Caring for Bamboo Plants

Bamboo plants are evergreen plants, belonging to the Poaceae family. Not only are they popular as ornamental plants, but they are also used as effective hedges, wind breakers and screens along the fence to maintain privacy. In China, the bamboo plant is considered a symbol of eternal youth. It also forms an important agent of enabling proper flow of energy, according to Feng Shui. Besides all this, bamboo plants also enhance the aesthetic value of a garden. In case you are planning to add them in your garden consider the following tips to take care of this very useful plant.

Caring for Bamboo Plants

Location
Now that you have decided to grow bamboo plants in the garden, it is important to choose the right location for them. Try to select a place that best meets the requirement of sunlight for the particular species of bamboo plant you have chosen. Large bamboo plants grow the best, in full sun, while the smaller species benefit most from dappled sunlight, especially during the hottest part of the day.

Planting
In case the bamboo plant can't be planted as soon as it is brought home, take care that the soil in the pot, that contains the plant, does not dry up. Before the plant is put in the soil, make sure that the hole is as deep as the pot and twice its diameter. Prepare the soil beforehand by mixing it with some compost in 50:50 ratio. Then remove the plant from the pot, taking care that the roots are not damaged and put it in the hole that has been dug up. Fill the hole with soil. Water it properly and add some mulch over it for good growth.

Watering
While watering the bamboo plants recall the species and also the weather of your city or town. Generally, bamboo plants do not need large amounts of water to grow. However, newly planted bamboo plants need to be watered more regularly than already grown plants. This is to help them establish their roots deep in the soil, so that they can cope in case the soil becomes dry. As a standard, provide half a gallon of water to plants under the 5 gallon container size and 1 gallon water to plants above the 5 gallon container size. Indoor bamboo plants also need regular watering, as soil that is kept indoor tends to dry quickly. However, do not over water the plants. If you see the leaves sagging, it indicates that the plants have been over watered, whereas if the leaves start coiling, it means that they need water.

Fertilizer
If the bamboo plants have been planted at the right location and have been watered properly during its early days, it will grow well. However, like every other plant, adding fertilizers to the soil will ensure a healthy growth of the plants. Organic fertilizers or compost are good options, although lawn fertilizer could also be used as they have high nitrogen content.

Mulch
A good mulch covering the soil where the bamboo plants are growing is very useful for bamboo plants as they keep the soil soft, moist and prevent the roots from becoming too hot or too cold, in response to the seasonal changes. Mulch also helps in recycling the nutrients of the soil. The falling leaves of bamboo plants during the spring season serve as good mulch. However, grass is the ideal mulch. Besides grass, compost and manure are also good options.

Weeding
Although grown plants won't need weeding, the soil where young plants and small species are planted might need periodical weeding. This would keep unwanted weeds away that might compete with the bamboo plants for water and nutrients.

Protection during the Winter Season
If you live in a region that bears cold winters, spread mulch over the soil to protect the bamboo plants. In case of young plants, in addition to mulching the soil, provide some physical barrier to protect them from cold, dry winds. Shift the plants grown in containers to some sheltered place in the garden to protect them from extreme cold of the winter season.

Besides adding a vibrant green color, bamboo plants are believed to better absorb carbon di-oxide (an important green house gas) than most other plants. Hence, bamboo is a very useful plant in preventing green house effect and fighting global warming.