
The grove has no irrigation.Cai CJ, Peng ZH, Gao J et al (2008) Seed germination characteristics of Phyllostachys edulis. This data is from a mature grove of moso grown in Central Georgia in zone 8a. Note the alternate pattern of yearly shoot production.
#Bamboo moso code#
This is link illustrates zones by zip code or state: The rest of Florida includes USDA zones 8a to 9a where D.asper should not be attempted.
#Bamboo moso full#
However, because of the inevitable low temperature setbacks in 9b, it will continually struggle to reach its full production potential. Zone 9b includes most of central Florida. asper can be grown as an ornamental plant (not a farm crop) in USDA hardiness zone 9b, recovering nicely after light freezes.D.asper will grow well as a farm crop in USDA hardiness zones 10 and 11. In Florida, this zone includes areas south and east of Lake Okeechobee as well as some coastal areas just north of the lake. D.asper is a tropical bamboo adapted to humid heat. Dendrocalamus asper is another elite bamboo, much admired. vivax in Oregon which produces shoots every spring which are sold to local people who harvest them.) Income from a mature grove has not been demonstrated in the United States. Moso probably matures in 12 years in favorable conditions. To summarize, most timber bamboos takes years to mature (except P. You must create your own market, your own value-added product. No food processor buys bamboo shoots for canning or freezing or drying. No current mill operation buys poles and turns them into mulch or fiber or plywood or feed.

There is no established support system for farmers of bamboo. Young bamboo plants are very susceptible to residual herbicide in soil after field clearing. Seedling variability means that you can not be sure that the mature plant is as large as you expect.

Moso bamboo is usually grown from seeds or from divisions of seedlings. Moso is an alternate year crop because it changes its leaves in alternate years. Manage a moso grove with fewer canes per acre for shoots (1800 to 2000) more, for poles. Plant where soil warms quickly in spring for maximum shoot production. Moso shoots when soil temperature reaches 58-60☏ usually in early April. Small moso plants (young seedlings) have large leaves that need protection from sun. See graph from data generated by Bamboo Farming USA. Moso yields new shoots in alternate years. It produces best with summer irrigation and ample compost and mulch. Irrigation was not available the first year.) (First shoot harvest of North American Bamboo Solutions in Unadilla GA will begin in 2019 at year eight. Moso matures more slowly than other large bamboos. (Observation of Robby Russell’s moso in middle Georgia which is 25 years old.) (Dies out in Florida, not the panhandle.) Moso needs summer warmth and winter chill.

We note the following characteristics of moso. Members of the Southeast Chapter of the American Bamboo Society have grown and attempted to grow moso bamboo over many decades. Shoots are sold fresh, dried, and pickled. In China, it is the source of fiber for textiles, wood for laminated products such as flooring and plywood, and, bamboo shoots for food. pubescens)) is the largest of the temperate bamboos. Moso bamboo (( Phyllostachys edulis (syn. Rhizomes and roots for soil conservation, waterways buffer, recycling of manuresĭivisions for nursery propagation and landscape sales Bamboo grown as a farm crop provides numerous benefits to the farm in addition to income.Įvergreen leaves for fodder, year around carbon sequestration, bamboo tea.īamboo groves for noise and dust abatementīamboo groves for windbreaks and wildlife habitat The American Bamboo Society supports the growing of many timber bamboos as a farm crop, not just moso bamboo. Sales of bamboo shoots from a moso planting in four years is not realistic. Those canes are not hardened enough to harvest as poles until four more years pass. It will take 10 years for the grove to produce four inch canes.

Mature moso forests rarely have 6 inch canes. Three to four inch canes are more common. Small moso plants do not grow well in full sun. Small moso plants can be killed by hard freezes. Timber bamboos, such as moso ( Phyllostachys edulis (syn. We advise all prospective bamboo farmers to be cautious when considering opportunities that promise quick and substantial profit. However, we have seen some companies giving unreliable information to prospective farmers of bamboo. The American Bamboo Society is in general supportive of such ventures. Recent years have seen an interest in growing bamboo as a cash crop. The American Bamboo Society created the document below to tell their experience about farming bamboo. They ha ve been a pproached by companies that tell them they can make a profit quickly by planting bamboo. Farmers and land owners call me (Daphne Lewis) for information.
