Of course you want your bamboo looking lush – be mindful of food and water.
Remember to water your new bamboo. Until established it can dry out easily. Especially in windy weather.
Bamboo is a grass. It likes lawn food.
Feeding times
Because growth is rapid bamboo should be fed regularly just prior to, and over summer. Spring is when the fast growing, new shoots of Running Bamboo emerge. Autumn feeding runners assists development of the shoots over winter. Summer is shooting time for Clumping Bamboo.
Nutrients
Summer time, something like a ratio of, N:10.P:6. K:6, applied as a slow release is fine. Bamboo dosen’t use a lot of food in temperate and sub-tropical zones during winter. When the warm weather starts up again. Feed me! Organic is better than processed fertilizer. Friendly for soil bacteria, fungi and who knows what else!
With chemical fert’ feed a small amount often rather than a lot at once. Compost? Too-much is never enough.
Bamboo responds well to lawn food, particularly liking chicken manure.
Too much fertilizer damages bamboo and then it washes down to the river and fertilizes it too. Eeek!
Watering
Until it has become established in its new home bamboo, needs to be kept moist. In warm summer weather this may take only 6 – 8 weeks.
In colder months, Clumping species it may just hold out for summer warmth to send out feeder roots and establish itself in the surrounding soil. Meanwhile, Runners are making shoots through winter and appreciate some autumn food, hosed in.
Once 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 watering system and timely feeding is recommended.
As a rule of thumb keep the soil moist. Densely foliaged plants, eg Red Tongue Bamboo in a small pot, use up more water, thus dry out more quickly. (Use a saucer).
Grey Water
Clumping bamboo can absorb a lot of water so it is good to empty grey water here. The bamboo will suck it up 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. Etc
Running Bamboo doesn’t like lots of water. Hates waterlogging. It likes it’s growing medium moist not wet. Grey water should be used sparingly.
Soil pH. Generally bamboo prefers around 6.0 pH. Fortune Inviting likes it around 4.5 pH.
Please consider Mr Bamboo if you need your bamboo cared for in Sydney. We take it seriously.