Permaculture Plants: Bamboo

Description:
I have put off writing an article on Bamboo for a number of years. Even though it is one of the most useful plants on Earth, there are just so many species that the thought of working through them was a bit overwhelming. Well, I finally decided to suck it up and get on with it. Interestingly, right before this article was published, Geoff Lawton released a video on growing Bamboo! Of course, this was a coincidence, but it is still fun to say, “great minds think alike!” (You can see Geoff Lawton’s video on Bamboo here)

Geoff highlighted four species (Bambusa multiplex/glaucescens ‘Alphonse Karr’, Bambusa textilis var. gracilis, Bambusa oldhamii, Bambusa multiplex ‘Fern Leaf’) in his video. All these species grow in Zones 8 or warmer. Temperate Climates do include Zone 8, but there are many other species that can withstand temperatures down to -15 F (-26 C)… that is at least Zone 5, and some species can grow in Hardiness Zone 4! The problem for me was trying to find information on these plants. The information is out there, but it is scattered all over the place. As always, when I research something, I share my findings.

Bamboo truly is the epitome of a Permaculture plant. It can be used for food, fiber, fuel, fodder, medicine, building, and more. It can stabilize and regenerate the landscape. It feeds and shelters wildlife. And it is quite beautiful as well. While best known as a tropical or subtropical plant, unless you have very, very cold Winters, there is a Bamboo plant for you. Bamboo should be growing in all Forest Gardens!

History:
Bamboo is native to native to every continent but Europe and Antarctica. It can be found in the hot tropics to cold, snowy mountains. They have had historic economic and cultural significance in Asia for thousands of years. In the last few decades, the rest of the world has really started to understand the relevance of this plant.

Trivia:

• Bamboo does not go to flower very often. Depending on the species, this can be once every 20-130 years! Interestingly, all Bamboo of the same species will go to flower at the same time, regardless of where in the world they are. Scientists still do not know how or why this happens!
• Once a Bamboo plant is done flowering, it will die.
• Bamboo shoots can grow surprisingly fast. In fact, it hold the Guinness World Record as the fast growing plant on Earth. One plant had shoots that were recorded as growing 35 inches (91 cm) in 24 hours!
• Bamboo shoots typically grow for 4-6 weeks (in Spring or Summer) before they stop getting taller.
• Bamboo shoots will get taller and wider each year until the stand of Bamboo reach maturity.
• New shoots are roughly the same diameter as the mature cane.
• Bamboo plants may produce double the number of shoots each year – this is why they are notorious for spreading.
• Bamboo grows up (from shoots) pretty fast, but they can also grow out (from their roots/rhizomes) as well.
• Bamboo is typically classified as either running or clumping.
• Running types of Bamboo have rhizomes (underground stems, leptomorph type) that can put up new shoots a few feet or yards (meters) away from the mother plant. They can spread up to 15 feet per year, but 3-5 feet in more typical.
• Clumping Bamboo still has rhizomes, but they are a different type (pachymorph type), and they expand very slowly – too slowly to be considered running, they grow in clumps.
• Many people harvest the shoots or cut them down to prevent running Bamboo from spreading.
• Some people will install a rhizome barrier which blockes the expansion of the underground stems.
• For the most part, all Bamboo species in colder Temperate Climates are running types. Almost all species that can tolerate hot and humid Summers and cool to cold Winters (like the southeastern United States) are running types as well. The clumping species of Bamboo that can handle the cold tend to be smaller, but these species are less tolerant of heat and humidity. This is why almost all the species listed in the table below are running types.

Uses
I typically divide this section in to Primary and Secondary uses, but Bamboo has so many incredible uses, that it is almost impossible to say which is “primary” and which is “secondary”.

