You might have come across different types of bamboo at different points in time. Many people might have passed them in the forest or in their urban surroundings and wondered what they are.
Are you even aware that there are different types of bamboo out there? Before we go into details about the types, let’s educate ourselves on what bamboo is.
Bamboo is an undying plant flowering plant generated from the grass family called Poaceae and a subfamily of Bambusoideae. It is regarded as an evergreen plant because it never dries up in the wet or dry seasons.
Since it belongs to the grass family, bamboos grow quickly and reproduce faster, just like the grasses around us.
However, they grow more extended than the everyday grasses in our environment.
There is a variety of bamboo out there, each with specific physical features. Let’s have a look at them, shall we?
9 Types Of Bamboo
There are several different types of bamboo but we would be looking at nine of them. These variants are very common and they include:
1. Timor Black
Botanically referred to as (Bambusa Lako), the Timor Black is a clustering breed that constitutes light green vegetation and transparent sparks. It’s best suited for cultivation on a planter bed or flower pots. Timor Black bamboo doesn’t grow higher than 12m.
2. Chinese dwarf
The Chinese dwarf bamboo, locally called Bambusa Guangxiensis, is an attractive, thickly packed plant. It provides an exquisite, portable secludedness when sprouting in the pot or garden bed.
The Chinese dwarf bamboo bristles down to its root, making the entire plant elegant. To give this particular bamboo a remarkable appearance, it’s appropriate to trim or pluck out its lower branches. The Chinese dwarf bamboo doesn’t grow beyond a height of 3m.
3. Dwarf green stripe
This attractive bamboo (Pleioblastus sp.) is an ornamental plant. What the dwarf green lacks in height, pays off with its radiant appearance. Unfortunately, it doesn’t grow beyond 500mm.
4. Slender Weavers
The slender weavers (Bambusa Textilis var. Gracilis) have a tall, thin, straight weaver that gives it its pleasant appearance.
This variant is known to sprout very quickly, and its reproduced films can go as far as 1.5m apart. Also, the Slender Weaver can grow as high as 6m.
5. Pleioblastus ‘Tsuboi’
This particular type of bamboo is specially grown for beautification purposes. Pleioblastus is preferably planted and nurtured in a planter bed surrounded by substances to shield its root from exposure. It could also be planted in a flower pot. This bamboo does not grow beyond 1m.
6. Giant bamboo
Giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus Giganteus) are grown explicitly in spacious gardens because of their exceptional potential to spring up. They also have this additional attribute of privacy and can reach heights of up to 20m.
7. China Gold
China Gold (Bambusa Eutuldoides Viridis Frittata) is an elegant bamboo with lemon-yellow films with green strands. Its straight culms have strong branches that give it a pleasant sight.
Its lower outgrowth can be rimmed to expose the brilliant golden canes that give it its beautiful attribute. However, China Gold can’t grow taller than 6m.
8. Bambusa ‘Fernleaf’
It produces succulent green shrubs that protrude from a securely crowded culm. The Fernleaf grows to a height of not more than 4m.
9. Goldstripe
This attractive bamboo comes with bright gold and green streak. The bamboo can be nurtured in a small bed 40cm distance apart.
They could also be grown on a planter’s bed. The lower branches of the Goldstripe can be rimmed to display its attractive features. Goldstripes can grow as high as 3m.
Bamboos generally possess some features which make them stand out from any other plant in the grass family.
Four Basic Characteristics Of Bamboo
Multiplication ability
Most plants that various wood is grown from taking a very long time to grow to maturity. The difference is the case with bamboo. Bamboo can reach a maximum maturity level in just one season.
After getting the matured bamboo, this remarkable essential plant can rejuvenate the following season. It takes very little time to attain this level after sowing, particularly compared with other trees.
Long-lasting
Bamboo has the characteristic of producing materials consecutively for a very long period if nurtured adequately. They do not need replanting; instead, all it needs is proper nurturing once down. It begins to yield income from selling its products to construction companies and other end users.
Shallow roots
While other crops or trees strive hard to survive on not-so plant-friendly soil, bamboos successfully flourish in such areas. Since its root doesn’t run deep, they can survive on any soil that many other plants won’t. Most plants require sufficient space and nutrient-rich soil. However, the reverse is the case with bamboo; they can blossom just on any soil.
Reduces the impact of natural disaster
In a situation of natural mishaps, the network of bamboo’s roots slows down the impact that the environment would have felt. It also helps to create sanitized air in the atmosphere. In addition, bamboos can trap nutrients from wastes and sewage, thereby reducing the effect on the surrounding atmosphere.
Classification of Bamboo
Though we have the various types of bamboo, they are all classified into 3 main categories, which include the following:
Clumping bamboo
These categories grow in a collection and hardly spread out to large areas.
Reed bamboo
It’s hardly cultivated in gardens.
Running bamboo
The running bamboo spreads out while flourishing, making it intrusive.
Things To Consider Before Growing Bamboo
Do you wish to grow bamboo? Then there are things to put into consideration which are:
Groundwork
This involves the factors to consider before the actual planting, and they are:
- Have an understanding of the categories of bamboo
- Select an appropriate planting portion
- Choose the accurate bamboo for your atmosphere
- Treat the soil
- Prevent spreading of bamboo
- Prepare for wind
Cultivation
Take note of the following when planting
- Plant at the appropriate season
- Prepare the seed
- Plant the seed in a seedling container
- Transplant germinated bamboo after a few months
- Give spacing while transplanting
Nurturing
These are steps taken to tend to the plant, and they include:
- Daily watering
- Mulching
- Prune when necessary
- Protect against pest
- Harvest when you can
Bamboo comes with a truckload of benefits, ranging from health to environmental. Bamboo buds are excellent sources of various elements, including minerals and vitamins such as Phosphorus, Dietary fiber, Protein, Vitamin B1, Potassium, Riboflavin, and much more.
Below is a list of some of its benefits.
Benefits of bamboo
Treatment of nosebleeding
Rhinorrhagia is caused by the puncture of nasal vessels, which causes the nose to bleed. Research has shown that one effective home treatment for this health issue lies in the bud of bamboo.
Anthelmintic function
Anthelmint is a vital component that helps get rid of parasitic worms, and the leaves of bamboo are a rich source of anthelmint.
Cooking purposes
It’s been discovered that young bamboo buds can serve as vegetables for cooking. It also serves as a spice in soups.
Animal feed
Leaves gotten from young bamboo can serve as fodder in feeding farm animals.
Construction Purposes
Matured bamboo produces long stems, which are one key material needed in the construction industry. In addition, they’re used in various buildings, such as pillars, roofs, and fences.
Electricity Supply
Research has shown that a particular bamboo species can serve as an alternative material in electric current supply.
Conclusion
Bamboo is very beneficial to man, animals, and the climate. Have you come across one recently and can you identify which?
