Bamboo
- Thread starter gddunbar
- Start date
HII
the species that can be cultivate are Bambusa vulgaris (green and yellow species), Bambusa bambos, Bambusa nutans, Dandrocalamus strictus, Dandrocalamus hamiltonii etc. are good species to be planted.
PLanting and care
Bamboo rhizomes should be planted in well-watered, well drained, fertile, loam, sandy loam and clay loam soils. For plantation excavate 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm size pit. The plant to plant and row to row spacing should be 20 feet. 400 plant can be planted in a hectare. About 5 KG of well-rotted stable manure, a handful of chemical fertilizer and pesticide may be put in each pit. Bamboo is a heavy feeder so even rich soil becomes depleted after few years if no fertilizer is added. Besides stable manure, ash, Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride should be buried in small pits at least once in a year to avoid being washed away by rain. Before planting, the bamboo rhizome is coated with thick mud to prevent dehydration and increase its chances of survival. When the mother culm is planted, care should be taken to ensure that the rhizome is well below the ground level and the culm is perpendicular to the ground. Fill the bottom of the hole with water, add soil and stir to make mud. Place the bamboo plant in the hole and add more water until hole is filled. Top up the soil leaving a shallow pan to accept water. After planting, the soil at the base of the culm should be pressed firm and then topped up to prevent base rotting. . Back fill the planting hole with top-soil using a stick to push soil in to any spaces left around the rhizomes. Next, step lightly on the ground around the culms. Apply water to settle the soil around the rhizomes but this may not be necessary with a plant which has the original soil bound by its roots. All transplanted bamboo should be mulched with 15-20 centimeter depth of hay or straw to a diameter of about 2 meters. Spread soil on top of the hay or straw, covering it. This protects the ground from drying, controls soil temperature and checks the growth of weeds. Incase some weeds grow they can be pulled up by hand. During the first three years of growth while the plantation is maturing and culms and shoots are too small, growers can raise other crops in the groves to recover the starting capital.
Harvesting
Bamboo used for construction purposes must be harvested when the culms reach their greatest strength and when sugar levels in the sap are at their lowest, as high sugar content increases the ease and rate of pest infestation.
Harvesting of bamboo is typically undertaken according to the following cycles.
1) Life cycle of the clump: As each individual culm goes through a 5-7 year life cycle, culms are ideally allowed to reach this level of maturity prior to full capacity harvesting. The clearing out or thinning of culms, particularly older decaying culms, helps to ensure adequate light and resources for new growth. Well maintained clumps may have a productivity 3-4 times that of an unharvested wild clump.
2) Life cycle of the culm: As per the life cycle described above, bamboo is harvested from 2–3 years through to 5–7 years, depending on the species.
Leaching
Leaching is the removal of sap post-harvest. In many areas of the world the sap levels in harvested bamboo are reduced either through leaching or post-harvest photosynthesis.
REgards
Ashwini
3) Annual cycle: As all growth of new bamboo occurs during the wet season, disturbing the clump during this phase will potentially damage the upcoming crop. Also during this high rain fall period, sap levels are at their highest and then diminish towards the dry season. Picking immediately prior to the wet/growth season may also damage new shoots. Hence harvesting is best at the end of the dry season, a few months prior to the start of the wet.
4) Daily cycle: During the height of the day, Photosynthesis is at its peak producing the highest levels of sugar in sap, making this the least ideal time of day to harvest. Many traditional practitioners believe that the best time to harvest is at dawn or dusk on a full moon. This practice makes sense in terms of both moon cycles, visibility and daily cycles.
the species that can be cultivate are Bambusa vulgaris (green and yellow species), Bambusa bambos, Bambusa nutans, Dandrocalamus strictus, Dandrocalamus hamiltonii etc. are good species to be planted.
PLanting and care
Bamboo rhizomes should be planted in well-watered, well drained, fertile, loam, sandy loam and clay loam soils. For plantation excavate 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm size pit. The plant to plant and row to row spacing should be 20 feet. 400 plant can be planted in a hectare. About 5 KG of well-rotted stable manure, a handful of chemical fertilizer and pesticide may be put in each pit. Bamboo is a heavy feeder so even rich soil becomes depleted after few years if no fertilizer is added. Besides stable manure, ash, Calcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride should be buried in small pits at least once in a year to avoid being washed away by rain. Before planting, the bamboo rhizome is coated with thick mud to prevent dehydration and increase its chances of survival. When the mother culm is planted, care should be taken to ensure that the rhizome is well below the ground level and the culm is perpendicular to the ground. Fill the bottom of the hole with water, add soil and stir to make mud. Place the bamboo plant in the hole and add more water until hole is filled. Top up the soil leaving a shallow pan to accept water. After planting, the soil at the base of the culm should be pressed firm and then topped up to prevent base rotting. . Back fill the planting hole with top-soil using a stick to push soil in to any spaces left around the rhizomes. Next, step lightly on the ground around the culms. Apply water to settle the soil around the rhizomes but this may not be necessary with a plant which has the original soil bound by its roots. All transplanted bamboo should be mulched with 15-20 centimeter depth of hay or straw to a diameter of about 2 meters. Spread soil on top of the hay or straw, covering it. This protects the ground from drying, controls soil temperature and checks the growth of weeds. Incase some weeds grow they can be pulled up by hand. During the first three years of growth while the plantation is maturing and culms and shoots are too small, growers can raise other crops in the groves to recover the starting capital.
Harvesting
Bamboo used for construction purposes must be harvested when the culms reach their greatest strength and when sugar levels in the sap are at their lowest, as high sugar content increases the ease and rate of pest infestation.
Harvesting of bamboo is typically undertaken according to the following cycles.
1) Life cycle of the clump: As each individual culm goes through a 5-7 year life cycle, culms are ideally allowed to reach this level of maturity prior to full capacity harvesting. The clearing out or thinning of culms, particularly older decaying culms, helps to ensure adequate light and resources for new growth. Well maintained clumps may have a productivity 3-4 times that of an unharvested wild clump.
2) Life cycle of the culm: As per the life cycle described above, bamboo is harvested from 2–3 years through to 5–7 years, depending on the species.
Leaching
Leaching is the removal of sap post-harvest. In many areas of the world the sap levels in harvested bamboo are reduced either through leaching or post-harvest photosynthesis.
REgards
Ashwini
3) Annual cycle: As all growth of new bamboo occurs during the wet season, disturbing the clump during this phase will potentially damage the upcoming crop. Also during this high rain fall period, sap levels are at their highest and then diminish towards the dry season. Picking immediately prior to the wet/growth season may also damage new shoots. Hence harvesting is best at the end of the dry season, a few months prior to the start of the wet.
4) Daily cycle: During the height of the day, Photosynthesis is at its peak producing the highest levels of sugar in sap, making this the least ideal time of day to harvest. Many traditional practitioners believe that the best time to harvest is at dawn or dusk on a full moon. This practice makes sense in terms of both moon cycles, visibility and daily cycles.
Hi Ashwini,Many thanks for the most informative info.I am from Cape Town,South Africa and am currently preparing to import a container of Bambusa Vugaris Vittata from a nursery in China to plant on a farm for a client. Do you know anyone in India that is offering the same.We are in the Bamboo business check out Natural flooring and bamboo furniture - Brightfields Cape Town South Africa | Bamboo Furniture , bamboo products Cape Town South Africa .Any further info will be much appreciated. Regards, Graham
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basavasankar
New Member
North Eastren states are most resource based for Bamboo of varied varieties.