Bamboos bloom at intervals of about 80 to 130 years. Who or what triggers these intervals is a mystery. It is well-known that flowering takes so much energy from the bamboo that it usually dies afterwards.

Good to know when buying bamboo: When does the plant bloom?

When buying bamboo, how can you recognize that the
Plants not blooming soon? Fargesia murielae, the garden bamboo, flowered in the mid-1990s. All other Fargesia varieties were in bloom for plus or minus ten years in the same period. This means that the bamboo plants you buy today are of the new generation and will bloom for the next 60 to 80 years! There are also exceptions:

  • pleioblastus
  • Phyllostachys

These types of bamboo bloom more often and do not die immediately. With pruning and special fertilizer you can get them to sprout again after flowering. The fact is: Bamboo blooms several decades apart.

Why does every bamboo variety bloom almost simultaneously

Scientists suspect a kind of internal clock in the plant genes. In addition, the individual bamboo varieties were created by root division and have the same origin.

Why does bamboo die after flowering?

Cluster-forming rhizomes do not store as many nutrients as the root-forming phyllostachys. Flowering costs the plants a lot of energy and nutrients. These are then missing for growth.

What to do when the bamboo blooms?

The bamboo flowers, spreads its seeds and dies. You can't prevent it. Enjoy the rare spectacle of flowers. The new generation can be grown again from this seed. Then you can rest assured that flowering will pause for at least two generations.

tips and tricks

Buy certified plants or new breeds from a specialist company if you don't want any surprises with the flowering guarantee. You should be careful with laboratory propagation and uncertain origin of the bamboo plants.

Category:

Herbs