How Many Years Does Indocalamus Take to Flower? Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Per-Mu Yield and Benefit Prospects
Indocalamus is distributed in the West Tianmu Mountain and Quxian in Zhejiang, and the Yangming Mountain in Lingling, Hunan. It grows by hillside roadsides. At an altitude of 300-1400 m. It grows fast, has large leaves, high yield, abundant resources, and wide uses, and is cultivated artificially for high yield. So, how many years does Indocalamus take to flower? How is it planted? What is the per-mu yield? What are the prospects and benefits?
How many years does Indocalamus take to flower?
Like other plants in the grass family, Indocalamus is also a perennial plant that flowers only once, and its flowering has a certain cycle. According to the reports of old farmers, Indocalamus flowers about once every hundred years or so. By consulting local chronicles of the Zhejiang region, it can be known that Indocalamus in the Zhejiang region once flowered and set seed widely during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Hong-Yang years (1850-1862), and the masses collected them to get through famine, while the second time of widespread flowering and seed setting was exactly 1958, with an interval of exactly about one hundred years. Therefore, the flowering cycle of Indocalamus is about 100a. Of course, exactly how many years the flowering cycle of Indocalamus is still needs to be verified and discussed from past historical records.
How is Indocalamus planted?
1. Land preparation: To plant Indocalamus, first choose the planting site well. It is best to choose a place that is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, with sufficient light, fertile and loose soil, deep sandy loam soil, and good drainage. Clear the weeds, bricks, tiles and other debris on the surface, then plow the land to a depth of 50 cm.
2. Digging holes: The length of the bamboo rhizome is generally 40 to 50 cm. According to the length of the Indocalamus rhizome, dig the holes into long strips, with specifications of 60 cm long, 40 cm wide, and 40 cm high, and place the topsoil and subsoil separately.
3. Applying base fertilizer: Apply about 5 kg of organic fertilizer to each tree hole, evenly spread a thin layer of organic fertilizer at the bottom of the tree hole, then backfill 10 cm of topsoil, and mix the remaining organic fertilizer evenly with the remaining topsoil for later use.
4. Planting time: The planting time of Indocalamus is generally chosen in winter and early spring, that is, between November and February.
5. Planting density: The planting density of Indocalamus is generally about 2500 plants per hectare, with a plant-row spacing of 2 m × 2 m. In sites with good conditions, the density of Magnolia officinalis is slightly sparser. If Magnolia officinalis and Indocalamus are planted in mixed inter-planting, then Indocalamus is 167 to 222 clumps per mu, with a plant-row spacing of 2 m × 2 m or 2 m × 1.5 m.
6. Field planting: Treat the roots to promote the rapid formation of new roots, put the bamboo seedlings into the holes, straighten the rhizome roots in the soil, then fill with topsoil mixed with organic fertilizer, and then fill with subsoil. Deep planting of bamboo makes it difficult to produce shoots, while too shallow planting makes it easy to be blown down by wind. When the soil is buried up to the original soil part of the bamboo seedling, tread the surrounding soil firm, water to settle the clump, and after the water seeps down, cover with a layer of fine soil, about 3 cm higher than the original soil part of the bamboo seedling, and build a small ridge around it. In spring, when it is dry and windy, in addition to watering enough to settle the clump, foliar water spraying should also be carried out in a timely manner to prevent excessive water evaporation from causing the leaves to wither and fall off.
What is the per-mu yield of Indocalamus?
The per-mu yield of planted Indocalamus is relatively high. Indocalamus has the characteristics of fast growth, large leaves, and high yield. If the planting environment is suitable and the planting management work is appropriate, the per-mu bamboo leaf yield of generally planted Indocalamus can reach 1.5 tons; the per-mu yield of bamboo shoots is about more than 1000 kg in the first year, and after several years of planting it can reach 5000-8000 kg.
What are the planting prospects and benefits of Indocalamus?
1. Food packaging material
As a packaging material for green and convenient food, Indocalamus leaves are favored by large and medium-sized cities across the country. Places such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou need Indocalamus leaves to package food all year round, and the market potential is huge. According to statistics, under general circumstances, for every 10 million yuan in sales of zongzi, basically 40 million Indocalamus leaves are needed.
2. Edible shoots
Indocalamus shoots not only have a high crude fiber content and are rich in nutrients, making them high-grade ecological green food, but also have anti-cancer effects. The reason why people in areas where deep-mountain bamboo forests grow in clusters live long lives is related to some extent to the regular consumption of bamboo shoots.
3. Landscape greening
Indocalamus has large leaves, a short plant, is evergreen, and has a graceful posture, making it an ideal ornamental and landscape greening bamboo species. At the same time, Indocalamus, together with Qiangdao bamboo, water bamboo, stone bamboo and other shrub plants, forms small-path bamboo groups or, as a dominant population, constructs a community system with a complete vertical structure. In addition, Indocalamus is also suitable for household courtyard planting and pot cultivation.
4. Chopstick making
The Hangzhou West Lake Tianzhu chopsticks are made with careful craftsmanship from the bamboo culms of the unique large-leaved Indocalamus in the area of Tianzhu Mountain by West Lake, and are elegant and practical.
5. Polysaccharides and polysaccharide beverages
Indocalamus leaves contain a considerable amount of immunologically active polysaccharides. By refining the hot water extract of Indocalamus, a polysaccharide composed of xylose, arabinose and galactose can be obtained. Through further fractional inactivation, Indocalamus polysaccharide can be obtained. The tumor inhibition rate of Indocalamus polysaccharide against S-180 reaches 99.6%, and the tumor disappearance number is 7/9. At the same time, Indocalamus can also be processed into Indocalamus leaf polysaccharide beverage. This kind of beverage contains physiologically active Indocalamus leaf polysaccharides, as well as amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, etc., and has effects such as anti-fatigue and anti-aging.
6. Natural green additive
Using Indocalamus leaves to wrap zongzi is to make use of their special bamboo aroma. After the Indocalamus leaves are subjected to water boiling distillation, extraction, drying, and distillation, a pale yellow volatile liquid with a strong aromatic odor can be obtained. After further processing, it can be produced as an additive for natural green beverages.
7. Indocalamus wine
Indocalamus leaves can be made into Indocalamus wine. By using Indocalamus leaves and other raw materials and adopting comprehensive extraction technology, Indocalamus wine is produced. This forest beverage wine with a unique flavor not only has a zongzi aroma different from other wines, but is also rich in various amino acids, trace elements, vitamins, etc., and has nutritional and health-care functions.
8. Health tea
Wash the harvested tender leaves of Indocalamus clean, dry them in the sun or by baking, put them into a covered cup, brew with boiling water, cover and steep for 15 minutes before drinking. Generally, they can be brewed 3-5 times. Drinking frequently can benefit the lungs and clear heat, resist cancer and detoxify, and is especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly patients. In addition, directly squeezing fresh juice from Indocalamus leaves and drinking it instead of tea also has a certain effect on the prevention and treatment of various cancers.
9. Traditional uses
Traditionally, Indocalamus leaves are also used for boat awning covering, building work sheds, weaving bamboo hats, weaving straw rain capes, etc., and have very high utilization value.