More than 1000 different species of bamboo have been identified, and some species grow faster than others, but overall, bamboo is considered the fastest-growing plant in the world. And now you might wonder: how fast does bamboo grow? Bamboo grows approximately one meter per day, with the exception of Moso bamboo: it can grow up to 1.20m in 24 hours. Additionally, bamboo can be divided into two different types: running and non-running bamboo. But where and when does bamboo actually grow? And should you prune bamboo?
Where does bamboo grow?
Generally, bamboo is known as a plant that grows in places like Southeast Asia, but in reality, bamboo can grow anywhere. Depending on which type of bamboo tries to sprout, bamboo can grow in subtropical areas or in places as cold as Iowa.
Before cities expanded on a large scale, bamboo grew on every continent except Antarctica and Europe. Southeast Asia is the most common place where bamboo grows, and the plant species has been growing there for millions of years. Even South America has native bamboo. More than five million hectares of land in Cane Beak, located in the southeastern United States, was once covered with native bamboo. Only during the migration movements in the early 19th century was the growing bamboo destroyed by colonists, as the bamboo plant grew on land that they believed should be converted into farms.
So far, between 1200 and 1500 species of bamboo have been discovered worldwide, growing depending on the climate that the specific species can tolerate. There are bamboo species that can survive winter weather down to -6 degrees Celsius and still grow again in spring during normal germination periods. Usually, tall bamboo grows in places with tropical, subtropical, or temperate weather climates. These are places like Southeast Asia, South America, and the southeastern part of the United States. Some bamboo species are known to grow well indoors in less temperate parts of the world like Europe.
Bamboo at home
Bamboo is also an ideal plant for the garden or balcony. The woody grass can be used along the pond, as a hedge, or in pots. Bamboo has unique growth properties compared to other plants. Due to its annual life cycle and because it blooms fully in spring, bamboo is an advantageous plant to place in the garden.
The only problem sometimes experienced when planting bamboo in the garden is the running roots of the plant. These can grow so quickly that it becomes difficult to prevent the bamboo plant from taking over the entire garden or landscape. The rhizomes are also difficult to remove; usually, the rhizomes must be dug up and then chopped apart. Bamboo has a wide distribution area, as evidenced by the enormous amounts of bamboo forests still standing in Southeast Asia.
Should you prune bamboo?
When the bamboo plant has reached adult height after one to three years, it is beneficial to prune the bamboo from time to time. By pruning the bamboo plant, you prevent excess culms from taking up unnecessary space at the end of their life cycle. These culms typically last about ten years. Removing old and other unwanted culms helps stimulate new growth and create space for new culms. Pruning is usually only necessary after the bamboo has established itself. This is usually after the third to fifth growing season. The time bamboo needs to establish depends on many factors such as the planting area, species, climate zone, water, sunlight, and soil.
Pruning can be done almost year-round. However, it is not advisable to prune during the growing season due to possible damage to new shoots. When pruning bamboo, at least one-third of the healthy bamboo culms must remain, otherwise the bamboo plant will be permanently affected. It is also possible to top the bamboo. When the bamboo is topped, the upper part of the bamboo plant is removed. Once topped, the bamboo plant will never grow vertically again. Once bamboo is topped, it remains at the same height throughout its life cycle.
It is desirable to keep some viable stems and cut only half a centimeter above the node when topping the bamboo. Without these viable stems, no new stems can grow, and the bamboo plant will not survive. It is usually best to leave three or more groups of culms standing for the health and appearance of the culms. These tall bamboo culms will grow more leaves to compensate for the height loss. This gives the bamboo a very different appearance with a spindly 'topping'.
When does bamboo grow?
Bamboo reaches new heights each year by growing new and larger shoots every spring. The new shoots usually emerge from the ground between April and July and reach full height in about two to three months.
The reason bamboo grows so fast is that bamboo shoots already have all the necessary nutrients at a young age. Where a first young bamboo shoot must fight for its place in the ground to get all nutrients, subsequent bamboo shoots can use the network of underground roots. It therefore happens that from a small weak bamboo plant of running species, new and stronger bamboo plants grow several years later. Through the vertically spreading rhizomes, it can happen that a bamboo forest has completely originated from just one underground bamboo rhizome.
Types of bamboo
There are two different types of bamboo: running and non-running bamboo. The above-mentioned type is running bamboo. This type spreads easily and quickly through its vertical root system. The other category is non-running bamboo. This type grows horizontally deep into the earth and clumps all roots together. This variant of bamboo doesn't grow as fast as running bamboo, because the roots are not so much spread but concentrate in one place. Running bamboo can be considered ineradicable because it can take over a large piece of land in a short time.
It is crucial to care for the bamboo plant properly in these first years to extend the plant's lifespan and help it grow quickly. First, proper care includes providing sufficient water. It's almost impossible to give bamboo too much water, and on hot, dry days, a bamboo plant needs almost twice as much water as usual to grow fully. Additionally, it's important to give the bamboo plant sufficient, preferably direct sunlight and adequate nutrition. Bamboo loves to stand in full sun.
Bamboo grows in different parts of the world, in many types and sizes. The bamboo plant can fill entire forests or be planted in small numbers in the garden. To optimize bamboo growth in a domestic environment, it's important to prune the bamboo culms from time to time, preferably after the growing season. How bamboo grows depends on the type of bamboo, but usually, bamboo reaches its full height two to three months after emerging from the ground in spring. Shop our bamboo toilet paper!
