Bamboo Is Booming: The Other Grass Gaining Ground

The bamboo business is growing like weeds in an unattended garden, from ornamental, structural and other utilitarian eco-friendly ways, the rising popularity of this grass, is in a cash crop contest lately with legalized marijuana, the “other grass” . The growth spurt in cash dollars has translated into a couple extra billion dollars at least for the state of Colorado, Washington is right behind and those numbers could well exceed expectations. It will be interesting to see if Seattle Medical Marijuana Dispensaries will be as hot as a cup of freshly brewed Starbucks.  Now, back to bamboo and all the things it can do-some interesting facts and some incredible photos too!

First here are some general but interesting facts about bamboo:

• Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth with a documented 98 inches in a 24 hour period.

• Seen a flowering bamboo? Me neither, many bamboos only flower every 65 or even 120 years after it fruits most species die shortly thereafter.

• There are 1,450 different varieties (species) of bamboo from a group of 10 genera.

• Thomas Edison used bamboo filament in bringing his bright idea, the first light bulb, to fruition.

• Bamboo releases 35% more oxygen than the same amount of trees

Sagano-Kyoto Japan, Public Domain via Wikimedia

Some people have seen the incredible photos shared across social media with bamboo structures, which seem as though they are images from another world or storybook, yet there is more than a grassroots following this trend, in fact more than one billion people live in bamboo houses right now. Many of these ornate and unique homes are in tree-tops, offer incredible views, like the video aired by CBS Sunday Morning in May, and can be lavish or lean as your budget and patience can afford.  Considering that it only takes between 4-7years to harvest a crop of bamboo, and the majority of desirable locations are in geographically poverty laden countries, you won’t necessarily need much money or patience to have your very own grass hut tree house, or bamboo palace of your dreams.

If you’re afraid of heights you needn't worry about strolling among the canopies on bamboo supports, as a matter of fact bamboo is stronger than steel-seriously. The tensile strength of bamboo is 28,000 per sq. in. and steel’s tensile strength measures 23,000 per sq. in.!

Bamboo, depending on the intended application must be treated correctly in order to preserve its integrity as a construction material, but it’s uses are varied from light weight decorative pieces to high use flooring.  The flexibility of the material bamboo and multitude of applications, quick harvest, having a low environmental impact all make this historic and (even) spiritual grass, a fast growing trend.

Bamboo raft in Jakarta region

Photo By Dohduhdah [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Most of us have a bamboo item in our home, likely in your kitchen and have used bamboo chopsticks, yet besides being useful as a gadget, bamboo also provides the ideal privacy (and shade) for a really beautiful and tropical garden. You don’t even have to live in a tropical environment to grow many types of ornamental bamboos; some types grow in all corners of earth (almost).

Pandas, right? What kind of person would I be if I didn't mention Panda Bears (the ‘unbear’?) who rely upon this grass as a staple of their diet, in fact 99%. Bear or not, Panda’s have iron guts, because the shoots contain a toxin “(cyanogenic glycoside) that produces cyanide in the gut”, but after proper processing bamboo is fine for us humans with fragile bellies to consume. There are many Eastern cultures that eat bamboo in many ways as a traditional dish, and have done so for centuries.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons,Cut Bamboo Sagano-Arashiyama

Bamboo has been used for centuries in art, for making homes, rafts and other everyday needed materials, as food, in weaponry, textiles and medicine. If you don't have enough bamboo, it's time to jump on the bamboo raft!

I was saving the best for last, here is some eye-candy, or neat photographs of bamboo-just for you!

Bamboo Grove at Hasedera Kamakura

Photo By Urashimataro [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Bamboo Forest at Hasedera Kamakura

Photo By Urashimataro [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Photo By michael clarke stuff (Bamboo ladders  Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Privacy anyone?

Photo By Nyttend (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Maples and Bamboo in Autumn via Wikimedia Commons

Bamboo bike frame-An American Bike from 1896

Photo By Nyttend [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Bamboo Is Booming: The Other Grass Gaining Ground