Bamboo Harvesting and Growing
Bamboo is an increasingly popular plant used by home gardeners and landscapers to beautify yards. Bamboo is easy to grow, grows rapidly, and is a relatively drought-tolerant plant. The simplest way to propagate bamboo is to divide and spread the plant’s rhizomes. Bamboo can also be harvested. In many parts of the world, timber bamboo is used to build everything from floors to houses to furniture. In addition, certain types of bamboo are used in cooking soups and meals. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Propagating and Growing Bamboo
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Dig up a clump of the type of bamboo you want to propagate. Bamboo grows from a tangle of roots that grow underground that are known as rhizomes. Pull these rhizomes apart into individual, golf-ball-sized clumps.
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Plant the rhizome clumps in a sandy loam with good drainage. Loosen the soil around where you are going to plant the bamboo. Then dig a hole about 1 to 2 inches deep and place the rhizome clump in the hole.
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3
Cover the rhizome with soil and tap the soil down to fill any air holes that might have formed around the rhizome clump. Water the soil around and over your planted rhizome clump.
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4
Keep your rhizome moist as the bamboo sprouts and grows. Water the rhizomes twice daily to prevent them from drying out.
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After the plant has sprouted and is well-established, cut back on the watering. Allow the soil around the plant to dry out between watering. When bamboo starts to get thirsty, its leaves will begin to curl.
Harvesting Bamboo
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Select a piece of bamboo you want to harvest. Consider the health of the bamboo grove as a whole and make your selection from an area that will benefit the grove. If possible, select your pieces from a portion of the grove that is overgrown.
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Depending on the thickness of the bamboo harvest with either a knife or a pruning saw. Make your cuts at 45 degree angle, in between the nodes of the bamboo piece.
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Strip away the leaves from the harvested bamboo. Use your knife to cut away the leaves and stems. Set the harvested and stripped bamboo pole aside so it can cure, or bring it inside to cook with.
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Tips & Warnings
Certain types of bamboo can be extremely invasive. Make sure you plant your bamboo in an area where it will be well-contained.
Harvesting bamboo during the winter will reduce the risk of the poles splintering during the harvesting process.
During the summer, fertilize the bamboo every 4 to 6 weeks. Summer is bamboo's primary growing season and the fertilizer will help the plant garner the energy it needs to send up new shoots. Use a general-purpose, quick-release fertilizer for your bamboo plantings.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Bamboo image by AzamSa'ad from Fotolia.com
