Would you believe that bamboo has more in common with your lawn than any tree in your yard? Bamboo is actually a grass, not a wood. It varies in height from dwarf species of one foot plants to giant timber bamboo which can grow to over 100 feet tall.

There are over 1,000 species of bamboo, of which only a few have any commercial value. All of our bamboo is imported. The bamboo, which is grown here in the U.S., does not have the best properties due to the lack of a rainy season amongst other factors.

Bamboo will flower maybe every 100 years depending upon the species. When a particular bamboo flowers, it flowers all over the world, regardless of region or climate, and then it dies. Afterwards, it takes many years for it to propagate by flowering , but many species will still RAPIDLY grow depending on their root system (which is the type that BRW imports). Some (mainly tropical species) are known as runners which spread deep underground. Others are clumpers (mainly temperate species) which slowly expand outward from the original plant. Still, others are a combination of both.

When bamboo grows, it comes out of the ground at its full diameter. The walls and fibers will strengthen and thicken over the years, but does not grow larger in diameter. It will grow to its full height in just one growing season. We measured one of our bamboo plants, which grew 18" in one day. The current record is about 7 ft. in one day! You could actually watch it grow...absolutely amazing!

Besides being an amazing grass, it is also a HIGHLY renewable source. If any of you have tried growing it, you can attest to its invasive properties. Bamboo has no knots or cross gains, as does wood, and bamboo does not break off even at its weakest point. Bamboo's cylindrical shape and nodes add to its strength, resulting in improved strength and flexibility over wood of comparable size and diameter.

None of our bamboo is food for the Giant Pandas. They are very particular about the plants that they eat and the habitat they live in. The food problem they experienced many years ago was due to flowering of that particular species (Gelidocalamus fangianus) which we do not import.