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Bamboo Care Guide Bamboo is a very useful plant, for beauty, food, construction, medicine, paper, musical instruments, etc... Bamboo shoot gathering is a spring affair. Shoots that snap off when bent toward the ground are best to eat. If they are too rubbery and bend but don't snap they are becoming too tough to use. Cutting length is usually around 6". One day can make a difference in their length as they could be twice that size and less palatable in a 24 hour period. Cut them off around 1" below ground level. Traditionally bamboo shoots are cut and stored in cold water, for a few days, changed daily. In a refrigerator wrapped, they'll keep about a week. Blanched and frozen, they'll keep for a year. Take about 1/4 of all shoots coming up. Taking them all, bamboo can suffer and die. Shoots on P. nuda are fuzzless hence the name 'nuda'. Shoots can also be dug before they emerge from the ground. It is possible to mound dirt over the emerging shoot to block out light and allow the shoots to increase in size. Once exposed to the light an acid can form and the shoots can become bitter. Ornamentally, bamboo find their main use as vertical accents and backgrounds. From a distance they make spectacular specimen plants. Bamboo, almost without exception, do well in tubs and containers and will find a spot on any patio or entryway. Optimum height for Phyllostachys nuda is 20' - 34'. It likes full sun. Nuda can suffer winter damage with temperatures 0* to -10*F, but will reestablish itself after a hard winter. Culms (canes) are 1" plus in diameter. Planting If you wish to restrict your bamboo here are a few ways to go about this. Plant in a 1/2 barrel (wood or plastic) with drain holes. Sink container into the ground with about 4" of barrel above the soil line. Potting soil or amended garden soil (ie compost & composed organic matter) can be used to fill the container. Good drainage & moisture retention is essential. Weed barrier fabric or plastic sheeting can slo be used to keep spreading bamboo restricted. As long as the barrier goes 3' deep, the bottom can be open. If it's very hot and dry when planting, shade the plant for a couple of weeks. Optimum soil ph is slightly acidic. Bamboo are not salt tolerant so plant 100 yards from the ocean. Avoid boggy areas. Avoid using lime on bamboo. Any grass fertilizer works for bamboo although in our area of Virginia they do fine with none. In Japan, tests revealed 3 times the growth on regularly fertilized groves to unfertilized ones. Bamboo are heave feeders especially nitrogen. Do not plant bamboo near sidewalks and drain fields. Be sure to plan for the growth of your unrestricted bamboo. It will make a beautiful grove visually pleasing throughout the year. Plan to visit a bamboo grove if you can, they have a charm all their own.
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