Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Managed Multistem  Minor Global Crop  Other Systems: Multistrata

Requires a rich damp soil in a sheltered position[200] with plenty of moisture in the growing season[162]. Likes abundant sunshine[11]. A fairly cold-hardy plant, succeeding outdoors in many areas of Britain. It tolerates temperatures down to about -15°c according to one report, but the plants are slow to recover from damage caused by cold weather[11]. They also dislike prolonged exposure to hard frosts[200]. Plants grow well in Cornwall making a very good sized clump. The young shoots are very fast growing, up to 30cm per day[11], and are produced from late April[25]. The rootstock is running but it is practically static in cool climates[25]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200]. Plants only flower at intervals of many years. When they do come into flower most of the plants energies are directed into producing seed and consequently the plant is severely weakened. They sometimes die after flowering, but if left alone they will usually recover though they will look very poorly for a few years. If fed with artificial NPK fertilizers at this time the plants are more likely to die[122]. Young plants can be difficult to establish, new plantings only grow slowly at first and often fail completely if soil and water conditions are less than the best[195]. This species, but especially its cultivar 'Pubescens'[266] is extensively cultivated for its edible young shoots and other uses in China and Japan[46, 183, 266], it is the most commonly cultivated bamboo in China and the second most common in Japan[195]. This is a good companion species to grow in a woodland because the plants are shallow rooted and do not compete with deep rooted trees[195]. Carbon Farming - Cultivation: minor global crop. Management: managed multistem.

Carbon Farming

• Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
• Management: Managed Multistem  Regularly removing some multiple stems. A non-A non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
• Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.
• Other Systems: Multistrata  Multistrata agroforests feature multiple layers of trees often with herbaceous perennials, annual crops, and livestock.