Ive heard that bamboo is the fastest-growing plant. Just how fast does it grow?
David Farrelly, in his The Book of Bamboo, says that bamboo has been measured to grow 47.6 inches in a 24-hour period. Other sources specify it was a Japanese scientist who measured the growth of a Phyllostachys bambusoides. That must have been under ideal conditions of heat, humidity and very fertile soil. But, in the less than perfect conditions in my garden, I’ve seen new shoots of Phyllostachys nigra ‘Henon’ grow about a foot a day. What’s most remarkable is that eight-inch diameter, 60 to 80 foot tall bamboos have reached that height in one growing season, which might have been as short as two months.
