Bamboo seeds

[blog]

Hi,

Has anyone ever been sucessfull in germinating bamboo seeds, if so could you describe how it's done? I just put them in pots, but had a success rate of ZERO.

I think I've read that bamboo seeds don't ever germinate, but surely they must under the right circumstances, why would the plant bother producing infertile seed.

[Gwydion]

Oh yes, bamboo seeds certainly germinate. They'd have to, as otherwise bamboo would become extinct. Some bamboos don't flower for centuries, but when they do, all the (mature) plants of that species flower, worldwide, at the same time then die. Bamboo, after all, is just some really wacky kind of grass. The only way to save the species is from the seeds. (This holds true for most species of bamboo,anyway).

For example, one of the few species of bamboo which Pandas eat is flowering at the moment. This is already becoming uncommon, hence the dearth of Pandas (well, that and Chinese 'herbalism'). However, now that they are flowering, Pandas are facing a terminal problem, as the bamboo plants take several years to reach a mature enough state to support Panda stomachs. On the plus side, if the guys germinaying the seeds manage to grow enough of the stuff, the last few pandas in the world are gonna go out happy and full. ;-)

[Gwydion]

I had a chat to my dad, who grows a lot of bamboo. He says that he has next-to-zero success from planting the seeds in pots, etc. What he does is spread aa sheet of black plastic under the seeding plant with a bit of soil sprinkled over the top. When the seedlings are a reasonable size, but before the roots grow to big, he transplants them.

Hope this helps.