A Detailed Guide to the Planting Time, Cultivation Techniques and Management Key Points of Water Bamboo

AbstractPlanting time: plant from November to the end of April, or plant from June to August. Seed selection and seedling raising: divide old water bamboo clumps for planting. Land preparation: choose a paddy field or shallow pond as the planting site, then deep-plow the soil and let it sun-bleach, and rough-plow it to make it loose. Transplanting: transplant the prepared seedlings in November. Field management: fertilize according to growth conditions, and carry out weeding 2-3 times.

I. Planting Time

There are many varieties of water bamboo in China, generally divided into two categories: single-season water bamboo and double-season water bamboo. In southern regions, double-season water bamboo is planted from November to the end of April, or planted from June to August, but only the autumn water bamboo can be harvested, while single-season water bamboo is cultivated in spring, forms its shoots under short-day conditions in autumn, and is harvested in the 8th lunar month.

II. Seed Selection and Seedling Raising

1. You may choose to plant late-maturing, high-yielding double-season varieties, or choose to plant early-market, high-yielding single-season varieties, mainly depending on market conditions and the local environment. Since water bamboo reproduces asexually, there is no conventional method of sowing seeds and raising seedlings.

2. In all cases, old water bamboo clumps are divided for planting. Generally, clumps that grow vigorously, are disease-free, and have no male plants are selected, then the small muddy water bamboo root clumps are cut with a knife to serve as seedlings, with more than 1,000 per mu.

III. Land Preparation

1. Choose 1 paddy field or shallow pond as the planting site, deep-plow the soil and let it sun-bleach, and rough-plow it to make it loose. Water bamboo has a relatively high fertilizer requirement for growth, so sufficient base fertilizer must be applied, which helps achieve high yields.

2. The base fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer or farmyard manure; chemical fertilizers are not recommended. After fertilizing, deep-plow the soil again to mix the soil and fertilizer evenly, then irrigate and rake it level, then reinforce and raise the field ridges. Water bamboo needs a certain water layer during its growth period, but the water layer should not exceed 20cm.

IV. Transplanting

Transplant the prepared seedlings in November. Transplanting is generally done mainly in rows, with a suitable row spacing of 0.8-1 m and a plant spacing of 05.-0.6 m. Pay attention to the depth when planting; if planted too deep, tillering will not be vigorous. Usually it is best to insert the old stems and the base of the water bamboo seedlings into the mud so that they do not float up.

V. Field Management

1. Water bamboo has different water requirements at each growth stage. In the early growth stage, the water requirement is not large; in the peak growth stage, the water requirement is relatively large, so sufficient water must be ensured; and in the late growth stage, the water requirement decreases. Topdressing should be determined according to growth conditions.

2. When fertilizing, note that fertilizer must not be applied directly under the water bamboo seedlings; it needs to be 2-3cm away from the water bamboo seedlings, to avoid fertilizer burning the seedlings due to excessive concentration.

3. At the same time, weeds should also be removed in time to improve soil permeability and avoid nutrient consumption. Weed 2-3 times during the growth period. The main diseases of water bamboo are leaf blight and rust, and the insect pests are leafhoppers and aphids, so prevention and control measures should be carried out well.