myk wrote in message ...
Hi there. I have just received a shipment two weeks ago of my first
bamboo. I have a Pseudosasa Japonica and a Sasaella Masamuncana which I
intend to grow indoors until summer gets here.

The plants arrived wrapped in plastic in dark well moistened earth from
British Columbia (I'm in Kingston, Ontario). At first they seemed a bit
stressed but were green. I followed the directions to keep them out of
direct light and not to water for a bit. Within a few days the tips of
the leaves browned so I started misting (with subzero temperatures
outdoors, it is quite dry here). The plants seemed to like this at first
but the browning has now continued to the edges. The Japonica has
developed brown and yellow patches on the leaves. The soil seems moist
to the touch and an electronic gauge says all is well. Still, the plants
are looking awful and I would hate to lose them.

Keep it moist and give it sunlight (indoors of course). With subzero
temps, you won't fry it.

Even if it does look to die out, it may still come back. I had a #5
pot of P. Bambusoides that was just beautiful and healthy when we
loaded it on the truck, carefully wrapped it in plastic and drove it
home 35-40 minutes. It looked as dead as you can get when we took it
out of the truck, completely brown and leaves dry to the touch. I
planted it anyway and it came back the following spring and is still
going strong. Bamboo can lose all of its top growth and still be
healthy (not dead).

I wouldn't worry too hard about it.

Good luck!

Chris
Chino, CA