Bamboo Shoot Nicotiana Seeds

Bamboo Shoot is a Nicotiana tabacum variety offered here as seed for growing the plant. The product card describes a plant that reaches about 1.2 to 1.5 m (4 to 5 feet) tall, with narrow, long leaves that resemble bamboo shoots, and delicate pink flowers. It is a warm-season, sun-loving plant, and the notes below follow the variety description on the product card.

Bamboo Shoot is the name of this particular variety, and the store lists it as Nicotiana Bamboo Shoot.

Plant at a glance

• Species: Nicotiana tabacum
• Variety name: Bamboo Shoot
• Height: about 1.2 to 1.5 m (4 to 5 feet), according to the product card
• Leaves: narrow and long, thin and smooth, with a slightly oily surface, shaped like bamboo shoots
• Flowers: delicate and pink
• Site: full sun, a warm climate and well-drained soil

Growing Bamboo Shoot from seed

Nicotiana seed is very fine and needs light to germinate, so it is pressed onto the surface and never buried. The figures below come from the variety description and are approximate guides, not results measured on a specific seed lot.

• Sowing: press the seeds lightly onto the surface of moist soil and leave them uncovered.
• Timing: start the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last expected frost.
• Temperature: the card suggests keeping the soil around 24 C (75 F) and moist while the seeds germinate.
• Germination: the card gives 7 to 14 days.
• Transplanting: move seedlings outdoors only after the last frost, spacing plants 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 feet) apart.
• Site and care: full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. The card recommends regular watering and occasional feeding while the plants grow.

Because the plant is tall and has long, narrow leaves, the spacing of 60 to 90 cm gives each plant room for air and light around the foliage. Keep the young seedlings evenly moist, harden them off gradually before they go outside, and plant them out once nights are reliably warm.

What is not yet recorded

No seed specifications have been saved for this variety yet. For that reason this page does not state a germination percentage, a viability period or a seed size. The origin of the variety and its exact days to flowering are also not documented on the product card, so they are left out here rather than guessed. Photographs in the gallery have not all been reviewed against this variety, so this text makes no claims about what the plants in them look like beyond the card.

FAQ

How do I sow Bamboo Shoot seeds?

Press them lightly onto the surface of moist, well-drained soil and do not cover them. The seeds need light to germinate, so burying them works against the plant. The card suggests a soil temperature of about 24 C (75 F).

When should I sow Bamboo Shoot?

The variety description recommends sowing indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost in your area. Seedlings move outdoors after the last frost has passed. The card gives 7 to 14 days for germination, so allow about two weeks before judging a tray.

How tall does Bamboo Shoot grow?

The product card gives a height of about 1.2 to 1.5 m (4 to 5 feet), with narrow, long leaves and pink flowers. Treat these as approximate figures, since light, soil and spacing change the final size.