featured articles
The Ultimate Bamboo Species Directory
The following is a directory of the most important and well-known genera and species of bamboo, with links to every in-depth Bambu Batu article that focuses on a specific variety of bamboo. If you enjoy researching the many species of bamboo, we recommend bookmarking...
Bamboo and Oxygen: A breath of fresh air
Ask me why I love bamboo, and I'll ask you to find a comfortable place to sit. Because this could take a while. But somewhere, high on the list of appealing attributes, I would mention bamboo's superior ability to generate oxygen. And if you're familiar with the...
Bamboo farming in the US in 2024
UPDATE: This article originally appeared in January 2020, most recently updated in April 2024. In the past few decades, the variety of bamboo products has just exploded. From socks to towels to sheets to flooring, bamboo can do pretty much anything. And thanks to a...
The Best Varieties of Bamboo for Building and Construction
With all the talk about bamboo construction and building houses from bamboo, a lot of people are asking: What are the best varieties of bamboo for building? The best bamboo species for building and construction are going to grow very tall, usually more than 40 or 50...
Genus Phyllostachys: Prolific bamboo for all climates
The botany of bamboo is a vast and diverse world of its own. The Bambusoideae subfamily of grasses includes nearly 100 genera and more than 1,200 species. And to the casual observer, the majority of these grasses look strikingly similar. But if you're trying to wrap...
Bamboo Consulting with Bambu Batu
My name is Fred Hornaday and I've been active in the bamboo industry since 2006 when I opened America's first all-bamboo boutique in San Luis Obispo, California. Since 2020, I've been committed to promoting bamboo cultivation and value addition and expanding its...
Bambu Batu, for all things bamboo
Our bamboo journey began in a small beach town on the Central Coast of California, worlds away from the tropics of South America or the hills and valleys of southern China where bamboo originated. But for more than twenty years, we have shared our passion for bamboo, extolling its virtues, espousing its beauty and utility.
Today, Bambu Batu contributes and participates in events and workshops around the world, providing education and consultations in all areas of bamboo development. Through the hundreds of in-depth articles on our website and the dozens of hours of free video content on YouTube, Bambu Batu provides a resource for bamboo students, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts like none other.
On a mission to promote the prudent cultivation of bamboo by providing gardeners, farmers and policymakers with useful and accurate information about this extraordinary plant. Contact us to schedule a consultation.
Bamboo & beyond
Bambu Batu is the brainchild of Fred Hornaday, author and eco-entrepreneur. Since its inception in 2006, Bambu Batu has been dedicated to promoting bamboo for all its amazing uses. Whether you’re using bamboo to spruce up your garden or to build a zen temple, this remarkable plant has enormous ecological and economical potential. Peruse the hundreds of articles on the website, and discover for yourself the fascinating world of bamboo.
Bamboo & beyond
Since 2006, Fred Hornaday has been promoting bamboo with passion and sincerity. What began as a small eco-boutique in a charming California beach town is now an international network spanning six continents. Whether you’re planning a Japanese garden or a commercial plantation, Bambu Batu can help you understand this remarkable plant and its enormous ecological and economical potential. Peruse the website, and discover for yourself the fascinating world of bamboo.
our retail store
From 2006 until 2020, Bambu Batu provided a magical space in San Luis Obispo, offering an unsurpassed selection of bamboo and natural fiber clothing, as well as bamboo furniture and kitchenwares, and an eclectic array of spiritual items.
Today, our family has adopted the life of Digital Nomadism. But our website continues to bring you a wealth of articles about all things bamboo, including environmental insights, horticultural pointers and a slew of fun facts.
our retail store
From 2006 until 2020, Bambu Batu provided a magical space in San Luis Obispo, offering an unsurpassed selection of bamboo and natural fiber clothing, as well as bamboo furniture and kitchenwares, and an array of spiritual items.
Today, we offer our services to bamboo enthusiasts around the globe. Our website continues to deliver a wealth of articles about all things bamboo, and our one-on-one consultations provide specific guidance towards growing bamboo commercially.
BENEFITS OF BAMBOO
For thousands of years, people have been using and cultivating bamboo for food, construction, crafts and textiles. It grows faster than anything, produces more oxygen than trees, has a greater tensile strength than steel, and can be made into a fabric softer than pima cotton. At this challenging moment of climate crisis, bamboo is probably the earth’s most promising natural resource.
BENEFITS OF BAMBOO
For thousands of years, people have been using and cultivating bamboo for food, construction, crafts and textiles. It grows faster than anything, produces more oxygen than trees, has a greater tensile strength than steel, and can be made into a fabric softer than pima cotton. At this challenging moment of climate crisis, bamboo is probably the earth’s most promising natural resource.
Did you know that bamboo comprises a subfamily of grasses with more than 1,200 species, endemic to every continent but Europe and Antarctica?
learn more about bamboo
Aulonemia insolita: A striking addition to the Bamboo Family
Bambu Batu issues a hearty congratulations to Ivan Jiménez-Pérez, Natalia Reátegui, Celia Forella Malpartida-Garay, and Eduardo Ruiz-Sancheza, who have published the description of a newly discovered bamboo species, Aulonemia insolita, endemic to the montane forests...
Bamboo Monologues: Chapter 2
Bamboo Beginnings Ever since I got into the bamboo business, the most frequently asked question I hear is "What got you started in bamboo?" It's funny because there are so many things to admire about bamboo, which makes it difficult to answer, and also because I love...
Phyllostachys heteroclada: Water Bamboo
Phyllostachys heteroclada is a medium-sized running bamboo that is unusually tolerant of damp soils. Like most members of the genus Phyllostachys, the running rhizomes of this temperate bamboo can be aggressive and difficult to contain. Hardy in cold winters, P....