How Bamboo grows
Is it well accepted that bamboo is the fastest growing plant on terra firma. Some of its members are giants, forming by far the largest members of the grass family. New shoots of some of the larger species can grow over 36 inches per day, the record is about 48 inches in one day (the fastest growing plant on earth is a sea weed) but there is some what of a misconception of how fast your screen will take to block out that ugly fence across the street.
Bamboos normally increase in size about 30% annually until it reaches its genetic capabilities in your site. The image at the right somewhat demonstrates the 30% change. The brighter green bamboo would be last years growth the darker green this years. What this means is if your new plant is 3 feet tall most often the following season it will only increase in size about 30%. True occasionally 50% increase happens but not all that often. The shoots that come up in the spring where developed the previous late summer and fall, the better the conditions during that period the more prolific the growth the following spring. Temperate bamboos generally produce their shoots in the spring. The occasional shoot will come up late in the year.
Flowering
Although some bamboos flower every year, most species flower infrequently. In fact, many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 60 or 120 years. the presence of some sort of “alarm clock” in each cell of the plant which signals the diversion of all energy to flower production and the cease of vegetative growth. The result of all the energy going into flower very often results in the death of the plant. Natures plan for all this remains largely a mystery.
Not Bamboos!
"Lucky bamboo" is not a bamboo but is actually an entirely unrelated plant, Dracaena sanderiana.
Another plant often confused with bamboo is "Japanese Knotweed" (Polygonum cuspidatum) hollow stems with distinct raised nodes that give it the bamboo appearance.