Dendrocalamus Strictus, Solid Bamboo - 0.5 kg Seeds

Solid bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), often called male or Calcutta bamboo, is a fast-growing clumping bamboo with strong, nearly solid culms, narrow leaves and a dense tufted habit. It is the most widely distributed and commercially important bamboo of India.

Its tough culms are used for construction, scaffolding, furniture, agricultural implements, baskets and especially paper pulp, and the species is a mainstay of agroforestry, soil conservation and afforestation of dry, degraded lands. It withstands drought and poor soils well. In India it grows naturally across the dry deciduous forests of central, peninsular and sub-Himalayan regions and is planted extensively for raw material.

• Family: Poaceae
• Native region: Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
• Mature height: 8–16 m
• Growth rate: Fast

Bamboo flowers and sets seed only rarely, so sow fresh seed promptly. Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours, then surface-sow or barely cover them in seed trays of fine, moist, well-drained mix kept warm and lightly shaded. Germination usually takes 7–14 days; prick out the grass-like seedlings into polybags and grow them on for several months before transplanting the established clumps.