How to Grow Edible bamboo Plants - Incense Bamboo

Bamboo shoots from a small group of bamboo are edible. If you are thinking of growing a bamboo plant and also enjoy the shoots, Incense bamboo is one great option.

It's a great bamboo that does well in waterlogged areas and produces new shoots in abundance. Check out the full info on Incense Bamboo.

 Phyllostachys atrovaginata (Incense Edible Bamboo)  

How to grow Incense Bamboo?

Plant in contained spaces

Phyllostachys atrovaginata is a massive plant to grow in pots and containers, but its edible shoots and scented leaves are adorable features many bamboo enthusiasts cannot ignore. 

Use large heavy-duty container pots to grow this timber bamboo. Note that the new shoots in the second, third and successive years will be reasonably taller than the first shoots. 

So, do not be surprised if your Phyllostachys atrovaginata is taller than an average Phyllostachys bamboo in the container pots. 

This running bamboo will definitely require repotting within 3 – 5 years.

Plant in the garden

Phyllostachys atrovaginata’s tall dark shoots, thick upright stems and distinct incense are excellent for creating a calm and serene atmosphere outdoors or in the garden. 

Also a preferable bamboo for large botanical gardens, woodland forests, walkways and tall privacy screens. 

Perhaps it's important to note that the Phyllostachys atrovaginata Incense Bamboo is an invasive Timber Bamboo. 

Therefore building a bamboo barrier prior to planting it in the garden is the best thing to do. Here are tips for building a Formidable Bamboo Barrier in the Garden. 

Unlike the other running and clumping bamboo, the Incense Bamboo can grow in soggy soil. 

This bamboo has long hollow (straw-like) roots that can penetrate deep into the soggy soil, and enable it to absorb vital nutrients it requires to survive. 

So, if you want to grow bamboo near a soggy site, the Phyllostachys atrovaginata is the ideal bamboo.

 

Large Bamboos for temperate and subtropical areas

Propagate Phyllostachys atrovaginata Incense Bamboo

By rhizome cuttings

In the UK, many growers use Rhizome Cuttings to propagate the running bamboo successfully. 

By seed propagation

You can also use Culm Cuttings or Bamboo Seeds to propagate Phyllostachys atrovaginata. 

Seeds are often hard to find because bamboos rarely flower. If you are lucky to have a rare bamboo seed, take extra care to grow them. 

Here is a step-by-step guide on How to Propagate Bamboos from Seeds. 

By air layering

Air layering is another technique used successfully to propagate temperate and subtropical large bamboo plants such as the Timber Bamboos. 

This is like budding, instead, put some garden compost under the bamboo branch and cover it to promote root growth before transplanting. 

Though we have not tried it yet, we have seen people doing it successfully in the US and Australia.