Giant Bamboo

[canopy]

I am interested in planting some giant bamboo varieties that produce very wide poles. Looking for a variety much bigger than ไผ่หก (pai hok) which are the biggest in my area and typically 6 inches in diameter. Are there places to check in Bangkok or the central area with giant bamboo for sale? I didn't see any at the giant nursery next to the weekend market.

[IsaanAussie]

Try contacting Smithson. He has done a lot of work on bamboo for structural use and may be able to get you started.

[oodii]

You can get plants and even rare seeds of giant bamboo species (e.g. Dendrocalamus giganteus, Dendrocalamus sinicus) from the Chiang Mai Bamboo Nursery. They have online catalogs of both plants and seeds.<br>

[ozzydom]

Are Giant Bamboo suited for growing in the low lands ?

The only real giants I have come across were up around Mae Hong Son in really steep terrain with high rainfall.

[judgejohn]

Are Giant Bamboo suited for growing in the low lands ?

The only real giants I have come across were up around Mae Hong Son in really steep terrain with high rainfall.

Just the question I wanted to ask . There are more but maybe I should wait untill someone comes here that knows about them

[oodii]

Bamboo giants (height 25 m and over, diameter over 15 cm) are several species in the Asian genera Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, and Gigantochloa, and in the American genus Guadua. Many of them grow well in the lowlands, depending on the species' requirements of rainfall, atmospheric humidity, moisture of soil, temperature.

There are about 17 bamboo giants available in Thailand: 1 species in Bambusa, about 14 in Dendrocalamus, 1 in Gigantochloa, and 1 in Guadua.

Dendrocalamus giganteus is known from higher altitudes in northern Thailand, but a tall plant is grown in cultivation in the Botanical Garden of Bogor, western Java of Indonesia, at about 300 m altitude (similar altitude as Chiang Mai) which is rather low.

[Smithson]

Are Giant Bamboo suited for growing in the low lands ?

The only real giants I have come across were up around Mae Hong Son in really steep terrain with high rainfall.

I think the best giant bamboo for low altidudes/hot weather is Dendrocalamus Asper. We are 28m and the culms reach a nice size, although plenty of water is necessary. I've is also got a rare black variety, which apparently is the world's most sought after bamboo. I've had a couple in the ground for a little over two years, this years shoots are about 80cm and next years may be double that. Below are some pics, (the black asper is from a nursery website).