Bananas.org - A guide to Bamboo

Hi Guys :),
Since joining the forum, I have encountered many questions concerning bamboo. For those interested, I offer this generalized rule-of-thumb guide in the hopes that it will generate an evolving knowlege-base, for enthusiasts, within the body of this thread.

A Beginner's Guide to Growing Bamboo

:) TAXONOMY
Family : Gramineae / Genus : Bambuseae / Genus : Phyllostachys
Species of Bambusa tend to be tropical, clumping bamboos while the Phyllostachys tend to be temperate, runner types.
(clumpers = sympodial / runners = monopodial)
zB.: A runner-type is said to be a monopodial bamboo.
:) SOIL PREPARATION
Bamboos do best in a light, sandy, well-draining soil. Additions of peat, compost, and/or manure are also beneficial.
:) CARE : NEW SHOOTS
I'm listing this first due to the sensitivity of the new shoots. Bamboos typically send up new shoots in the spring but sometimes in the fall, as well.
These shoots are Extremely Sensitive.
The shoots rise from the ground with neither leaf nor limb. The growing leaves & limbs are contained within tan sheaths between the nodes. Hand pressure can seriously damage these new leaves & limbs. Take care that you touch them only very Lightly until the limbs emerge from the sheaths. - The shoots are spear-headed & are the diameter they will remain after rising from the ground. Once they've reached the height they will be, within a week or so the leaves & limbs will unfold, extending now from the nodes. At this point, it will still take days for the leaves to reach thier full size. Once finished, with exception to periodic leaf regeneration, growth stops.
:) CARE : GENERAL
Bamboos tend to, usually, be quite drought resistant and require very little fertilizing. They are, however, water-lovers and will grow faster & healthier with frequent watering and a feeding every month or two. This is offered as a rule of thumb; there are species that are quite particular as concerns water and feeding. If the leaves are curled along the length of the leaf, the bamboo is thirsty.
:) WIND
While a potential hazard for some younger bamboos, I've found little need to provide protective structures for those 5 feet or more in stature.
:) LEAF REGENERATION
Every spring - sometimes fall - most of the leaves will turn yellow & drop off of the culms. Do Not Panic. Bamboo remains active & green year-round. New leaves will be produced to replace the old, worn-out ones.
:) AESTHETIC CARE : GENERAL
Within about 3-7 years (typical for many), culms will finally die. Wearing protective gloves, simply cut them at least 1/2 inch below ground-level as the stumps are quite firm & easy to trip-up on.
:) AESTHETIC CARE : PRUNING
With no damage to the plant, whatsoever, bamboos can be 'topped'. Bamboo appears to be made-up of fingers & joints. The 'joints' are called nodes. To control height (for a hedge or bush effect), simply cut at a node at the desired height.
Also, thinning may be desired to ensure good sunlight; Most bamboos, with exception to some mountain types, love lots of sunlight.
:) CURING TIMBER
Thanx Beth! - Several methods are available. I prefer the time-honoured smoke-house technique: Within a sealed & confined space, create cement trenches in this order - A 4' wide culm trench (the length of & for the bamboo), a 2' wide walkway path, a 2' wide fire-trench (for burning wood, etc, to produce smoke), then repeat this series of trenches for the number of culm trenches required. Keep the unit tightly sealed off & smoke the culms for 2 weeks. To ensure that the culms do not curl along thier lengths, bricks may be lain to either side of the culms. The culms are now ready for building purposes. Also, blowing boric acid through the culms can help to strengthen the wood.
:) PESTS
Bamboos have no appreciable enemies.
:) DISEASE
Bamboos are resistant to virtually all known diseases.
:) RADIOACTIVITY
At Ground Zero, in 1945 Hiroshima Japan, the local bamboos sent new shoots through the irradiated soil a few days after the nuclear detonation. They not only grew, but thrived.
:) SUBTERRANEAN ACTIVITY
The rhizomes I've encountered are thick (generally 1/4" or more) and covered with a thick, gnarly mat of often hair-thin roots that can be quite sharp. The mat typically extends 2-4" from the rhizome. I always wear leather gloves when dealing with these. While most rhizomes are shallow, they can extend downward as much as 2 1/2' (small bamboos) to nearly 3' (large bamboos) into the ground. Pressures at 3 feet, however, do provide good resistance if natural clay is present at that depth (which is common).
:) PROPOGATION
To insure an identical species, rhizome propogation is best. In the spring, remove the soil from a rhizome (if necessary, as some rhizomes rise from the soil & snake back into the ground). Look for a bright (light-colored) bud along the upper surface. Once located, cut off a 1.5' section of the rhizome with the bright bud centered along the length. Plant in ground or pot - about an inch or so deep - and a new shoot will emerge within days, though sometimes more.
:) FLOWERING
Pray That It Does Not. Depending on species, Bamboos flower every 7-120 years. Moso is closer to the 120 mark. Because flowering is genetically encoded (timed) & since all bamboos, of a specific species, are propogated from a single mother plant, Flowering is Gregarious & Global: When a specific species flowers, it flowers all over the world and, within a short given time, dies all over the world.
While the flowers share a similar, visual structure with Bird of Paradise, they are Quite UN-spectacular, have no scent, no appreciable color, & produce no nectar. Pollination is strictly air-borne & by Incidental contact.
:) HISTORICAL FLOWERING
In the 1960's, Phyllostachys Bambusoides 'Castillonis' flowered. At the same moment, all of that species flowered all over the world. Bamboo enthusiasts in Germany collected seeds in an attempt to preserve the species. Thier efforts were successfull. The species was later re-introduced to the U.S. by the ABS (American Bamboo Society). A beautiful variably-striped bamboo, to this day, it is still somewhat scarce.
:) CONTAINMENT
While the root-balls of clumping bamboos expand mere inches per year, the rhizomes of runner bamboos can traverse as much as 12 feet & more per year. Since the rhizomes & new shoots can be potentially damaging to sidewalks, driveways, foundations, and other domestic structures, there is a vital need for containment. Some such infractions have actually resulted in legal suits against the enthusiast.
The best protection is by digging (for larger bamboos) a 30" deep trench (in 'circular' formation). Check first to learn where underground phone lines etc are located. The trench is most effective if dug at a very slight angle outward from the containment area. For large bamboos, 30" wide, 6 mil thick, high-density polyurethane is best. Special 2-sided, task-specific tape is typically offered for sealing the ends where they meet. While a simple trench & regular patrolling (with a sharp instrument) is possible, it is much more tasking & erosion can facilitate infractions. Concrete is ineffective due to cracking underground. Posthole diggers can be used for digging the trench. Insert the polyurethane rhizome-barrier in the ground leaving about an inch of the barrier above ground, secure the ends firmly with the 2-sided tape, then fill in the trench with soil. The rhizomes may yet, at times, snake out of the ground & rise over the wall. Simply clip these with a sharp shovel.
:) FOOD PREPARATION (Takenoko)
While young bamboo shoots are generally edible, ingestion of sufficient quantity of raw shoots can be hazardous. Moso bamboo is somewhat bitter & Must be cooked, prior to ingestion, due to potentially toxic concentrations of cyanogens in the shoots. For additional information on edible shoots, see:
http://agsyst.wsu.edu/bambroc.pdf
See also, Phyllostachys Aurea - the 4th 'Interesting' Bamboo species listed below. Tabeyo!!

