The Average Daily Growth of a Bamboo Plant

Bamboo can grow a foot a day.

Bamboo is becoming a very popular plant in the United States. With the right process, manufacturers can wind its fibers into thread to make towels or blankets. They straighten out the wood and use it for flooring, window shades or other materials. Because bamboo grows so quickly, growers can quickly replenish supplies.

Bamboo

Bamboo is more akin to the grass species than a tree, although manufacturers treat its woody stem like wood for many applications. The inside of the stem, however, is hollow, and bamboo does not have as thorough a root system as most trees do. The plants are tolerant of most soils, but prefer a plentiful amount of water.

Growth

Bamboo grows from the ground with rhizome buds, or special roots that dig through the soil and sprout into brand new plants. The stems they produce are known as culms or canes. Typically, the culm will grow to its full height before beginning to develop leaves. This growth happens almost entirely during the spring, and bamboo plants rarely grow for longer than 60 to 90 days. With only a few months to grow, the bamboo expends resources to produce as much new growth as possible.

Average

It is not unheard of for bamboo to grow around a foot a day, but only larger bamboo varieties grow this fast. There are many species of bamboo, and they all have different growing rates. Bamboo gardeners can expect well cared for bamboo to grow anywhere from half an inch to several inches a day. Bamboo will only grow when it is sprouting, and will stop growing for the rest of the year after this.

Factors

Many factors can affect how quickly the bamboo grows, among them nutrients and environmental conditions. Bamboo love water and grow very well in rainy climates, but they will drown in soggy soil and grow only slowly in ground that is too dry. Bamboo requires plenty of sunlight, and shoots in complete shade may not sprout as quickly. Nutrients in the soil also make a difference and bamboo fertilizer will help the growth of the plant when applied before the bamboo beings sprouting.

Fastest

While some bamboo varieties grow as much as a foot a day during their sprouting season, the record for fastest growth in a day is 47 inches. The mountainous, "clumping" bamboo, which branches off from its parent plant, prefers mountainous conditions and does not get anywhere close to the records held by its cousins in warmer climates.

References

• Tropical Bamboo: Tropical Bamboo FAQ's
• Lewis Bamboo Inc.: Brief Summary of How Bamboo Grows
• Bamboo For You: Home