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What is bamboo? Bamboos are giant, woody grasses which put out several full length, full diameter, naturally pre-finished, ready-to-use "stems"-called culms-each year. They range from plants the size of field grass to giants of 120 feet in height (about as tall as a 12-story building) and a foot in thickness. The most striking characteristic of bamboo is its vertical growth. No other living thing grows so tall so fast. The world's record was one of Japan's most common bamboos (Phyllostachys bambusoides), which grew almost 4 feet in one day.
Is bamboo an ecologically sound choice? Bamboo is considered one of the fastest growing plants known. Bamboo renews itself in three to five years, without the need for replanting. Cultivation requires minimal need of fertilizers and pesticides. By comparison, hardwood trees can take up to 120 years to mature (conventional growth period for framing lumber and hardwood is 30 to 60 years).
In addition to bamboo's many uses as a building material, in its natural state, the plant generates more oxygen than a similar-size grove of trees. A small stand of bamboo can reduce the temperature in its immediate environment by as much as 10 degrees.
Most bamboo is harvested from controlled forests in China (in the southern province of Hunan). This is not a threat to pandas, which live at higher elevations and eat a different species of bamboo.
Why is bamboo's popularity growing? The growing enthusiasm for bamboo is attributed partially to an American interest in the Asian aesthetic, but also to the remarkable versatility of bamboo. With the best strength-to-weight ratio of any natural product and incredible regenerative powers, bamboo is rapidly becoming the material of choice for forward-thinking designers and manufacturers.
What varieties of bamboo are there? There are between 1,100 to 1,500 species of bamboo in the world, with over 600 species of bamboo growing in Japan alone.
Bamboo can be broadly divided into running and non-invasive clumping bamboos. Running bamboos tiller and grow quickly, while non-invasive clumping bamboos form clumps and spread slowly. Clumping varieties are ideally suited to smaller gardens, where they convey the bamboo's elegance without the aggravation of larger running bamboos.
What types of bamboo can you plant in your backyard? Clumping bamboos are ideal for planting in your backyard. However, there are also some smaller varieties you can grow in water in a glass or bowl.
What are the requirements for growing bamboo? The best time for planting bamboo is fall, but spring will also do. Bamboo may be planted in containers any time of year. Remove the plants from their plastic containers and plant them in a well-drained mix.
Make sure that there are no air pockets around the root. Plant the bamboo an inch or two below the existing grade, or to make a small moat or dish around the plant to facilitate the initial feeding and watering.
You will need well-lighted space to grow tropical bamboos indoors. Professional interiorscapers often light them when there is not adequate natural light available.
Water well, once or twice a week in the early morning or later afternoon. Water more if it's very hot.
