This will depend on bamboo management; you can expect snakes in an unmanaged bamboo plantation with a lot of undecomposed litter and overgrown & unharvested clumps. 

Bamboo rhizomes are shallow feeders which do not go deep in the soil and there is nutrient replenishing from the litter. Moreso bamboo acts as a nitrogen fixer and helps increase soil fertility. 

Some bamboo can be invasive, especially running bamboo/monopodial but the majority of bamboo sold by Divine Bamboo is clumping (sympodial) which is not invasive. 

It takes 4years to harvest/ maturity 

Bamboo does not do well in waterlogged conditions such as boggy or wetland areas and therefore does not like to be planted where they will be overwatered. Bamboo requires well-drained loamy soils for optimum growth.

Did you know that bamboo roots are able to store carbon sequestered from the atmosphere, well if you didn't here is how?

A mature bamboo plant is able to absorb carbon and release more than 30%-40% oxygen to the atmosphere than several mature trees combined. This makes it a carbon absorption sink and a source of clean fresh oxygen. All the greenhouse gasses emitted in the atmosphere absorbed by the leaves are then stored in the roots and biomass. Because of this, bamboo is an effective way of mitigating global warming.  Bamboo is known for its ability to have a high survival rate in tropical climate areas. However, growing bamboo has been fully adopted by both native and urban societies. This is mainly because Bamboo as a plant has highly limited depletion of trees because of the number of clums a single shoot produces over the years. Majority of the beneficiaries of bamboo have resorted to using it as a fuel source and this in the long run controls the rate at which world's tree cover and natural forests are being misused or cut down. 

As communities start adopting the use of bamboo, they will have unknowingly contributed to curbing the harsh effects of global warming that are as a result of deforestation.

If you are living in a partially plain land or are living in an area prone to erosion, think of bamboo as your next step to turning things around. Bamboo is one of the tree species that not only generate a livelihood benefit for people but also restores land. Bamboos have a great route system especially the giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) that grips soil and this root network is able to control all aspects of erosion from landslides to floods through holding soil particles together and absorbing the excess water. Due to the very many leaves that come from the clumps, the broad thick leaves are able to reduce and minimize the impact on the soil during a heavy downpour.

We have a total of 12 bamboo species with 4 commercial plantation species that is  Oxytenanthera abyssinica (Solid bamboo), bambusa vulgaris (green bamboo) and  Dendrocalamus Asper (Giant Rough bamboo). Other species include bambusa membranacea,  Dendrocalamus Giganteus, Cephalostachyum pergracile, Bambusa vulgaris Vittata,  Dendrocalamus membranacea Cv grandis, Dendrocalamus barbartus, Dendrocalamus sinicus, dendrocalamus igonensis, bambusa longinternode. 

The environmentally friendly nature of bamboo products depends very much on the product itself. In general, bamboo products can provide low-carbon alternatives to a number of materials, including steel, cement and plastic. The range of bamboo products is increasing every year, and includes cladding, decking, flooring, panels and beams. Bamboo is being trialled for use in everything from drainage pipes and shipping container flooring to wind turbine blades and bullet train fuselage.

Some bamboo products are made using synthetic additives, such as glues and coatings, or processing chemicals, for example in viscose- and pulp-making. These are toxic or not biodegradable, and mean that the end product cannot be recycled in line with the bio-based economy. The amount of glue or chemicals used depends on the type of product.

However, even when these chemicals and glues are taken into account, European industrial bamboo products (flooring, panels, beams, cladding, decking) have a lower ‘eco-cost’ (environmental burden, based on a specific methodology) than other materials, even FSC-certified hardwoods.

The search for bio-based additives and chemicals, such as soy, lignin or bagasse, which can be made in a cost-competitive way, will make a crucial difference to creating zero-waste bamboo products. There is currently significant investment and research in product development activities by a number of manufacturers. In 2019 INBAR published a report on bamboo’s potential in the circular economy, which covers the latest innovations in a number of bamboo materials.

This depends on the species but generally bamboo is used for construction, laminated boards,  furniture, flooring, cutlery, and bamboo shoots like kamalea around mountain Elgon are a  source of food, bamboo can also be used for cooking inform of bamboo charcoal / briquettes  or firewood (especially Oxytenethra abyssinica).

Yes, although for better efficiency bamboo charcoal is usually crushed and densified to make  bamboo charcoal briquettes which can be used for cooking on charcoal stoves. 

Oxytenanthera abyssinica and Strictus bamboo but also other species can perform depending  on the management 

We would recommend oxytenanthera abyssinica due to its solid nature. Dendrocalamus  asper will be a second alternative because of its massive biomass. 

200 bamboo seedlings including 39 seedlings for beating up/mortality during transit at a  spacing of 5metres by 5 metres. 

This will depend on the soil characteristics, especially fertility, so there is a need to do a site survey  by the company prior to planting to determine whether the site necessitates fertilization. If  available we recommend the addition of organic manure to boost bamboo growth. 

Bamboo matures in 4 years and you keep earning every year after that period. You expect to  earn a minimum of 4 million per year. 

During the first few weeks, water the plant regularly. Soak the soil and spray the leaves.  Bamboo likes water but loves drainage. Water heavily but make sure that you are allowing  your planting site time to drain between watering cycles. This time can vary depending upon  time of year, soil composition, slope, etc. 

During the first few weeks, water the plant regularly. Soak the soil and spray the leaves.  Bamboo likes water but loves drainage. Water heavily but make sure that you are allowing  your planting site time to drain between watering cycles. This time can vary depending upon  time of year, soil composition, slope, etc. 

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. This makes it particularly suitable as a tool for carbon sequestration. Given its fast growth rate, bamboo can be harvested regularly, creating a large number of durable products which store carbon over several years, in addition to the carbon stored in the plant itself. Over time, this means that bamboo can sequester more carbon than some tree plantations.

This is particularly important when bamboo’s potential to create durable products is taken into account. Industrial bamboo products, including flooring, decking, cladding, panels and beams, are long-lasting, recyclable, and can replace a variety of emissions-intensive materials, such as PVC, steel, aluminium and concrete. Due to their hardness, dimensional stability and aesthetic appearance, bamboo could also be a favourable substitute for hardwoods, even FSC-certified ones, in terms of carbon footprint and eco-costs.

Bamboo can also provide a sustainable source of bioenergy. It can be converted into charcoal or briquettes for cooking, or into gas or pellets for electricity and heat generation. Because it regrows quickly and matures faster than most types of tree, bamboo can provide a renewable alternative to timber fuel, on which many people around the world are still reliant for their cooking and heating. It can also provide an important source of biomass energy in countries with ambitious renewable energy targets, as a plant which grows on marginal soils and does not need to compete with agriculturally productive land.

Finally, bamboo and rattan can help communities and individuals adapt to the negative impacts of climate change: as a resilient housing material; as a nature-based tool to help prevent desertification; and as a sustainable, year-round source of livelihood for millions of people around the world. Self-replenishing, locally growing, and easy to process without the need for large machines or capital investment, bamboo offers rural communities more security in a changing climate.