How to Select and Dig Bamboo Shoots? Master the Scientific Harvesting Techniques

Bamboo shoots have been regarded as a "rare delicacy among vegetables" in China since ancient times. Bamboo shoots are a traditional Chinese delicacy, fragrant in taste and crisp in texture, with an extremely long history of consumption and cultivation. In the Book of Songs there are verses such as "the substance added to the beans, pickled bamboo shoots and minced fish" and "what sound does the flute make, only bamboo shoots and cattails," indicating that the Chinese people have a history of eating bamboo shoots dating back 2500 to 3000 years.

How can we make full use of bamboo shoot resources without affecting the normal growth and development of the bamboo forest, reasonably select and dig bamboo shoots, and increase bamboo shoot yield?

First, consider the time of shoot formation. Bamboo farmers have a summary of experience: “Winter shoots before the ninth day fear spring rain, spring shoots after the ninth day welcome spring rain; winter shoots before the ninth day rot by spring, spring shoots after the ninth day emerge at Qingming.” Bamboo shoots are affected by seasonal climate. With “Winter Solstice” as the boundary, shoots formed before “Winter Solstice” are called winter shoots. Winter shoots mostly cannot survive the spring rain, have a low rate of becoming bamboo, and are suitable for digging rather than keeping; shoots formed after “Winter Solstice” are called spring shoots. Spring shoots can break through the soil to meet the spring rain and have a high rate of becoming bamboo, so they are suitable for keeping rather than digging. After spring shoots emerge, the forest land should be checked frequently, and degenerated shoots should be dug out promptly.

Second, consider the shape of the bamboo shoots. The best season for digging winter shoots is around “Winter Solstice.” If digging is too late, it will inevitably damage already sprouted spring shoots and affect bamboo formation. If the digging time is slightly delayed due to bad weather or labor shortages, then the shape of the shoots should be used to judge whether to dig or keep. Bamboo farmers' experience is: “Pointed at both ends, curved in the middle, rots into paste when spring comes; thin at the top, thick at the bottom, becomes new bamboo when spring arrives.” If the shoot is curved, pointed and flat at both ends, or its sheath is aged and loose, it indicates poor development of the young shoot and it should be dug; if the base of the shoot is full and shaped like a “pagoda,” with a well-developed root system, it should be kept and not dug.

Third, consider the site conditions. “Bamboo shoots on high mountains are not superior, shoots on flat land become bamboo, on slopes they produce hook poles, below slopes they produce fine bamboo.” Digging shoots also depends on site conditions. Generally, the higher the terrain of the bamboo forest, the worse the nutritional conditions for bamboo shoots, the slower the growth and development, the later the emergence, the lower the rate of becoming bamboo, and the poorer the quality of bamboo timber, so more can be dug appropriately; young shoots in flatland bamboo forests mostly have good nutritional conditions, grow and develop quickly, are thick and robust, and have a high rate of becoming bamboo, so more should be kept and fewer dug.

Fourth, one should have the technique of “searching for gold through the soil.” A bamboo with thick green leaves bearing yellow spots is a shoot-bearing bamboo. Digging where the surface soil around it is cracked can yield shoots. Some people divide moso bamboo into so-called “male” and “female.” If the first node of a mature moso bamboo branches in pairs and grows symmetrically, it is a female bamboo, and there will certainly be bamboo shoots around it; if the first node has a single branch, it is a male bamboo and has no shoots. After finding a shoot-bearing bamboo, carefully observe the direction in which the top of the female bamboo droops. The place where dew drops from the bamboo tip is where bamboo shoots grow. In addition, the lower part of each bamboo has a main rhizome. The direction of this rhizome is parallel to the plane formed by the symmetrical bamboo branches at the first node, and shoots always grow in the direction in which the rhizome extends.

In short, when selecting and digging bamboo shoots, attention should be paid to preserving the density and uniformity of shoots kept for bamboo production, to avoid focusing on one thing and losing sight of another. After digging shoots, promptly do soil cultivation and bury the rhizomes. Holes and pits must be filled level with soil to prevent water accumulation and rhizome rot.