• Edible Shoots – While all Bamboo shoots are considered edible, some are better than others, and only about 100 are used for food. Typically, the larger species are used more often, since the smaller shoots are not considered worthwhile to harvest. Many species produce significant levels of toxins (precursors to cyanide), but these toxins are quickly destroyed and rendered harmless at high temperatures. Cooking (boiling is most common) the shoots not only makes them safe to eat, but makes them more tender.
• General insect (especially bees) nectar and pollen plant; however, Bamboo does not flower frequently enough to be major benefit
• Shelter Plant for Beneficial Insects – especially solitary bees and wasps
• Wildlife Shelter – especially birds and small mammals
• Animal Fodder – Bamboo is a grass, and livestock like to eat grass
• Ornamental Plant – this has been one of its primary uses around the world
• Timber – used to create particle board, fiberboard, strand board, flooring, molding, beams, etc.
• Wood Products – used for cutting boards, crafts, baskets, tools, veneers, laminates, musical instruments, weapons, etc.
• Structures – bridges, walls, roofing, water pipes, water wheels, etc.
• Poles/Stakes – common in garden and other agricultural uses, fishing poles, etc.
• Paper – newspaper, bond paper, toilet tissue, cardboard, coffee filters, etc.
• Fuel – firewood, charcoal, etc.
• Textiles – clothing, blankets, towels, pillows, mattresses, diapers, bullet proof vests, etc.
• Windbreak Species – typically fast growing and very tolerant of wind
• Hedge Species – fantastic privacy screen, and in warmer climates, Bamboo is used as a much needed shade producing plant
• Erosion Control Species – the extensive root system helps stabilize soils prone to erosion.
• Dam/Pond Wall Stabilization – Bamboo’s extensive, fibrous, and shallow root system is great for stabelizing and protecting a pond or dam wall.
• Bioremediation Species – Bamboo can be used as a fast-growing plant to help clean and detoxify environments

 

Yield: Variable.
Harvesting: “Winter” shoots are harvested in late Winter. These are harvested before the shoots erupt through the soil; they are small and very tender. “Spring” shoots are harvested in the Spring, of course. These are harvested before they reach 10-12 inches (25-30 cm). Then there are the “Summer” shoots. These are harvested from Bamboo species that produce shoots in the Summer. Harvest shoots that are short and wide, solid and heavy for their size. Shoots are typically cut at soil level with a sharp-bladed shovel. The hard, tough husk is peeled off, sometimes a few layers at a time, until the pale, edible core is released. The fibrous base is cut back. Sometimes the tip also needs to be removed. The shoots are cut to relatively uniform size for even cooking. They can be boiled, steamed, grilled, etc. If boiling, use salted water, and boil for about 20 minutes. Many species of Bamboo shoots need a few fresh water changes, a second boiling, and/or a slow simmer to make them tender and not bitter. Other species can be trimmed and placed on the grill, ready to eat after cooked for a few minutes.
Storage: Harvested shoots that are unpeeled can be stored in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They should be wrapped in wet paper towels, but not plastic; they need to breathe. They should also be kept out of the sun, this will increase their bitterness. Peeled shoots can only be stored for a few days. Cooked shoots can be stored for a few weeks if kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

USDA Hardiness Zone: Zones 4 and warmer (see table below).
AHS Heat Zone: Variable.
Chill Requirement: Not likely, but no reliable information is available.

Plant Type: Bamboo.
Leaf Type: Evergreen.
Forest Garden Use: Canopy Layer, Subcanopy Layer, Shrub Layer
Cultivars/Varieties: There are hundreds of species and varieties from which to choose.

Pollination: Pollinated by the wind. Flowers have both male and female parts.
Flowering: Bamboo does not go to flower very often (see Trivia section above).

Life Span: Individual canes can live for up to 10 years. Considering that the plants spread so easily from their rhizomes, an individual’s life span is likely irrelevant.

Size: see table below
Roots: Shallow and fibrous with rhizomes (spreading underground stem that can put up a new shoot/plant several feet from the parent)
Growth Rate: Fast to Very Fast

Light: Prefers full sun
Shade: Some species tolerate medium to full shade
Moisture: Moist to wet soils. Some species can tolerate very wet to flooded soils if allowed to dry out.
pH: 5.1-8.5 (varies on the species)

Special Considerations for Growing:
Only place Bamboo in an area where it can spread or where you will be able to maintain its spread (i.e. keep it from spreading). See Maintenance section below.

Propagation:
Can be propagated from seed, but many species of Bamboo do not go to seed very often. Seed may take up to 6 months to germinate. Division in late Winter/early Spring is most common – just be careful of the emerging small new shoots. Can be propagated from cuttings of 1-2 year plants in Spring.

