Time to cut back Oryza longistaminata (our Giant Rice)
Oryza longistaminata (known as red rice or longstamen rice) has now grown to a size where we simply need to cut it back! Some shoots are more than 2.5 m tall and we need to water it so frequently because of the large canopy.
We had a similar situation last year where we also decided to simply cut it down to the ground and it came back very well as you can see. As opposed to other rice, O. longistaminata is perennial and grow rhizomes so it is really easy to maintain a good culture in the glasshouse. I am just surprised that I have not yet managed to talk a project student into working with this rice species - I will try again next year!
We had a similar situation last year where we also decided to simply cut it down to the ground and it came back very well as you can see. As opposed to other rice, O. longistaminata is perennial and grow rhizomes so it is really easy to maintain a good culture in the glasshouse. I am just surprised that I have not yet managed to talk a project student into working with this rice species - I will try again next year!