What
is it really? Is it, a tree, a plant, or
something else?
Bamboo
is a kind of grass with a hard, woody, and hollow stem. It is green and grows straight up. The bamboo actually has leaves; however,
there is not much energy going into them until the plant matures, then, and
only then, the leaves start showing up on the top of the stalk. In tropical climate, bamboo grows and stays
green all year round. http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-bamboo.htm
The main stem of
the bamboo is called culm; it is the support structure for the branches and
leaves, culms are the main vascular system and storage organs. The culm has sections called nodes, and the
space between the nodes is called internode.
The nodes are always solid and the internodes are hollow. The hollow internodes give the bamboo flexibility
and the nodes give it the strength.The Branching occurs at the nodes.
The culms have leaves, also called culm sheaths, and their purpose is to protect the new culms in the early stages of its growth. When the new shoot is strong enough the culm sheath dries up and falls away.
Where the bamboo has its origins?
According to some records, seven thousand years ago, this “grass” was used to make arrows, paper, building materials, books, and as many other products needed by different cultures given the fact that bamboo was, and still is readily available, and a quickly renewable resource.
Many
people have thought through the years that bamboo originated in China, mainly because
there is where the first records of items made with bamboo were found. Subsequently, bamboo bicycles started to show
up in India, as well as a variety of products and ornaments that rapidly spread
through Asia, Europe, and the Americas.Bamboo grows almost everywhere, except in super cold climates; nevertheless, some species are able to withstand frost in North Europe. Asia is by far the biggest producer of bamboo products, with China as the biggest exporter.
The main markets for bamboo
products are the US and Europe. The
interest in bamboo cultivation is growing around the world, and many countries
in Latin America have started to develop technologies for processing it; in
view of the fact that almost 50% of the world’s bamboo biodiversity is from
South and Central America. Brazil has the largest number of species, around 134, followed by Venezuela with 68 species known.
There
are some estimates showing that around 11 million hectares of Latin America are
covered with bamboo. That could
represent a multibillion-dollar market.
Bamboo
can spread by root division, single node cuttings, and air layering. If we remember that it is a kind of fast-growing
grass, we need to be aware that once we have planted bamboo, we will start
seeing individual stems or shoots emerging from the ground. They tend to reach their full diameter and
grow to their total height in a single growing season of three to four months,
depending on the climate. During this period,
each shoot grows vertically with no branching out until it reaches most of it maturity. Then the branches extend from the nodes and start
leafing out. During the following year,
the wall of the shoot starts hardening.
During the third year, it reaches full maturity and
hardening.
There are two main categories: monopodial and sympodial.
Monopodial rhizomes grow
horizontally, and very often, at a surprising rate, reason why they are known
as “runners” or “running bamboo.” They
generate open shoots with a good distance from each other, and they can be
invasive.
Sympodial rhizomes are short and thick, and the shoots above the ground are close together in a compact clump, which expand evenly around its circumference. They are known as clumping bamboo, the development of shoots around the core is predictable, and they are non-invasive.
Spiritual value given to the bamboo by ancestral people
Bamboo
has a significant cultural and religious connotation such as the need to remain
morally straight. Bamboo makes a great
symbol for spiritual living. It is
sturdy and strong, but also flexible without being easily breakable. These are the qualities we need in our
spirituality.Since
bamboo is hollow, it could represent the hollowness of being a conduit to the
divine for healing, compassion, guidance, wisdom, and self-awakening.
"In everything you do
in your family, keep in mind the miracle of the Chinese bamboo tree. After the seed for this amazing tree is
planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years except for a tiny
shoot coming out of a bulb. During those
four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure
that spreads deep and wide in the earth.
But, then in the fifth year the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty
feet!
Many things in family life
are like the Chinese bamboo tree. You
work and you invest time and effort, and you do everything you can possibly do
to nurture growth, and sometimes you don't see anything for weeks, months, or
even years. But, if you're patient, and
keep working and nurturing, that "fifth year" will come, and you will
be astonished at the growth and change you see taking place.
http://spirituallythinking.blogspot.com/2012/03/parable-of-chinese-bamboo-tree_13.html#ixzz2Sg1gUpgs
Types of Bamboo
There
are hundreds of varieties growing around the world; however, for practical
understanding, we can say there are two major classifications of species:
clumpers and runners.
Clumpers grow from the soil
in a slowly expanding tuft. Clumpers are
generally short, and slow growing.
Uses of Bamboo and Economic Sustainability
People
around the world use bamboo on everything they can think of, from construction
to source of food. For centuries, it has been used in the construction of houses in the eastern countries. It was not until 1920 that started to get some traction in the western cultures because of a research conducted with the purpose of finding alternative material to replace some types of wood starting to become scarce.
Edible Bamboo
In Costa Rica, the consumption of bamboo shoot is not as popular as it
is in the Asian countries; however, it is starting the make its appearance in some dinner tables.
Always keep in mind that not all bamboo shoots can be eaten. Make sure you buy them from a trustworthy source.
It is simply unbeliebable to realize that "Bamboo" has alway been by our side, and always willing to give us everything we need.
All we need to do is to apreciate it, study it, and decide how we can use it to improve our life.
It could be one of the best sources of well-being in our future!
Have
you ever wondered how bamboo can reproduce so fast?
