Hi, A few days ago, Robert Saporito referred to the Indonesian D. Asper clones (in Indonesia known as "bambu petung").
If anybody is looking for more info on this, I can suggest the website www.bambunusaverde.com of Bambu Nusa Verde, a company in Yogyakarta (Indonesia) which produces this – and quite a few other species -- from tissue culture.
If you want to go straight to the catalogue (D. asper is the first one mentioned there), here is the link: http://www.bambunusaverde.com/english/catalog/plantation/
Best regards,
Luc Spyckerelle
Jakarta
--- In bamboo-plantations@yahoogroups.com, "Robert Saporito" <robert@...> wrote:
>
> From: bamboo-plantations@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:bamboo-plantations@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Maria
> Subject: [bamboo-plantations] bamboo from seeds
>
> Has anyone tried to grow bamboo from seeds.
>
> This guy sells them on the internet but I'm kind of skeptical about buying
> these seeds.
>
> http://www.exotic-plants.de/bamboo.php
>
> *********************************************
>
> I've actually written a bit about those seeds/seedlings from your link
> source. Here's a link to that rant:
>
> http://www.tropicalbamboo.com/bamboo_faq.asp#q5
>
>
>
>
>
> We have noticed an increasing interest in bamboo seeds over the past couple
> of years - phone calls and emails to our nursery and inquiries on list
> groups such as this one. The vast majority are coming from people who have
> recently taken notice of bamboo and are having their
> save-the-world-bamboo-epiphany. They envision an instant bamboo plantation
> for timber, shoots, pulp, carbon sequester, etc.
> Some people are just looking for a cheap way to obtain plants for their
> private garden.
>
>
>
> I understand the novice's attraction to bamboo seeds. In areas of the world
> where land and labor is relatively cheap, the idea of sowing seeds seems the
> most logical way to quickly fill a large area with the desired bamboo
> species (or at least the species named on the seed bag). For a home
> gardener, a $3 packet of seeds seems like the most economical choice for the
> fastest-growing woody plant on Earth.
>
> In both cases, the odds of disappointment over wasted money and,
> most-importantly time, are great.
>
>
>
> Bamboo seeds are truly your bamboo-lottery. They're your bamboo-lottery not
> because you're lucky to obtain massive amounts of true seeds from a
> particular species (although it is sort of fortuitous - flowering cycles are
> notoriously long). Bamboo seeds are your lottery because not every seed is
> a winner. They're not naturally all supposed to germinate and grow to
> maturity. They come to existence in copious amounts because of sexual
> reproduction and the seedlings WILL vary in form AND vigor. In nature, only
> a small percentage of seedlings out of thousands that managed to germinate
> would be strong and vigorous enough to survive the elements and competition.
> Humans germinate bamboo seeds in controlled environments, nurse them along
> (eliminating natural selection), and then they plant every one of them.
> That's a myopic formula for failure. I've been in huge Thai plantations of
> Dendrocalamus asper that consist of 90% pathetic, lethargic bamboos. This
> is supposed to be a majestic, massive timber bamboo species! Sure, some of
> them are over-harvested and they've never had a chance to fully develop.
> Most of the weaklings are just weaklings. They never have, nor never will
> perform like they should.
>
> When the Thai asper flowered in the mid-1990s, the word was "Grow the Thai
> asper seedlings. They'll never flower in your lifetime!". The book Bamboo
> World advised the same thing (now we, and Victor Cusack, know better).
> Unfortunately, that advice was printed and is still perpetuated today. For
> those who know better, the word is now "Grow the Indonesian asper clones.
> The Thai seedlings are too diluted with variable stock".
>
>
>
> So, if seeds must be used for plantations, the seedlings should be
> aggressively culled. Vegetatively clone only the most vigorous, most true
> of the seedlings. Then cross your fingers and hope your strong babies will
> become strong mature bamboos.
> If you're growing seedlings as a hobby, for your home garden.have fun! The
> exciting part of growing bamboo from seed is you never know what you'll end
> up with. Just (please) don't email me photos in a few years asking why your
> bamboo looks nothing like the species named on your seed packet label.
>
>
>
> Robert Saporito
>
> Tropical Bamboo Nursery & Gardens
>
> Florida
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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