I just planted a bunch of bamboo yesterday; its been on my list as a great preparedness plant.

Bamboo is used in the Far East for everything from flutes to water pipes, mats and screens, cooking implements, furniture etc. etc.

It comes in clumping types which spred slowly, and in running types which can be invasive in the wrong place.

My Chinese neighbor also mentioned that the young shoots are good to eat.....and part of my preparedness plan is stocking anything she likes to cook!

-- seraphima (seraphima@aol.com), May 20, 1999

Answers

So which type of bamboo did you plant and why? good Idea

-- Feller (feller@wanna.help), May 20, 1999.

I suppose we have the invasive kind in our back yard since it apparently came under the fence from the neighbors. However, I'm letting it grow. I've discovered that along with good fishing poles it also makes great tomato stakes and material for a pea fence all for free!

-- Kay (jkbrooks@bellsouth.net), May 20, 1999.

You gotta watch bamboo though it will grow and spread and its hard to contain. I love to hear the bamboo when the wind is whipping through- it just rattles and clanks and rubs. It really makes some beautiful sounds.

-- Johnny (JLJTM@BELLSOUTH.NET), May 20, 1999.

There's an Organic Gardening article on bamboo in the Food archive--just search on "bamboo."

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), May 20, 1999.

I've heard that bamboo has a very weird life cycle -- all the bamboo of a certain type will die off at the same time, leaving whole forests dead until the new sprouts come up. Very strange phenomena that isn't widely known in the west because it occurs mostly in Asian forests.

-- read (about@it.somewhere), May 20, 1999.

http://www.smgrowers.com/bamlist.htm lists several bamboo varieties, with brief notes on siting, culture, and hardiness.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), May 20, 1999.

Certain types of bamboo will grow to their full height in a matter of a few weeks. But you have to be careful. For some reason, mosquitoes are attracted to bamboo. Improperly cut bamboo leaves areas where standing water collects, creating an excellent breeding ground for mosquito larvae. There are other reasons why mosquitoes are attracted to bamboo, but I don't recall exactly what they are.

If you do plant bamboo, plant it in narrow rows with lots of ventilation. Cross breezes is helpful in reducing the moisture content.

-- Hiway (Hiway441@aol.com), May 20, 1999.