How to Cultivate Bamboo

Bollywood12

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posted on 15 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Bamboo, typically thought of as an Asian plant, can grow almost anywhere in the world. It does not necessarily need soaked soil or a body of water to grow in; how and where bamboo will grow depends on what variety of bamboo one wants to grow. Some bamboo will grow an inch a day, while other types of bamboo don’t come close to that rate of growth. There are more than 1200 varieties of bamboo, but each of these varieties falls into one of two groups: clumping or running bamboo.

Steps

Decide on a type of bamboo. While it isn’t necessary to research each of the 1200-plus varieties of bamboo, deciding on clumping or running bamboo should be the first step in cultivating bamboo. Clumping bamboo will work best for container gardens or small areas. Running bamboo works best when it’s intended to fill in a large area of a landscape or needed to create a natural fence between properties.

Consult local garden centers for information about the different varieties of bamboo available. Local garden centers or specialty bamboo stores will be able to give gardeners specific advice about varieties of bamboo that will do well in their landscape. These garden centers can also advise gardeners about the level of care and maintenance specific types of bamboo require.

Prepare the site and soil for bamboo plantings. In a sunny area that receives shade for no more than a few hours during midday, prepare a loamy soil that has a slightly acidic pH. A local cooperative extension service can test soil for pH, as can many garden centers.

Dig a hole twice as deep and as wide as the container the bamboo currently lives in, and backfill the hole with the prepared soil.

Remove the bamboo from the container. Plant it and all accompanying soil in the prepared hole, filling in the hole with the prepared soil. Keep the soil mixture loose; do not “pack” the soil.

Keep the bamboo well watered. While every type of bamboo differs, and a local garden center can give gardeners more specific guidance, most bamboo like lots of water and well-drained soil. Pay attention to the plant. If the leaves start to curl, the bamboo needs more water. Pot or root bound bamboo can develop such a dense root system within a container that the root system can actually be hydrophobic or water resistant. If these root balls are watered with a traditional garden hose the water simply bounces off. The solution to this problem is to water your new bamboo SLOWLY with a trickle for several minutes each. Micro irrigation also works particularly well for all species of bamboo, and can speed up the bamboo growth cycle by as much as 1/3.