9 Things to Know About Bamboo
There’s no disputing that bamboo is a very attractive plant. However, did you know that bamboo is a cool plant? This plant has the ability to cool, purify, and increase the amount of oxygen in the air! It’s a green powerhouse with the potential to transform the construction sector, benefit the environment, and reduce our carbon footprint.
We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite entertaining facts about the world’s most fascinating plant below. Let’s look at all the fantastic things you can do with bamboo, as well as where it grows and where you can get bamboo products.
Whether you’re new to bamboo or a seasoned pro, there’s always something new to learn about the world’s most fascinating plant. Check out the following little-known facts about the many uses for bamboo, one of the most fascinating plants on the earth.
- Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant in the planet.
Bamboo is not only a fast-growing plant; it is also the fastest-growing terrestrial plant on the planet. Bamboo is a very sustainable resource that helps to reduce deforestation due to its ability to thrive. When compared to waiting decades for hardwood forest tree growth to regrow, many bamboo species swiftly regenerate following harvest.
Is there anything that can match bamboo’s rate of growth? Yes, but it’s not on land, and it’s not a plant! That honor belongs to a one-of-a-kind ocean species that is neither a plant nor an animal.
- Bamboo Is a Powerful Air Cleaner.
Bamboo, like all plants, contributes to our ecology by turning carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen through photosynthesis. A bamboo grove cools the air around it while also releasing a significant amount of oxygen into the environment. As a result, bamboo is an oxygen-producing super plant that can aid in the reduction of our carbon footprint and the fight against climate change.
Bamboo is also naturally antimicrobial, making it an ideal material for a variety of products ranging from textiles to charcoal. It will also make you feel better to be surrounded by living bamboo plants. Bamboo’s high oxygen output gives your brain an oxygen high, which increases emotions of serenity and joy. Blood pressure, tension, stress, and headaches can all be reduced by spending a few days in a bamboo forest.
- Bamboo Is an Eco-Friendly Alternative to Traditional Wood
Bamboo requires far less water than most crops and does not require hazardous chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides to thrive. It’s a renewable superpower that saves water, decreases soil contaminants, purifies the air, and refills itself faster than any other tree crop.
Bamboo is a great flooring surface, building material, and lumber replacement for a number of reasons, in addition to its replenishing nature and regrowth rate:
a. Hardness: Bamboo has a hardness value of 1,300 to 1,400 on the Scale, which assesses the hardness of wood and its capacity to withstand wear. This makes it harder than most oak floors.
b. Affordability: This is a more affordable, long-lasting, and attractive alternative to other flooring options. Bamboo is often a superior investment because it is more cost-effective.
c. Strength: Maple is one of the strongest and densest woods in the world of woodworking, making it a popular choice for furniture and hardwood flooring. Bamboo, on the other hand, is harder than maple and is both lightweight and sturdy.
- Bamboo has the potential to be more durable than steel.
One prevalent misperception about bamboo is that its light weight and flexibility make it vulnerable. The truth is that bamboo is far from being a weak plant. Some bamboo poles are stronger than steel due to their closely packed molecular structure.
This plant has a tensile strength of 28,000 psi, making it one of the strongest building materials accessible. Steel, on the other hand, has a tensile strength of 23,000 psi. Larger bamboo poles are used in construction to build frames, scaffolding, fencing, and dwellings, among other things, due to their strength. It can even be used to strengthen concrete as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to steel bars.
- Bamboo is both nutritious and delicious.
New-growth bamboo is collected for eating when it is tender. Bamboo shoots can be purchased fresh, tinned, or dried and used in a variety of cuisines, including stir-fries and soups. Bamboo leaf tea has a pleasantly sweet flavour and can be consumed hot or cold.
The plant is a tasty delicacy that is high in nutrients that are beneficial to one’s health:
a. Dietary fiber: Reduces blood pressure and hypertension.
b. Potassium: Lowers fluid retention and supports nerve function.
c. Tyrosine: Regulates hormones and facilitates metabolism.
d. Thiamine: Plays a key role in heart, muscle and nerve function.
e. Vitamins A: Supports the immune system, eye health and vision.
f. Vitamin E: Prevents inflammation and provides antioxidant properties.
g. Vitamin B6: Improves mood, brain health and sleep quality.
Pandas, not to be surpassed by humans, eat a lot of bamboo because it’s their only source of food. An adult giant panda spends the majority of its day hunting for roughly 40 pounds of bamboo, which it consumes by crunching the fibrous plant into bite-sized pieces with its powerful jaws and teeth. Because pandas digest their food more like carnivores than herbivores, they require a huge amount of bamboo to acquire the nutrients.
- Landslides and earthquakes are protected by bamboo.
Bamboo firmly holds dirt in place with a dense network of intertwined rhizome roots. Because of its unusual anchoring structure, the plant is ideal for erosion management. Bamboo forests are strategically planted throughout Africa and Asia to protect slopes, creek walls, riverbanks, and dam walls. People will be safe within a bamboo grove during an earthquake since the root system is so sturdy.
- Bamboo has around 1,600 different species.
You probably picture a tall green plant with hollow cylindrical rods when you think about bamboo. That is true, yet there are over 1,600 species of bamboo found in both hot and cold climates around the world.
Bamboo plants come in a variety of colors and patterns, ranging from variegated to striped to multicolored. A few types, such as the “water bamboo” plant Phyllostachys heteroclite, aren’t hollow at all, growing with strong stems to thrive in damp soil. Bamboo also exists in a wide range of sizes and shapes, from the tiny bamboo found in the Amazon rain forest to the massive canopies of timber bamboo found in Asia.
While the green color is common, bamboo comes in a rainbow of colors, including the following striking hues:
a. Black: The ebony-hued Phyllostachys nigra is a rare beauty.
b. Gold: Stems of the Phyllostachys Aurea turn a bright golden yellow with ample sun exposure.
c. Blue: “Tropical blue bamboo” Bambuco chungii has distinctive pale blue and white stalks.
d. Red: It’s hard to miss the vivid red canes of the “Red Dragon” clumping Fargesia jiuzhaigou variety.
- The Ultimate Gardening Resource Is Bamboo.
Bamboo is the secret element for a successful garden, according to seasoned gardeners. The nutrient-dense mulch created by the bamboo leaves enhances your soil and feeds the bamboo and nearby plants. Bamboo mulch is also an effective weed barrier and a beneficial addition to compost bins.
Bamboo stakes, made of thin bamboo poles that are sturdy, lightweight, and elastic, hold up climbing crops and support top-heavy plants, ensuring a good harvest and preventing damaged limbs. Create a wide range of utilitarian and visually pleasing garden enhancements with bamboo poles:
a. Stakes
b. Tomato cages
c. Trellises
d. Borders
e. Bee houses
f. Privacy screens
g. Fencing
h. Hanging planters
- Bamboo is one of the most environmentally friendly building materials available.
Bamboo is significantly more sustainable than other woods and grown resources due to its ability to be harvested and continual, quick growth. Bamboo forests, the ideal green alternative to typical hardwood trees, may be harvested every 3-5 years, compared to 10-20 years for most woods. Bamboo also does not require replanting, making it a valuable contributor to the global fight against deforestation.
As a result, bamboo is the environmentally beneficial and sustainable alternative for building projects, flooring, garden structures, resorts, parks, and other commercial locations.