How Fast Does Bamboo Grow? Types & Tips
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Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world, with unique growing characteristics and patterns. This plant exhibits a fascinating growing cycle that can be seen even after 60 days of developing your first plant. Some species of bamboo can grow 35 inches in only one day, which is an impressive growth rate.
While bamboo does grow incredibly fast due to the laws of nature, there are some ways that you can improve its growth. In the article below, we have included sure ways to care for your bamboo grove, making your plants thrive and grow faster than ever.
Bamboo Growth Cycle
The first bamboo plant you grow will never be an individual stalk; instead, it will be a part of a much larger colony that grows an entire network of underground rhizomes. Once planting your first bamboo seed, you can expect the shoots to grow shortly as visible stems. The shoots will come out of the ground in their full size. The first shoot will grow rapidly, usually a few inches daily. Some fascinating bamboo species have been proven to grow as fast as 35 inches in one day.
The shoot will grow in the form of characteristic jointed, hollow stems, reaching their full height, about 11 inches, in about 60 days. Each shoot will grow into a tall culm with a 5 to 10-year life cycle. After dying off, the culms leave room for new shoots to take place.
The 2 Types of Bamboo Plants
There are two types of bamboo plants that differ significantly in how they grow, spread, and look: running and clumping bamboo.
1. Running Bamboo
Running bamboos are stunning and unique plants that grow in fairly random places. You can find shoots coming out on the side of the road or other unpredictable areas. The shoots of running bamboo are spread by an underground stem, which extends horizontally with roots and rhizomes.
2. Clumping Bamboo
Clumping bamboo grows in the form of a giant, clumpy privacy screen. This type of bamboo grows as a clump because all stalks grow from connected buds on the end of rhizomes. These bamboos can’t spread very wide and they expand in diameter and density over time.
- Soil Requirement: Bamboos are very hardy and tolerant regarding the type of soil you provide for them. They can grow in rocky or sandy soil, although they prefer slightly acidic and well-drained soil. Bamboo can even thrive in infertile soil as they can redistribute the nutrients to the soil once it’s ready for harvest.
- Sun Exposure: Bamboos are sun-loving plants and require at least 4 hours of filtered sunlight per day to simply survive. To get your bamboo stalks to thrive and get a vibrant color of the stalks, try providing them with as much sunlight during the day as possible. The sunlight is like food to these plants, and they will grow much healthier when given the right conditions.
- Climate: Bamboo thrives in areas with substantial rain, especially in China, Japan, and India. Bamboo prefers these locations because their ideal monsoon climates give the bamboo plants enough rain, moisture, and warmth to grow rapidly.
The 6 Tips for Increasing Growth Rate
1. Fertilizer
Occasionally adding fertilizer to your plants is an excellent tip to achieving a rapidly growing bamboo grove. It is best to use a fertilizer with high nitrogen levels, which will provide your plant with the nutrients missing from the soil.
2. Correct watering habits
Bamboos need a lot of moisture and water daily. For some species, it is even impossible to overwater them. Before your bamboo grove becomes an established plant, watering as much as you can is an excellent way to care for them. Provide the plant with more water during the summer, and keep watering until the soil cannot absorb any more water.
3. Pruning
Like with any other plants, it is always advisable to remove any dead culms that may be drawing the energy away from the healthy culms. This method will also provide the existing, healthy culms with more sun exposure and energy.
4. Reduce stress
Ensure your bamboo plants are not enduring any unnecessary stress that may prevent them from growing rapidly. Provide enough water and sunlight for the plants so they don’t have to fight any bacteria or fungi. While overwatering cannot harm the bamboo, such as not watering enough, it is still not advisable to suffocate the plant with too much water. Keep an organized watering schedule, and you should be on the right track.
5. Provide enough air circulation
Some bamboo species prefer well-ventilated areas, especially if you are growing your plant in a closed environment. To prevent this, place your bamboo plant on a window sill or any other site that will bring more oxygen to the plant.
6. Stay patient
Being patient while your bamboo plant goes through all the phases necessary is a must. Since this plant has such a unique growth pattern, it is crucial to stay patient. Sometimes, even when you provide the plant with ideal conditions, it won’t show any improvement. This won’t mean your methods are wrong; you simply may need to wait until the next season to be rewarded. If you believe you are doing everything right, continue with your method of caring, and you will see the results shortly.
Final Thoughts
After reading about the bamboo plant’s specific and distinctive growth cycle, you can go ahead and see it for yourself. This gorgeous and unique plant will provide you with a perfect, dense shade in just a few years. Not to mention its usefulness for various projects! Try growing and caring for a bamboo plant; you will surely be surprised to see how fast this plant grows.
Featured Image Credit: Piqsels
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