| Bamboo Care - Food & Water...Bamboo is easy to love. |
Know what
bamboo needs and bamboo with confidence
A gently swaying plume of foliage. Bamboo breaths in and out through its leaves which nourish the underground system of rhizomes uniting the grove. Rhizomes produce more culms and the cycle continues. Bamboo obtains dissolved nutrients underground via a shallow root system. In addition to sunlight, the show runs on water and fertiliser. |
| Nutrients Because growth is rapid bamboo should be fed regularly. Spring is when the fast growing, new shoots of Running Bamboo emerge. Summer is shooting time for Clumping Bamboo. You need to provide fertiliser in a timely routine. Something like N:10.P:6. K:5 is preferred. Feed a small amount often rather than a lot at once. Bamboo responds well to lawn food. It particularly likes chicken manure and a few trace elements from time to time. Giant Buddha Belly Bamboo should not be supplied too much nutrient because it will grow too fast to attain its distinctive swollen shape. |
| Apply nutrients to your bamboo about a month before spring shoots appear and again before the onset of rhizome growth |
| Watering Until it has become established in its new home bamboo needs to be kept moist. In summer weather this may take only 6 – 8 weeks. In colder months, it may just wait for summer warmth to send out feeder roots. After it is established bamboo is hardy. Planted in the ground it will withstand dry spells by shedding foliage. If you need it to look lush and green then an automatic (1)watering system and regular feeding is recommended. As a rule of thumb however, keep the soil moist. Grey Water Bamboo can absorb a lot of water so it is good to empty grey water here. The bamboo will grow fast and look great. However, if too much grey water is discharged in one place the excess of nutrients will turn the soil noxious and your plants will suffer. (1)You can check with Sydney Water for watering system information and water saving tips. |