Bamboo
can spread by root division, single node cuttings, and air layering. If we remember that it is a kind of fast-growing
grass, we need to be aware that once we have planted bamboo, we will start
seeing individual stems or shoots emerging from the ground. They tend to reach their full diameter and
grow to their total height in a single growing season of three to four months,
depending on the climate. During this period,
each shoot grows vertically with no branching out until it reaches most of it maturity. Then the branches extend from the nodes and start
leafing out. During the following year,
the wall of the shoot starts hardening.
During the third year, it reaches full maturity and hardening.
There are two main categories: monopodial and sympodial.
Monopodial rhizomes grow
horizontally, and very often, at a surprising rate, reason why they are known
as “runners” or “running bamboo.” They
generate open shoots with a good distance from each other, and they can be
invasive.Sympodial rhizomes are short and thick, and the shoots above the ground are close together in a compact clump, which expand evenly around its circumference. They are known as clumping bamboo, the development of shoots around the core is predictable, and they are non-invasive.
Spiritual value given to the bamboo by ancestral people
Bamboo
has a significant cultural and religious connotation such as the need to remain
morally straight. Bamboo makes a great
symbol for spiritual living. It is
sturdy and strong, but also flexible without being easily breakable. These are the qualities we need in our
spirituality.Since
bamboo is hollow, it could represent the hollowness of being a conduit to the
divine for healing, compassion, guidance, wisdom, and self-awakening.
Another
very important symbolism of the bamboo is in relation to developing a spiritual
backbone.
The Parable of the Chinese
Bamboo Tree 
"In everything you do
in your family, keep in mind the miracle of the Chinese bamboo tree. After the seed for this amazing tree is
planted, you see nothing, absolutely nothing, for four years except for a tiny
shoot coming out of a bulb. During those
four years, all the growth is underground in a massive, fibrous root structure
that spreads deep and wide in the earth.
But, then in the fifth year the Chinese bamboo tree grows up to eighty
feet!http://spirituallythinking.blogspot.com/2012/03/parable-of-chinese-bamboo-tree_13.html#ixzz2Sg1gUpgs
Types of Bamboo
There
are hundreds of varieties growing around the world; however, for practical
understanding, we can say there are two major classifications of species:
clumpers and runners.
Clumpers grow from the soil
in a slowly expanding tuft. Clumpers are
generally short, and slow growing.
Runners send underground
rhizomes to produce shoots several meters from the parent plant.
Uses of Bamboo and Economic Sustainability
People
around the world use bamboo on everything they can think of, from construction
to source of food. For centuries, it has been used in the construction of houses in the eastern countries. It was not until 1920 that started to get some traction in the western cultures because of a research conducted with the purpose of finding alternative material to replace some types of wood starting to become scarce.
http://www.guaduabamboo.com/bamboo-construction.html
Besides being used as construction material, bamboo is being used as an erosion control system. Planting bamboo in tropical areas where the rain is abundant and the land is susceptible to erosion, allows the land to create a trough the connection of the thick, strong, and continuously growing root system.
Growing bamboo is considered eco-friendly agriculture because unlike other crops, it needs very little or no pesticides to grow, holds the soil together, and the debris falling from a growing clump of bamboo actually fertilizes the ground where the clump is growing. Call it self-nourishment.
Different countries grow bamboo for different purposes:
Ornamental – landscaping, gardens, and decorative items.
Food – bamboo shoots.
Construction Material – bamboo lumber, fencing, scaffolding, pipes, and roofing tiles.
Musical Instruments – flutes, drums, and saxophones.
Furniture and crafts – chairs, tables, sofas, armoires, picture frames, weapons, rugs, bed frames, blinds, curtains, baskets, and jewelry among others.
Some other practical uses of bamboo in agricultural farms are:
Irrigation pipes
Shade laths
Irrigation ditch linings
Fencing
Besides being used as construction material, bamboo is being used as an erosion control system. Planting bamboo in tropical areas where the rain is abundant and the land is susceptible to erosion, allows the land to create a trough the connection of the thick, strong, and continuously growing root system.
Growing bamboo is considered eco-friendly agriculture because unlike other crops, it needs very little or no pesticides to grow, holds the soil together, and the debris falling from a growing clump of bamboo actually fertilizes the ground where the clump is growing. Call it self-nourishment.
Different countries grow bamboo for different purposes:
Ornamental – landscaping, gardens, and decorative items.
Food – bamboo shoots.
Construction Material – bamboo lumber, fencing, scaffolding, pipes, and roofing tiles.
Musical Instruments – flutes, drums, and saxophones.
Furniture and crafts – chairs, tables, sofas, armoires, picture frames, weapons, rugs, bed frames, blinds, curtains, baskets, and jewelry among others.
Some other practical uses of bamboo in agricultural farms are:
Irrigation pipes
Shade lathsFencing
Edible Bamboo
Bamboo
shoots are harvested in a similar fashion than asparagus; it is cut just at the
underground stem. The shoots are very
common in Asian dishes, for example, in China; they love it stir-fry; in Indonesia,
they boil it in thick coconut milk, and in the Philippines is the basic
ingredient of a dish called lumpia.
In Costa Rica, the consumption of bamboo shoot is not as popular as it
is in the Asian countries; however, it is starting the make its appearance in some dinner tables. Always keep in mind that not all bamboo shoots can be eaten. Make sure you buy them from a trustworthy source.
It is simply unbeliebable to realize that "Bamboo" has alway been by our side, and always willing to give us everything we need.
All we need to do is to apreciate it, study it, and decide how we can use it to improve our life.
It could be one of the best sources of well-being in our future!
