Bamboo is cultivated as a commercial crop by farmers in India. The following are the common cultivation practices:

1. Land preparation:

• Bamboo can be planted on the boundary of the farm land as a hedge. It can also be cultivated as commercial crop over the entire farm land.
• It is high biomass yielding crop. Hence it needs good soil, irrigation, manure application and good silvicultural management.
• Soil should be at least 60cm deep, well-drained, loamy, and free form water logging. It also tolerates slightly acidic to neutral pH (5.5–6.5).
• Avoid: Waterlogged, saline, or alkaline soils.
  
  2. Propagation

• Bamboo is propagated using seed origin seedlings or by vegetative propagation (seedlings from rhizome cuttings or stem cuttings). Often tissue culture seedlings are also used but caution is advised.
• Always use seedlings obtained from reliable suppliers who guarantee seedlings quality.
• A seedling should be at least 3-5 feet height at the time of planting.
• The seedlings should have at least one or two shoots of pencil thickness at the time of planting.

3. Land Preparation

• Clear the site of all the weeds and debris.
• Prepare pits of 60x60x60 cm and sun dry them for 15-20 days.
• Refill the pits with a mixture of garden soil and farmyard manure in equal proportion.

4. Planting

• Time: Best planting before monsoon (May–June) or  early monsoon is ideal (June–July).
• Spacing: Depends on species and purpose. Suggested spacement is: 

• Dwarf bamboo species (height below 5m) – 5×5 m (400 clumps/ha)
• Medium height bamboo species (5-10m) – 7X7 m (204 plants/ha)
• Tall bamboo species (more than 10m) – 100 plants/ha

• Method of planting: plant bagged seedlings at the centre of the pit. Planting depth should be equal to hight of polyethene bag.
• Apply rock phosphate @ 1kg/plant and mix with the top soil around the plant.
• Keep the weeds under control.  

5. Irrigation

• Critical in first 2–3 years for establishment.
• Frequency:
  • Irrigate if there is no rain for 3 continues weeks during monsoons. 
  • Every 7–10 days during dry season.
  • Continue drip irrigation once in15 days, if ground water is available.
• Avoid waterlogging.

6. Pruning and Thinning

• Remove dead or dry culms every year.
• Maintain 6–8 healthy culms per clump.

7. Harvesting

• Start harvesting after 4–5 years of planting.
• Cut matured culms only (3 years old and above), leaving young shoots.
• Harvest during dry season (avoids fungal decay).
• Rotation cycle: Every year or alternate year, depending on density.

8. Pest and Disease Management: Bamboo is a sturdy crop, not easily affected by pests. In case of any pest or disease, please consult an expert.
9.  Intercropping and Agroforestry: Intercropping is possible during the first 3 years. cultivate Pulses and Vegetables.
10. Yield and Economic Returns: Commercial cultivation can be expected from 7^th year onwards. During the first 3 years of harvest, 3-4 bamboo culms can be harvested. Thereafter depending upon irrigation, manure application and soil working around the clumps, 5-10 bamboos can be harvested per bamboo clump. On an average each bamboo weighs about 30-40 kgs. By about 10^th year onwards, 25 tons of bamboo can be harvested /year.

For species cultivation practices click here: Bamboo cultivation (Brochure 27-5-2024)