Growing bamboo successfully is not difficult but it can be if not done properly. There are many
factors when choosing a bamboo plant for your needs. Many factors are to be considered such as: Regional
Climatic Factors (USDA Hardiness Zones Map!) as well as conditions at youe site such as availablilty
of direct Sunlight, water run-off / saturation of the soil, planting outdoors or pot planting for indoor
or outdoor use.
Bamboo is perhaps the most versitile plant on the planet. It grows on every
continent except for Antartica and the polar regions where there is no plant life. Bamboo will grow in
almost any kind of soil. Bamboo is like any other plant in that it needs sunlight, water and fertilizer.
First you should choose a suitable location on your site then choose an apropriate bamboo species
for your needs.
Outdoor Planting Bamboo: Dig a hole about 2 times the size of your
bamboo plants root ball. Cover the bottom of the hole with a layer of compost potting soil. Place your
bamboo plant in the center of the hole then put compost potting soil around the sides of the root ball
up-to the level of the natural ground. Pach the compost potting soil down with your foot or hands, then
fill with dirt that came from digging your hole, creating a small mound that will ficilitate water run-off.
Sprinkle a thin layer of compost pottting soil over the dirt mound. Place a thick layer of mulch all
around the base of the plant covering the hole out to some 4 inches past the holes boarder. The mulch
layer is very important. Bamboo like to have mulch over their roots, and will grow well when it get's
what it likes. Water imediately to give the plant water and to start compaction of the dirt all around
the bamboo plants roots.
Pot Planting Bamboo: First choose an appropriate pot for your
bamboo. Your pot needs to have drain holes that allow any excess water to run off. I prefer to use a
large pot that will allow the plant to fully root out with out frequent pot changing as the bamboo plant
grows. Put a thick layer of compost potting soil in the bottom of the pot then put your bamboo's root
ball in the pot. Fill around the root ball with compost potting soil up-to 3" from the top rim of the
pot. Place a layer of mulch over the soil up-to 1" from the top rim of your pot. Water imediately until
the dirt is very saturated. You can use spergattum or hydrogel in your potted plant soil if you wish.
I can not tell you how much because I never use any of these additives when planting my bamboo.
Eventually your bamboo will grow roots / rhizomes that are too cluttered for your pot. This usually
takes 3 to 5 years. If you do not take action, your bamboo plant will strangle itself in the confinement
of it's pot. When your plants roots have become too cluttered, remove the plant from it's pot. Using
a set of pruning shears, carefully cut away about 60% of the root mass. Do not cut all of the roots because
this will kill your bamboo plant. Replant the bamboo in it's pot following the original planting instructions
listed above.
You should use compost potting soil because this type of soil provides a gentile
fertilizing of your bamboo plant while it is getting use to its new home. It also provides a good medium
for facilitation of root growth and anchoring.
Watering: You should only water
your bamboo plants when the soil is very dry. Too much water will kill your bamboo plant for sure.
Most bamboo roots are just about 4" to 6" below the surface of the ground. Keep this in mind when watering
because you want to give enough water to allow saturation down to this level.
Fertilizer:
Bamboo is a grass. When fertilizing your bamboo, use a grass type fertilizer. The cheap grass fertilizer
from Home Depot and Wal Mart works very well to keep bamboo plants happy and healthy.
Die Back: If for any reason your bamboo plants appear to be dead, i.e. frost kill, do
not assume that the plant is finished. Most of a bamboo plants life forces are stored in it's rhizomes.
Most of the time when a bamboo plant appears to have died off, you will see new shoot growth the following
spring.
Thinning : The same applies for thinning of your bamboo grove. You can
cut the canes off of your bamboo plants to thin your grove and have a new grove emerge from the ground
the following spring. When thinning a grove, it is best to leave a few canes intact to help with the
new shoot growth in the spring.
Shock: Shock is when a plant looks dead. The leaves dry up, the stalk looses its color
and the plant appears to be dead. There can be many reasons that a Bamboo plant will go into shock. Here
at Blackledge Exotic Bamboo we experience this with plants we ship during the summer during extreemly
hot periods. If you receive a plant that is in shock, you can try the following to revive the plant:
1. Plant the bamboo imediately using the instructions detailed above.
2. Water the plant
daily, also spray the leaves and stalks with water daily for about one week.
3. Keep the
plant away from direct sunlight until it comes back.
4. Give the plant at least 6 weeks to start
to come back and start growing some new leaves.
Bamboo grow from their rhizomes which are
below the ground level. The part of the plant you can see above the ground can be completely destroyed
and the plant will grow back healthier and stronger than before the shock event. An old growers trick
for force propigation of bamboo is to cut the main stalk down to ground level. This forces the plant
to propigate additional plants from its rhizomes in an attempt to survive.
