Latest Prices for Water Bamboo Seeds and a Detailed Guide to Growing Methods

Water bamboo is a relatively common aquatic vegetable, also known as gaogua, gusun, gaosun and so on. It is a perennial rhizomatous herb of the grass family, genus Zizania, and is divided into two types: double-crop water bamboo and single-crop water bamboo (or classified as one-harvest jiao and two-harvest jiao). Generally, double-crop water bamboo (two-harvest jiao) has higher yields and better quality. Now let us take a look together at the prices of water bamboo seeds and the growing methods!

How much does a jin of water bamboo seeds cost?

Water bamboo cannot be propagated by seed; it is usually propagated by division. The price of planting stock is generally around 2 to 4 yuan per plant, but prices vary considerably depending on the variety, quality and place of origin of the planting stock. The quality of the planting stock directly affects the setting rate, yield and quality of water bamboo. However, because of differences in the timing and amount of smut fungus infection and in the level of cultivation management, varietal degeneration often occurs, leading to the appearance of male jiao and gray jiao, so planting stock should be strictly selected every year.

Growing Conditions for Water Bamboo

1. Soil: Water bamboo has low requirements for soil texture, but continuous cropping is not suitable. Clay and clay loam with deep topsoil and rich organic matter are best. Water bamboo plants are tall, have a long growing period and a high fertilizer requirement, so fertile soil is needed, with plenty of base fertilizer and split applications of top dressing.

2. Moisture: Water bamboo cannot be without water throughout its entire growing period, but it is also an emergent crop, so the water layer cannot be too deep. The water level should be adjusted according to the different growth stages of water bamboo.

3. Temperature: Water bamboo likes warmth and is not tolerant of cold, high temperatures or drought. It begins to sprout above 5°C, the suitable temperature is 10 to 20°C, and the suitable temperature during the tillering stage is 20 to 30°C. The suitable temperature during the jiao-bearing stage is 15 to 25°C.

4. Light: Water bamboo requires plenty of sunlight and good air circulation. Because the plants are tall, the field easily becomes shaded, so reasonable close planting should be carried out. In the later growth stage, yellow and old leaves should be removed frequently to increase ventilation and light penetration, which is beneficial for tiller production.

What Varieties of Water Bamboo Are There?

1. Zhejiao No. 2: Zhejiao No. 2 is a mid-season variety among double-crop water bamboos. The jiao is relatively short and round-plump, with smooth, white skin, a tender texture, no fibrous tissue and a delicious flavor. It has strong field growth vigor, firm blue-green leaves, strong stress resistance, wide adaptability, good quality and high yield.

2. Shuizhen No. 1: Shuizhen No. 1 water bamboo is a mid-to-late maturing variety, suitable for spring planting and tolerant of high temperatures. The peak production period for summer jiao is from mid-June to mid-July, and the peak period for autumn jiao is from mid-September to early October. It has wide adaptability, high yield and good quality, with a yield of 1786.6 to 1986.7 kg per mu.

3. Lijiao No. 1: Lijiao No. 1 water bamboo has strong growth vigor and a relatively compact plant type. The water bamboo is relatively large, white and smooth in appearance, with tender flesh, and yields 1500 to 2000 kg per mu. It is suitable for planting in high mountain areas above 400 m in altitude, and its maturity period is from late July to mid-August.

4. Yingwei Water Bamboo: The tender stem of Yingwei water bamboo is spindle-shaped, 17 cm long and 6 cm in diameter, with 3 to 4 nodes and a single jiao weight of 15 to 20 g. It is heat-tolerant and fertilizer-tolerant, with white flesh and a high jiao-bearing position. It has excellent quality and yields 1250 to 1500 kg per mu, and is harvested in Guangzhou from September to November.

5. Wuxi Yanjiao: Wuxi Yanjiao tillers vigorously, is late-maturing, has plump jiao shoots and the best quality, and high yield. The surface of the fleshy stem has many wart-like protruding wrinkles and is white. It yields 750 to 1000 kg per mu of autumn jiao and 1250 to 1500 kg of summer jiao.

Growing Methods for Water Bamboo

1. Planting time: In southern regions, double-crop water bamboo is generally planted before the end of November to April, or planted from June to August, but then only autumn jiao can be harvested. Planting should be completed by the end of April or in August at the latest. Single-crop water bamboo is generally cultivated in spring, bears jiao under short-day conditions in autumn, and is harvested in the eighth lunar month.

2. Selection of planting stock: The standards for excellent mother plants are uniform plant shape in the current year, early jiao bearing, many jiao set, plump jiao flesh, good jiao shape, low jiao-bearing position and uniform maturity, with no male jiao, gray jiao, green-in-husk or deformed jiao, and these clumps are retained for seed.

3. Selection of the jiao field: The early or late jiao bearing of water bamboo is related to soil layer, water layer depth and water temperature control. Generally, paddy fields at higher altitude bear jiao earlier than those at lower altitude, windward mountain-back fields bear jiao earlier than sheltered low-lying fields, and fields with shallow soil layers bear jiao earlier than fields with deep soil layers.

4. Top dressing method: In southern regions, top dressing for double-crop water bamboo should be early rather than late, in order to promote early seedling development and early jiao bearing. Combined with water layer management, it promotes effective early tillering, controls ineffective late tillering, promotes jiao bearing and improves yield and quality.

5. Weeding and cultivating the field: Cultivating the water bamboo field achieves the goals of intertillage, loosening the soil and weeding, and can also raise soil temperature and speed up the decomposition of fertilizer. Generally, field cultivation is carried out 2 to 3 times, the first when the plants begin to turn green again, and thereafter once every 15 days.

6. Removing off-type plants: When planting water bamboo, care should be taken to remove off-type plants. Male jiao and gray jiao cannot set jiao and should be removed at any time. The empty spaces left after removal can be filled with seedlings from normal jiao clumps that have many tillers.

7. Plant trimming: Plant trimming of water bamboo generally begins in the late stage of spring jiao harvest. According to the growth condition of the plants, withered and old leaves should be stripped off cleanly and pulled away, with the requirement of pulling cleanly without injuring the plants, and the pulled-off yellow leaves should be stepped into the field as fertilizer.

8. Thinning and replanting: For double-crop water bamboo planted in southern regions, when each clump has 15 or more stems and tillers, thinning should be carried out, removing overly dense small tillers and leaving about 15 to 20 effective tillers per clump. After thinning, press a piece of mud into the middle of the clump so that the plants are evenly distributed with ventilation and light penetration.