I have always been fascinated by bamboos. As I was growing up in the Philippines, I saw bamboo plants everywhere and it was being used in almost anything anyone can think of such as fences, furniture, flooring for the poles or culms and the bamboo shoots were usually on the dining table as food. My grandfather used to feed his chickens with chopped bamboo leaves as these will make the chickens healthy according to him. Lately, I learned that there are indeed scientific proof that bamboo leaves make chickens healthier because of it lengthens the intestines and makes the chicken consume more and grow faster and healthier
Now, I see personal accessories made of bamboo chips such as earrings, bracelets, necklace and even belts. Technology have also so improved the uses of bamboos that it can now become sturdy building materials suitable for a more sustainable environment such as plyboards, fiberboards, mat boards, other panel products and parquet for the floor. Its pulps can also be used for paper instead of using timbers and this contributes greatly to the prevention of massive deforestation.
I can go on and on about the benefits and the advantages of propagating bamboos and I will definitely do that in my next articles. But for now, let me introduce you first to the lowly bamboo. I said lowly because for so many years it had been referred to as a poor man’s timber. Because it is ubiquitous and easily grows almost anywhere, it is the most visible and readily available resource for everyone and the masses who cannot afford to have houses made of stone in Asia and Africa turned to the lowly bamboo to provide them their much needed shelters. Many species of bamboo grow almost in any type of soil because it is considered a grass. And like most grass, it grows easily and almost everywhere there is soil that could sustain its rapid growth. It is this rapid growth attribute of bamboo that makes it ideal to propagate and grow along natural catch basins. The bamboo culms would act as sifter of debris and the complex root system of bamboos would slow down water run off as it absorbs enormous volume of water everyday for its rapid growth. As a consequence, erosion will likely be prevented as the top soil is held firmly in place by the complex roots.
With the devastating floods that ravaged different parts of the world in recent years, it is now the best time to take a closer look at the lowly bamboo and consider its wider and sustainable propagation. Bamboo grows at an average rate of 1.2 meters everyday. Yes, everyday! It only takes three years to mature or just five years to reach its full maturity.. It can even propagate on its own. It is so ordinary and ubiquitous that a lot of people have taken it for granted and even dismissed it as mere grass. Well, it is grass alright, but in relegating bamboo as mere grass, we are doing a great disservice to the environment. Mother Nature had provided us with a very versatile product of nature that is highly sustainable and readily available. All we have to do now is cultivate it by propagating it properly and it will provide for us much the needed resources and also protect us from environmental hazards.