SOME INTERESTING BAMBOO SPECIES

:) DREPANOSTACHYUM KHASIANUM BAMBOO
Aka, Khasia bamboo, Aka, Blue Hawaiian bamboo.
This is a Mountain bamboo of the genus Bambusa. A beautiful blue bamboo with purple bands above the white nodes and rainbow-like blue, horizontal colorations. Hates southwest & lower southern states... but I Luv a challenge! Origins are the lower elevations of the Himalayas in Nepal, Sikkim, & Bhutan. Hardy to 20 degrees F. Recommended for USDA zones 8b-9. Hates high-heat & humidity. Grows to 20' tall with a 1-1.5" culm. Performs best in a shady location.
:) PHYLLOSTACHYS HETEROCYCLA PUBESCENS
Aka, Moso Timber bamboo, Aka, Big Timber bamboo. A runner-type & very slow grower. The largest of the temperate timber bamboos. Has thin, short, satin-like leaves. Grows from 75-90' tall with up-to 7" diameter green culms. Hardy to -5 degrees F. Young shoots are edible. The timber is used in China for construction & bridge building.
Vital : Refer to "Food Preparation", above, concerning edible shoots.
:) PHYLLOSTACHYS VIRIDIS
Aka, Robert Young. Named after the man who first introduced it into the U.S.. A runner type. Culms start out green then turn yellow or old-gold. Though a fast grower, it tends to send up few new shoots (per year) compared to others and is, therefore, sometimes difficult to find for purchase. Culms often exhibit green vertical striping. Grows to 40' tall with 2.5-3" diameter culms. Has broad, shiney, 3-5" leaves. Hardy to -5 degrees F. Prized in Japan for fine-furniture making. Also, especially combined with Henon, the boiled shoots are quite tastey.
:) PHYLLOSTACHYS AUREA
Aka, Golden bamboo, Aka, Yellow Groove bamboo. Thanx for the reminder, Sandy! Common to shady woodlands of east Asia & southeast China. Canes are about 15mm diameter & about 18' tall. Hardy in Zone-6. In a reported event (Sandy), the rhizomes survived a brief period at -25 degrees F. While the canes died back, it sent up new shoots the following spring. Flowering occurs every few years. As the flowers (of this species) are hermaphroditic & since bamboo pollination is an air-borne process, covering the tops during flowering should suffice to insure seed of the identical species. Prefers a shady location. Unlike many bamboos, this one is Not drought-resistant; keep soil consistently moist. Reputed to produce the best tasting shoots of any bamboo of this genus. In the spring, harvest shoots that are 8 cm (in height) above ground-level. Cut these shoots about 5 cm below ground-level. Then grab a good recipee book! For other great Cuisine, Sweet Shoot bamboo (Phyllostachys Dulcis) is an absolute fave due to the sugary-sweet taste & because it requires much less cooking time to eliminate the inherent bitterness of bamboo.

Thanx to Bob, Lorax, & Sandy0225 for inputs & for the inspiration!