When is the best time to plant perennial bamboo? How do you grow it so it thrives? What can it be processed into to make money?

Bamboo is a fairly common perennial landscaping plant of the grass family, subfamily Bambusoideae, in our country, and because of its wide range of uses it is widely cultivated; at present many areas still plant it as a landscaping tree in all kinds of locations, so when is the best time to plant bamboo? How do you grow it so it thrives? What can it be processed into to make money?

Planting time:

Free-range bamboo: usually in March and May the running bamboos begin to send up shoots, and by June most running bamboos have basically started their height growth; August and September are the season for rhizome growth, after which, as the temperature keeps dropping, growth also becomes slow, until February of the following year, when growth resumes as the temperature warms up again.

The best planting time for running bamboo is from October to February of the following year, and among these the "little Indian summer" of October is especially best; in November and December, because the temperature is low, it very easily causes weak physiological activity in the bamboo, so very few shoots emerge and grow.

Clumping bamboo sprouts in March and May and sends up shoots in June and August; it is not cold-tolerant, so it is best planted in February, and bamboo seedlings can also be used, with much better results than the former.

The development of mixed bamboo falls between the previous two; it only sends up shoots and grows bamboo from May to July, so the best planting time is October to December or February to March of the following year.

Planting tips:

1. Soil: bamboo likes acidic or neutral soil and dislikes heavy clay and alkaline soil; you can use fertile, loose sandy soil, or mix farmland soil with leaf mold and fine sand to increase the soil's air permeability.

2. Flower pot: bamboo is a shallow-rooted plant, so you can choose a pot with a shallower mouth; after planting, pairing it with some scholar's rocks or moss can raise its ornamental value and make it look more fresh and elegant.

3. Watering: bamboo likes moisture and fears waterlogging; newly transplanted bamboo should first be watered thoroughly, and in daily care you must not water too much; in summer, water every day and also spray the leaves, while in winter reduce watering to prevent frost damage.

4. Fertilizing: when planting bamboo, mix organic fertilizer into the potting soil, and after normal growth apply appropriate topdressing; do it as light fertilizer applied frequently, and in spring and summer you can apply 0.5% urea or 1.0% compound fertilizer with the water.

5. Pests and diseases: the main insect pests of bamboo are bamboo aphids, bamboo scale insects and so on, which can be sprayed with insecticide. The main diseases are sooty mold, witches' broom and so on; management should be strengthened and diseased plants pruned promptly.

6. Pruning: bamboo grows fairly quickly, so it should be pruned at the right time, removing the old and keeping the young, removing the dense and keeping the sparse, removing the weak and keeping the strong; when repotting each year, the dead branches should be properly removed, which can keep the plant shape graceful.

What can it be processed into to make money?

Bamboo charcoal, handicrafts, musical instruments and so on.

Bamboo can be made into bamboo charcoal through baking, and bamboo charcoal is now used on many occasions, including removing environmental odors and in specially flavored foods, mainly because the activated carbon made through crushing and activation has a very good adsorbing and purifying effect and is often used in cars, homes and sewage treatment and so on; at the same time, using bamboo to make handicrafts, musical instruments and so on is also fairly valuable.

1. Building materials: doors and windows, moldings, flooring, outdoor flooring and so on.

2. Furniture: sofas, clothes racks, wardrobes, computer desks, bookshelves, shoe racks, shoe-changing stools, office furniture and so on.

3. Daily necessities: bamboo baskets, toothpicks, chopsticks, chopstick holders, cutting boards, summer sleeping mats, tea sets, light fixtures, charcoal products, bamboo blinds and so on.

4. Handicrafts: bamboo skewers, bamboo sticks, bamboo slips, bamboo weaving, bamboo-root handicrafts, bamboo-carving handicrafts, bamboo fans, xiao flutes, di flutes and so on.