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Bambusa bambos

Giant Thorny Bamboo · Indian Thorny Bamboo · Spiny Bamboo

Family PoaceaeGenus Bambusa

Also published as Bambusa arundinacea. You are in the right place.

New bamboo shoots pushing up through wet soil among cut and standing green culms
The whole plantH. ZellCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
bambooPlants of the World Online

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Source: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Worth knowing

  • Giant thorny bamboo is used for many things, above all for building bridges and ladders, and its leaves are used for thatching. Wikipedia: Bambusa bambos

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 26, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 10 days to germinate.

85% germination in 8–10 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Bambusa p. 17Public domain
Show the original text
Bambusa (Poaceae). B. arundinacea (a bamboo) germ. 70L(85% in 8-10 d) and 70D(70% in 1-6 w). Light speeds up the germination. Removing the husk, OS, or treating with GA-3 had no major effect. A prior 3 m at 40 was fatal.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Bambusa p. 17. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around February 22, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 42 days to germinate.

70% germination in 7–42 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Bambusa p. 17Public domain
Show the original text
Bambusa (Poaceae). B. arundinacea (a bamboo) germ. 70L(85% in 8-10 d) and 70D(70% in 1-6 w). Light speeds up the germination. Removing the husk, OS, or treating with GA-3 had no major effect. A prior 3 m at 40 was fatal.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Bambusa p. 17. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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