When to dig winter bamboo shoots

We usually eat winter bamboo shoots in winter. They are mainly food ingredients that grow in winter. You can dig winter bamboo shoots at the beginning of spring, which is probably in late October. But you can't miss the time, otherwise the bamboo shoots will become old and not delicious. There are certain skills in digging winter bamboo shoots. We need to judge where the winter bamboo shoots are and be careful not to dig too deep.

When can we dig winter bamboo shoots?

Winter bamboo shoots are developed from the lateral buds of the underground stems of bamboo around the beginning of autumn. They are hidden in the soil during the winter and are generally harvested from the time of frost to before the beginning of spring of the following year, which is probably from late October to early February of the following year. It starts to be available on the market around November every year. According to the lunar calendar, September to December is the most suitable period. Observe carefully around the bamboo shoots. If the surface mud is loose or cracked and the ground feels soft under your feet, there may be winter bamboo shoots. You can use a hoe to dig holes and get them.

Precautions for harvesting winter bamboo shoots

1. Check the forest conditions

To harvest winter bamboo shoots, the altitude must be below 300 meters, in woodlands facing east or southeast. This type of woodland has more winter bamboo shoots, matures earlier, and has better quality. In addition, the thickness of the soil layer must be considered when harvesting winter bamboo shoots. Only 56% of winter bamboo shoots with a soil layer thickness of more than 30 cm will degenerate and rot, and 44% will break out of the soil in the spring. However, more than 90% of winter bamboo shoots with a soil layer thickness of less than 15 cm will degenerate and rot.

2. Check the forest structure

Mother bamboos of 1 to 2 years old and 3 to 4 years old each account for more than 30%. It is best to harvest winter bamboo shoots in forest land with 160 to 200 living standing bamboos per acre. It is not advisable to collect winter bamboo shoots from bamboos at the edge of forests where there are many winter bamboo shoots, bamboos at the edge of forest open spaces, and bamboos in sparse forests, otherwise it will affect the development of the forest.

3. It is best not to dig winter bamboo shoots after the winter solstice

As the saying goes: Winter bamboo shoots mellow before September 9th in spring, and winter bamboo shoots flourish after September 9th during Qingming Festival. In other words, only a few bamboo shoots before the winter solstice can be transformed into spring bamboo shoots, and most of them will rot, so this is the main part of harvesting winter bamboo shoots. The winter bamboo shoots formed after the winter solstice can mostly be transformed into spring bamboo shoots, so it is best not to dig them up.

4. Which winter bamboo shoots can be harvested?

It is pointed at both ends and curved in the middle, and will rot into pulp in spring. It is thin at the top and thick at the bottom, and will become a new bamboo in the next year. Bamboo shoots with curved shapes, thin bases, or dry, cracked, and aged shells will basically not transform into spring bamboo shoots, but they can be dug up. Those with plump bases, well-developed roots, tender bamboo shoots and tightly wrapped bamboo shoots are the foundation for transforming into spring bamboo shoots and breaking through the soil next year, promoting the prosperity of the forest. They need to be preserved and it is best not to be dug up.

5. Prohibition of excessive mining

Winter bamboo shoots are delicious, but they should not be harvested excessively, especially not by destroying the bamboo roots in order to harvest them. After all, you still have to wait for older ones to grow. You can first dig shallowly near the base to find the yellow or brown strong whips, then turn the soil along the whips to find the winter bamboo shoots and harvest them.

Harvesting winter bamboo shoots affects bamboo reproduction. Of course, reasonable harvesting can not only ensure the normal growth of bamboo, but also increase economic income and meet consumer demand.