How Fast Does Bamboo Grow? All You Need To Know

Welcome Plantly friends as we journey further with our bamboo species and everything you ever wanted to know about them. We have already looked at the two common bamboo types found and provided an ultimate bamboo care guide.

Today we want to explore a bit more about how fast bamboo grows as it has a reputation for being the world’s fastest-growing plant. Whether treated as an outdoor or indoor plant, bamboo has a way of growing vigorously and acclimating to the environment it grows.

But how true is this fact? So today, we will get our hands dirty and dig deeper into this known fact!

How Fast Does Bamboo Grow?

Well, how fast bamboo grows depends on the species you have. The truth is that not all bamboo grows at the same speed. You can find over 1400 species of bamboo growing in vast conditions and climates, each with a different growth rate.

Another important thing is you cannot generalize the growth patterns of bamboo as they grow in different climates. So, how fast bamboo grows depends on other things from the age, placement, and if they are clumping bamboo or running bamboo.

Bamboo Grows At Different Rates

You get two types of bamboo species running bamboo and clumping bamboo. When we want to generalize them, you can say that the runners can grow on an average of three to five feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) taller in a year.

While your clumping bamboos are slow-growers on average, one to three feet (0.3 to 0.9 meters) in height per year, still, we can take it further as your timber bamboo can grow two to three feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) in a day to reach its mature height.

Hence, as you can see, certain bamboo species can grow slower than other outdoor plants. Another thing to keep in mind is that your mature bamboo is more established and will grow faster than younger ones.

It can take up to three years of growing in the ground for a bamboo to be established.

Why Do Different Bamboo Species Grow So Fast?

Still, when you look at running bamboo, why does it grow faster than other bamboo plants? Most bamboo grows similar to grass as it is a type of grass that grows huge and woody.

The simplest way to explain bamboo growth is that all bamboo develops the cells needed to grow when it is still a bud. The cells stretch without the need for division. The cells fill with water and make them expand.

Yet, while it is common for grass types to grow in that manner, bamboo is still the fastest-growing of grass types. But what makes bamboo different? According to researchers, it can be due to the higher level of coordination between the cell division, growth, and the cell walls biosynthesis optimized for fast growth.

Okay, great, but how do you make your bamboo species grow faster if it is not expanding? While bamboo is fast-growing by nature, you can do some things to make it grow faster. The first thing is to provide your bamboo with the best growing conditions.

Once you determine the growing conditions and how they grow, you can improve on those conditions further. Then provide your bamboo with well-drained loamy soil, at least four hours of filter sunlight, organic material, mulch, and water until established.

Fast-growing Bamboo Plants

Great, now that you know a bit more about the growth rates. Which plant is the fastest growing in the bamboo species? The world record belongs to only certain species that can grow up to 35-inches (91cm) per day.

That means 1.5-inches (4cm) an hour, or we can take it further at a speed of 0.00002 mph (0.00003 km/h.) So, several bamboo species can grow at this rate.

Here are some excellent examples of giant bamboo.

Chinese Moso Bamboo

The hairy bamboo or another intriguing name is the tortoise-shell bamboo you find growing in China and Taiwan. For the science geeks, the name is Phyllostachys edulis. But, of course, the yellow canes can grow green as well.

It has a rapid growth with feathery leaves to form a canopy with a 30-foot overhead. According to the bamboo experts, the Moso root system grows fast and reaches heights of 90 feet. Cultivating bamboo of this species is easy, and it spreads through sexual reproduction pollinated by bees.

Yet, the common reproduction is asexual, but it only flowers and seeds once in 50 years.

Golden Bamboo

The Phyllostachys aurea, the golden bamboo, comes from the bamboo stem color and wood produced. You do not see a usual green but a green-yellow one. When provided with enough sunlight, it develops into a gold hue.

It is another fast-growing plant with a growth pattern of 35-inches per day. Those stems can reach up to 35 feet in less than a year, and the hollow stem has a diameter of two inches. Even with this fast growth habit, it thrives in warm climates with moderate humidity.

While cooler environments can result in its slow growth.

Green Stripe Vivax

For the fastest-growing plants, look at the Phyllostachys vivax or Green Stripe Vivax. It has vibrant yellow and green stripes and develops a bulky appearance that one cannot dismiss.

The bamboo can reach up to 45 feet in height, and the bamboo cane grows five inches in diameter.

So, it can grow up to 20-inches in a day, which is pretty impressive. It is a rare species to find to plant in your garden. Still, even if you can find one, it flourishes in warm environments with full sun.

Silverstripe Bamboo

Another fast-growing bamboo species is the Bambusa multiplex ‘Silverstripe.’ It is a cold-tolerant bamboo that thrives in tropical climates and clump bamboo. The variegated foliage with silver stripes is noticeable on the culm.

Sometimes the leaves are fully green or entirely white or have both. The leaves turn green in the summer sun until the next growing cycle. The max height is 25-feet, and it works well as a hedge as it has a dense growth.

Conclusion

Now that you have some more information about the growth patterns of bamboo, we hope it helps you choose the best one for your garden or home. While the growth rate is only one part of planting bamboo, you also need to care for it to keep it flourishing. So to help you to grow bamboo, make sure to check out our bamboo care guide as well.