Bamboo Care & Maintenance
Bamboo Planting Guide
1. Ground Preparation
* Prepare your holes for planting. Holes should be three times the width of the pot and twice as deep. This gives the roots lots of juicy, rich soil to get growing quickly.
* Mix a good quality and quantity of soil improver into the soil. Water crystals/gels or Bentonite clay can also be added at this stage. Soil improver and water crystals/gels/Bentonite clay will greatly assist in the water holding capacity of the soil.
* Place a small quantity of slow release bamboo food into the hole (see us for more info on this).
* Remove the bamboo from the pot and plant into the improved soil. Do not tease the roots out, bamboo does not like root disturbance.
* Backfill the hole with the improved soil mix and avoid pressing down on the top of the plant itself. The top of the rootball should be sitting just below the soil surface (as it was when it was in the pot).
NOTE: For sandy soils more soil improver will be required and for soils that retain a lot of moisture e.g. clay soil, you will need to ensure adequate drainage as bamboo does not like ‘wet feet’.
Soil pH
Most bamboos grow best in well-drained, fertile soils, and they generally prefer pH neutral to slightly acid soils. pH is a measure of the acidity and alkalinity of the soil using a scale from 1 to 14; where 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acid and greater than 7 is alkaline. For best results use a pH test kit to identify your soil pH.
Acid soils with a pH of less than 6 commonly have deficiencies in:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Phosphorus
- Potassium
- Molybdenum
Alkaline soils with a pH of more than 7 commonly have deficiencies in:
- Iron
- Manganese
- Zinc
- Copper
- Boron
If your soil pH is low, add lime or dolomite to increase the pH of the soil.
If your soil pH is high, add sulphates of iron and ammonium, elemental sulphur and organic matter to lower the pH of the soil.
Gypsum (calcium sulphate) does not alter the pH of the soil but can improve aeration and reduce compaction in a clay soil. Most bamboos suffer root damage if submerged in water for several weeks. Drainage may also be improved by building the soil up before planting.
Planting in Pots or Containers
If you are planning to grow your bamboo in pots or containers, make sure to use a good quality potting mix. The soil you use should both drain well and retain moisture.
It would be advisable, dependant on pot size, to remove the bamboo from the pot every 3 to 4 years to avoid becoming pot-bound. Once you have removed the plant you may either re-pot it into a larger pot or divide the plant into 2 or more plants. The use of an annual drenching with a soil wetter is also benificial.
Fertilizers for Bamboo
Bamboo in the Ground
For large bamboos or areas I use a good quality turf fertiliser during the growing season that is high in nitrogen and spread over the ground at a rate of one cup per 6 meters, applied once per month. Be careful not to add too much Nitrogen though as this may damage/burn your plant.
Also highly recommended for plants in the ground is composted horse manure. This can be dug into the ground during late autumn to allow time for nitrogen conversion. Use other manures if you have them available.
Another type of fertiliser we recommend is a good quality ‘Slow Release’ type. This should be added to the hole upon planting and then (depending on the type) at the start of every season.
Bamboo in Pots and Container Beds
For bamboo contained in pots and container beds I recommend a liquid fertiliser that is high in nitrogen. Depending upon the product brand and the concentration levels, this can be applied every 2-4 weeks for best results.
Watering of Bamboo
As a rule of thumb, and for best results, always keep your bamboo well watered, particularly during the warmer months. Bamboo loves regular deep watering, at least 12 inches deep. Remember, good drainage is essential for the health of your bamboo. With ground plantings, I usually recommend a deep soaking but less frequently.
Initially, you will need to monitor your bamboo for a while to determine how much and how often to water in your area / soil type. A general rule is, if the leaves are curling sideways this means your bamboo is water stressed and needs more water. If the leaves are drooping downward, your bamboo might be overwatered or have poor drainage in the soil media. The image below shows a bamboo under stress from lack of water.
Dehydrated
As our conditions here in Perth are quite harsh during the summer months, and especially if you have planted your bamboo in full sun, dry, windy or hot positions, it would be advisable to spray the foliage with water once a day for an initial transition period of 2-4 weeks. Regular overhead watering will reduce the amount of leaf drop during the transition, help your bamboo get established quickly, and increase its growth rate and overall health.
We strongly recommend the use of drip irrigation as this will deliver the best results using the least amount of water. Water simply drips, or flows slowly, from the dripper and is delivered directly and deep into the root mass. Your overall growth will be greater on a drip system. Additionally, and most importantly, setting up a dripline is both very easy and affordable.
Pruning
Once your bamboo is a couple of years old we recommend that you give it a good thining out at the start of every spring. By removing the oldest canes at ground level, these will be the ones that look tired and discoloured, you will ensure that your bamboo always looks happy and healthy. Additionally, by removing the old canes you will be allowing more airflow into the plant which in turn will reduce the likelyhood of pest and disease problems. There is nothing nice about an un-maintained bamboo that has a heap of old dead canes in the centre of the culm, this really does reduce the overall beauty of the plant.
Fascinating Facts about Bamboo
Bamboo survived the atomic bomb at Hiroshima and was the first plant to recover following the blast in 1945.
Bamboo produces the largest amount of oxygen, and consumes more carbon dioxide than any other plant size for size.
Mature bamboos produce several new shoots and canes each year, which can be harvested individually without destroying the plant.
Bamboo plants are very effective at removing metals and other toxic substances from soils and water.
There are over 1500 species of bamboo in the world.
Over 1 billion people in the world live in bamboo houses. Bamboo buildings have proven to be exceedingly earthquake proof.
Bamboo shoots have been eaten throughout Asia for centuries, and branches and leaves make good fodder for animals.
Thomas Edison used bamboo filaments in his first light bulbs, and one of those bulbs is still burning today in Washington, DC.
Running or Clumping Bamboo
The first thing you need to do before purchasing your bamboo plant is to consider all of the advantages and disadvantages of the clumping and running varieties and what type will best suit your location. For example, clumping varieties spread wider at a slower rate, but grow tall faster. Additionally clumping bamboos don’t require root barriers for containment. Runners on the other hand spread wide very quickly to form dense screens, but require root barriers to contain the spread of the plants rhizomes.
Clumping bamboos have a very short root structure, are genetically incapable of expanding more than few inches a year, and will generally form small circular clumps. The dense root system however can exert strong pressure on structures that come in contact with it, and therefore the larger clumping varieties should not be planted to close to fences, sidewalks, retaining walls, etc. In saying that however, the clumping varieties may be shaped and prevented from putting pressure on any surrounding structures by removing new shoots at soil level when they begin to get too close to a structure. It is advisable to plant a clumping bamboo at least 2 ft from a fence to allow some room for growth of the plant.
Running bamboos spread vigorously, sending out underground rhizomes which sometimes spread far from the parent plant. Runners fill in the spaces between plantings faster, making them ideal for fast screens, hedges. Bamboo runners may be easily contained, since the rhizomes grow sideways at a reasonable shallow depth. Most of the running varieties are also very cold-hardy.