Maintenance:

• If growing a running type or a clumping type that spreads, it is important to keep the shoots in check if you do not want it to spread.
• A rhizome barrier (approximately 30 inch/76 cm tall plastic or metal barrier encircling the Bamboo stand) is a common way to keep Bamboo from spreading. It still needs to be checked at least once a year to make sure no rhizomes are trying to “jump” over it. Some cheap plastic barriers are not strong enough to hold back the rhizomes, so I think the metal or even concrete barriers are best.
• Harvesting new shoots will keep the Bamboo from spreading outside of your desired area.
• Root pruning once or twice a year will also keep the rhizomes in check. This can be done with a rototiller or a sharp spade. Rhizomes are typically very shallow rooted (2-5 inches/5-13 cm deep), and can easily be found. Just dig a trench around the Bamboo grove, and pull out any wayward rhizomes. The root pruning is done at least 2 feet/60 cm from the parent plant. If root pruning is done too close to the parent plant, then the Bamboo cannot produce healthy shoots the following growing season.

Concerns:

• Spreading – running, and even some clumping, bamboo can rapidly spread to surrounding areas (see note in Maintenance and in Trivia above)

 

Bamboo Species for a Temperate Climate www.TCPermaculture.com
SCIENTIFIC NAME	COMMON NAME		ZONE	HEIGHT	DIAMETER	TYPE		SHOOTS	NOTES
Arundinaria gigantea	River Cane or Canebreak Bamboo		6-10	15-20 feet	S	R			Native to U.S.
Bashania fargesii	Windbreak Bamboo		7-10	25 feet	S-M	R			FS, EC, WT
Borinda papyrifera	Unnamed		8-9	15-25 feet	S-M	C			PHH
Fargesia nitida	Blue Fountain		5-9	10-15 feet	S	C			PHH, ST
Fargesia murielae	Umbrella Bamboo		5-9	10-15 feet	S	C			PHH, ST
Fargesia robusta	Unnamed		7-9	10-15 feet	S	C			PHH, ST
Phyllostachys acuta	Unnamed		6-10	25-30 feet	L	R		L Sp
Phyllostachys angusta	Stone Bamboo		6-10	20-25 feet	S	R		L Sp, NB
Phyllostachys atrovaginata	Incense Bamboo		5-10	35-40 feet	L	R		M Sp	Waxy, fragrant shoot coating
Phyllostachys aurea	Fishpole or Golden Bamboo		7-10	15-30 feet	S-M	R		E Au, NB, G
Phyllostachys aureosulcata	Yellow-Grove Bamboo		5-10	30 feet	S-M	R		L Sp, NB
Phyllostachys bambusoides	Giant Timber Bamboo, Madake		7-10	50-70 feet	VL (4-6 inches!)	R		Su
Phyllostachys bissetii	Bisset Bamboo		5-10	20-30 feet	S	R
Phyllostachys decora	Beautiful Bamboo		6-10	30-35 feet	L	R
Phyllostachys dulcis	Sweetshoot Bamboo		6-10	20-40 feet	L	R		E Sp, NB, VG	Major Chinese Edible Bamboo
Phyllostachys edulis	Moso Bamboo		7-10	40-50 feet	VL (4-7 inches!)	R		L Sp, NB, VG	Major Japanese Edible Bamboo
Phyllostachys flexuosa	Chinese Weeping Bamboo		6-9	20-25 feet	S	R		L Sp	One variety grows zig-zag
Phyllostachys glauca	Yunzhu Bamboo		6-10	35 feet	M	R		L Sp
Phylostachys herteroclada	Water Bamboo		6-10	30 feet	S-M	R			WS
Phyllostachys iridescens	Iridescent Bamboo		6-10	40+ feet	L	R
Phyllostachys makinoi	Makinoi’s Bamboo, Kei-Chiku		6-10	35-40 feet	M-L	R
Phyllostachys meyeri	Meyer Bamboo		7-10	30 feet	S-M	R
Phyllostachys nidularia	Big Node Bamboo		7-10	25-35 feet	S	R		E Sp, G	WS
Phyllostachys nigra	Black Bamboo		7-10	20-35 feet	M	R		Sp, Su, G
Phyllostachys nuda	Nude Sheath Bamboo		5-10	20-35 feet	S-M	R		Sp
Phyllostachys parvifolia	Unnamed		6-10	40+ feet	L	R		Sp, G
Phyllostachys platyglossa	Unnamed		6-10	20-25 feet	S	R		VG
Phyllostachys praecox	Unnamed		7-9	20 feet	M	R		Sp, G	ST
Phyllostachys propinqua	Unnamed		5-10	10-30 feet	S	R		Sp, G	ST
Phyllostachys rubromarginata	Red Margin Bamboo		6-10	40-60 feet	M	R		Su, NB, G	WT
Phyllostachys stimulosa	Unnamed		6-10	20-25 feet	S	R		G
Phyllostachys sulphurea f. viridis	Green Sulphur Bamboo		7-10	20-40 feet	S	R		L Sp
Phyllostachys violascens	Violet Bamboo		6-10	25-30 feet	S-M	R		L Sp
Phyllostachys viridiglaucescens	Greenwax Golden Bamboo		7-10	20-35 feet	S	R		E Su, NB, G
Phyllostachys vivax	Smooth-Sheathed or Chinese Timber Bamboo		6-10	40-70 feet	M-VL (up to 5 inches)	R		E Au, G
Pleioblastus hindsii	Unnamed		7-11	6-15 feet	S	R		G	ST, flutes
Pleioblastus simonii	Simon Bamboo		7-10	10-20 feet	S	R		Su, E Au	Edible Seeds
Pseudosasa japonica	Arrow Bamboo or Yadake		7-10	15-18 feet	S	R		Su, E Au, NB, G	WT, MT
Qiongzhuea tumidissinoda	Walking Stick Bamboo		7-10	15-18 feet	S (large nodes)	R		G	Popular for walking sticks
Semiarundinaria fastuosa	Narihira or Temple Bamboo		6-10	25-35 feet	S	R		E Au	ST
Thamnocalamus tessellatus	Unnamed		7-10	12-16 feet	S	C			PHH, MT
Yushania anceps	Anceps Bamboo		7-9	10-15 feet	S	C/R		Su, E Au, NB, G	PHH, EC, ST
Yushania anceps ‘Pitt White’	Pitt White Bamboo		7-9	15-20 feet	S	C/R		Su, NB, G	PHH, EC, ST
Yushania maculata	Maculata Bamboo		7-9	10-12	S	C		Su, E Au, NB, G	PHH, EC
Yushania maling	Maling Bamboo		7-9	10-25 feet	S-M	C			PHH, EC
DIAMETER:   S = Small (0.4-2 inches/1-5 cm) M= Medium (2-2.75 inches/5-7 cm) L = Large (2.75-4 inches/7-10 cm) VL = Very Large (4+ inches/10+ cm)		TYPE:   C = Clumping R = Running C/R = some Bamboo can have either Clumping or Running forms		SHOOTS:   Sp = Spring E Sp = Early Spring M Sp = Mid Spring L Sp = Late Spring Su = Summer E Au = Early Autumn G = Good tasting VG = Very Good tasting			NOTES:   FS = Fast Spreading EC = known for Erosion Control WT = known for being very Wind Tolerant PHH = does Poorly in high Heat and high Humid conditions (like the southeast U.S.) ST = known for being Shade Tolerant WS = can grow in very Wet Soils and can stand occasional flooding MT = Maritime Tolerant

