Bamboo is a thick, woody grass widely used for furniture making and garden decoration. In this case, many people want to use it as an ornamental plant or as a privacy barrier in the garden. For this reason, many people wonder how to breed bamboo efficiently and simply.
In this article we will explain how to reproduce bamboo in the simplest way possible and what are the different shapes that exist.
Contents
Characteristics of bamboo
Bamboo is a grass whose subfamily grows from the roots, forming rhizomes, from which stems grow. These are usually woody and cane-shaped. Bamboo shoots can be buried for years without coming to the surface.
The size of this plant can vary greatly, between 1 meter and 25 meters in height. A curious fact is that the characteristic knots of its cane presence are present from the appearance of the buds, which give the image of a miniature cane.
This plant has two types of leaves. Some grow from branches sprouting from tree trunks or sugar cane and are green with false leaf stalks. Others grow directly from the stem and are brown in color.
The flowering of bamboo is very important and consumes a lot of plant resources, which is why many bamboos die after flowering. There are still big questions about this flowering process, as the appearance of flowers may be present sporadically in some specimens, or the entire species may flower at the same time, regardless of where the plant is. specimen.
Modes of reproduction
It is possible to propagate bamboo from seed, but not practical for several reasons.
- Bamboo flowers are long and sometimes irregular, so in many cases it is difficult to get their seeds.
- Although there are seeds, it is very common for only half to germinate.
- As if that were not enough, the seed bamboo grew more slowly.
The other most effective way is cuttings. Planting by cuttings is the process of propagating a plant through fragments of its stem, leaves or roots. Going through the process of planting by cuttings, if everything is correct, you can be sure that the new plant has the conditions for the species that produced it.
For horticulturists and gardeners, propagation by cuttings is a technique that allows you to quickly propagate a large number of plants from a single sample through a simple process. Planting by cuttings is currently the most common method for beginners in the art of gardening. Asexual or vegetative propagation of bamboo, including propagation from branches, buds, stems, or rhizomes, is the best method of plant propagation.
When is the best time to breed bamboo
The best time for planting should be during the rainy season, because the soil of the plant must remain moist for the first 30 days. Currently, bamboo cuttings can reproduce throughout the year as long as they have the conditions for their development, mainly water.
Bamboo cuttings root easily in water or soil. Although its roots grow big and strong, there is no need to put nutrients in it, but more importantly, the water here is chlorine-free. To obtain bamboo chips or bamboo stems for planting, it is necessary to select mother plants that are phytosanitary and in good condition.
How to breed bamboo
Gently run your fingers along the roots to cut the bamboo from the parent plant, pull them apart and snap off a stem. Long, firm cuttings with at least 2 nodes should be chosen to ensure reproduction.
With the help of proper gardening tools, Cut a section of the mother bamboo as close to the stem as possible, sterilize and clean it. The lower leaves of the cutting are then removed taking care to keep the upper leaves intact so that the cutting can focus its energy on root development.
Then you should immerse the cup in a glass container filled with water, the best container for the cup to spread out, so that 40% of the cut is submerged in water and the rest is protected in the container. Bamboo is one of those plants that reproduces more easily in water and guarantees a higher percentage of capture.
Once a cutting is obtained, it should be placed in a container with water immediately to avoid dehydration and stress to the plant. Growers and experts prefer using distilled or bottled water because it does not contain chlorine, a nutrient that is very harmful to bamboo.
If you prefer tap water or running water, It is recommended to let it sit for about 24 hours so that the chlorine gas decomposes before introducing the bamboo cup. Put the cutting in water, cover several of its nodes, then wait for the roots to emerge and a new plant to grow.
Is it practical to use fertilizer or compost?
In addition to the use of fertile soil, the use of fertilizers facilitates the optimal development of bamboo stems, providing the conditions for massive germination in the shortest possible time. Calcareous-sandy pozzolan alluvial soils are recommended, and generally a good harvest of bamboo is obtained with a mixture of 63% sand, 19% silt and 18% clay.
As soil improvement measures, the application of compost and natural humus is recommended, as well as the application of dry leaves and grasses to increase soil moisture. Place the cuttings in full direct and indirect sun for a month, then in bright places without direct sun. By planting bamboo cuttings in the ground, Weeds must be controlled to prevent them from competing for nutrient uptake.
Bamboo propagated from stem fragments, placed in distilled water, or planted in the ground, can take up to a month to develop new roots and shoots. The most practical bamboo farming system is called chusquine farming. Chusquines are thin leaves of bamboo stems with roots protruding from the rhizomes and are considered saplings. Using this propagation method, each plant is capable of producing 5-8 new plants in an average of four months.
I hope with this information you can learn more about how to breed bamboo.