Detailed Guide to Moso Bamboo Cultivation: A Full Analysis of Planting and Management Methods

Moso bamboo is also known as nanzhu. Moso bamboo grows fast, matures early, has high yield and wide uses. Five to ten years after afforestation, it can be harvested and used year after year. So, do you know all about moso bamboo cultivation techniques?

1. Moso bamboo cultivation techniques

1. Seed collection

For seed collection, it is advisable to collect seeds from bamboo forests that are more than 10 years old, have relatively good site conditions and are undergoing normal flowering and fruiting. Moso bamboo seeds mature and are harvested from September to October, and are commonly stored mixed with insecticidal powder to prevent damage from insects.

2. Nursery site selection

The nursery site can be chosen on mountain slopes of earthen ridges, or on hilly land for raising seedlings, with virgin land, loose soil and fertile sandy soil being best.

3. Land preparation and bed making

The nursery land must be carefully plowed and harrowed. After picking out grass roots and stones, beds can be made. The bed surface is 1 m wide and 15-20 cm high, and the length can be determined according to the actual terrain. Apply 100 kg of compound fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer.

4. Sowing season

Autumn sowing is best, and spring sowing is also possible. Spring sowing should be completed before the end of March.

5. Germination promotion

Before sowing, first rinse off the seed-dressing powder with clean water, then mix the seeds with moist fine sand for germination promotion treatment, turning and sprinkling water once a day. When the seeds begin to show white, sieve out the sand and sow.

6. Sowing

The sowing method should be dibbling. The spacing between plants and rows is generally 25 cm x 25 cm. After evenly placing 8-10 seeds in each hole, cover with fine soil, just enough that the seeds are no longer visible.

7. Nursery management

Management of the nursery site is carried out with the goal of cultivating 2-3 year old bamboo seedlings.

Cover with a thin layer of thatch grass and water thoroughly once, and pay attention to preventing rodent damage. After the bamboo seedlings emerge, promptly remove the covering grass and begin weeding. Water during droughts. For fertilizing, relatively dilute human manure water should be used, once or twice a month. In order to make the bamboo seedlings evenly distributed and increase seedling output, on rainy days, dense bamboo seedlings can be transplanted with soil into gaps where seedlings are missing, 1-2 plants (clumps) per hole. About 50 days after the bamboo seedlings emerge, they begin to tiller, and generally after June to July, they form small bamboo clumps at a height of 30-40 cm.

Divide one-year-old bamboo seedlings into individual plants, then transplant them into the nursery at a spacing of 25 cm x 25 cm. After one year of cultivation and fertilization, they can grow and tiller into clumps again, roughly the same as one-year-old seedlings grown from the above-mentioned dibbled seeds. After that, divide and plant once a year in the same way, and it can become a long-term nursery.