 

 

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Photo References:

• http://www.bambooweb.info/resize_image3.php?photowidth=600&image=http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz246/stevelau1911/Daves%20garden/DSC02565.jpg?t=1356023427
• http://www.bamboogarden.com/Wolfgang%20Moso.JPG
• http://www.bambooweb.info/resize_image3.php?photowidth=600&image=http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz246/stevelau1911/Daves%20garden/DSC02780.jpg?t=1356026458
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Phyllostachys_bambusoides_%27Violascens%27_-_Bambus.JPG
• http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/images/vivax_culm.jpg
• http://www.shweeashbamboo.com/Q.-tumidissinoda7s.jpg
• http://www.bamboogarden.com/images/Y.brevi.11-05.jpg
• http://www.shweeashbamboo.com/P.nigra6s.jpg
• http://www.shweeashbamboo.com/F.robusta.rootmass4s.jpg
• http://www.bamboogarden.com/Barrier-installation5.jpg
• http://tokyobling.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/bamboo_shoot_wild.jpg
• http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3413/3518596075_382c8be704_o.jpg
• http://www.bonzabamboo.com.au/images/shoot_harvest/shoot1.jpg
• http://illmakeitmyself.brianhuneke.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/img_12292.jpg
• http://www.bamboogarden.com/shoot-harvest2.jpg
• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B7oh9GhKshQ/UZKpZFJlekI/AAAAAAAAFAo/BqN2juwrTcM/s1600/IMG_9772.jpg
• http://www.bamboogarden.com/pruning-trench2.jpg