usually, but may die back in very cold winters. Store pots in mulch outdoors. No other special precautions are needed.
74.6 Propagation Notes
I keep a 4x4 foot stand of cane in open ground, and harvest half of the clumps every couple years. I dig up clumps in late spring or early summer, and separate them into smaller plants by breaking the runners and untangling the root mass. I pot up runners that have 1-3 mature culms, but even small pieces of root without visible foliage can recover and start to grow again. I usually cut the roots back to 4-6 inches so that the runner, base of the culm, and roots all fit comfortably in a 1-gallon pot.
74.7 Artistic & Styling Notes
74.8 Additional Information
74.8.1 Natural History
American cane is the only bamboo species native to North America. Once a common site, it is threatened across its range. Recent systematics analysis identified a separate species, Arundinaria appalachia, in the mountains that is distinct from the more common species, and even more threatened.
American cane is a grass, not a tree or shrub. It spreads quickly by runners like its cousins the Asian running bamboos, with upright shoots (culms) emerging at intervals along the runners.
Similar to American chestnuts, cane once was an important keystone species in its natural ecosystem. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, vast stands of cane called canebrakes covered the banks and flood zone of many rivers and streams. These often stretched for miles along rivers, and as much as a mile inland along the Mississippi and its main tributaries. The canebrakes trapped and stabilized soil that would be carried downstream otherwise, and were important in limiting seasonal erosion by flood waters.
Large sections of canebrakes are connected colonies rather than isolated plants. After standing for 20 years or more, the entire colony will flower, set seed, then die back in unison. The sight of miles of suddenly barren shoreline is rare enough that native tribes and early colonists often recorded these die-backs in diaries or oral histories. The colonies would quickly re-establish from seed and repeat the cycle.
A small stand of cane in the Canebrake Ecological Reserve, Kern County, CA. American cane is adapted to the seasonal flood zone of riparian areas. The cane stand (left) ends as the ground becomes more elevated, giving way to trees. Link to original image.
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There are very few natural stands of our native cane anymore. Almost all of its habitat has been taken over by Asian running bamboos. Fortunately there are commercial vendors who are starting to offer it as a native alternative to the non-native bamboos.
The simple way to tell whether the giant grass in your hand is bamboo or cane is to look for dents in the main stem where side shoots emerge. Bamboo has a distinct dent or groove at the joint where side branches emerge. Side branches on true cane are flat at the base, and do not create a dent in the main stalk.
74.8.2 Cultivation Notes
Culms of A. gigantea grow to 20 feet tall, and average 1 to 1.3 inches in diameter. Switch cane (A. tecta) is smaller than American cane, typically reaching just 6 feet tall. Hill cane (A. appalachiana) was only recognized as a separate species in 2006. It is much smaller, typically just 3 feet high. Both switch and hill cane are happier in drier upland soil.
Today, native cane stands are extremely rare. Many people claim to have found cane brakes, but often are mistaken. Once you have seen it up close, American cane is very easy to distinguish from all other invasive species. Personally, I have seen just one tiny stand of it here in Forsyth County; every other supposed cane stand I have been shown has turned out to be one of the invasive Asian running bamboos (typically Phyllostachys aurea).