Indoor Bamboo Plants

Bamboo plants are appreciated for their fast growth, erect stem and attractive foliage. The diversity of bamboo is so vast, which is evident from the extreme size variability. Some bamboo plants grow like grasses measuring a few inches height, while others develop to as high as 100 feet tall. Nevertheless, when we say commonly grown indoor bamboo plants, they are not related to the actual bamboo variety. Rather they are categorized under the family Dracena and are represented as Dracaena sanderiana. Also known as lucky bamboo plants, they are well adapted in warm indoor temperature having a high humidity level.

Growing Indoor Bamboo Plants

So, you have decided to put greens in your room decor. Indoor bamboo plants are easy to grow and maintain, even in dim light condition. While planting them, you can follow the same tips of growing and caring regular houseplants. The only trickiest part is to purchase healthy, light green plants. In other words, do not select bamboo houseplants, whose foliage and stem turn yellowish or dull in color. Many times, nurseries put up indoor bamboo plants for sale, which is the best time to buy them at a low price.

First of all, decide the place in the rooms, where you will keep indoor bamboo plants. Areas that receive indirect sunlight are ideal for optimal growth. Select pot or containers that are shallow and wide for growing indoor bamboo plants. Deep pots are not recommended, as these decorative plants bear shallow roots that spread out horizontally in search of nutrients. When grown in deep pots, water at the bottom is not absorbed by the roots, which over time will become stagnant leading to root rotting. Occasionally, keep plants outdoors and expose them to sunlight.

Caring for Indoor Bamboo Plants

The most challenging aspect in caring indoor bamboo plants is maintaining a high humidity level. If you have a solution for this, you can definitely enjoy lustrous green plants all throughout the year. Being a costly houseplant, you would prefer providing favorable growth conditions to maintain healthy plants. Refer to the following tips to make yourself aware about indoor bamboo plant maintenance:

Growing Medium: Prepare potting media by mixing equal parts of small rocks, gravel, sand and clay. This will ensure proper drainage of water. Most hobbyists opt for placing a pebble tray underneath the container to provide high humidity level. What you can do is purchase a shallow tray and place nearly equal sized pebbles. Pour some water in the tray at all times, which after evaporation, increases the humidity level.

Watering: Another important tip for caring indoor bamboo plants is irrigation with filtered water. Watering frequency should be higher in summer than winter. In usual, indoor warm temperature cause rapid drying of soil. Hence, you need to water bamboo plants regularly, whenever the top soil becomes dry. A simple indication for lack of water is coiling of leaves; while over watering causes foliage sagging.

Fertilization: Supplementing potting mixture with a correct dose of fertilizer is of utmost important for maintaining indoor bamboo plants. This is mainly because, unlike garden soil, your plants are not getting nutrients from the growing medium. In order to promote luxuriant leaf growth, use a water soluble, high nitrogen and low potash fertilizer. Follow the manufacturer direction while feeding it to indoor bamboo plants.

Repotting: As the indoor bamboo plants become root bound, it indicates time for repotting. However, repotting is not necessary, if you prefer to maintain dwarf bamboo plants. For this, you can trim one third of the root system and place in the same pot. Otherwise to promote growth, you should repot indoor bamboo plants in a container that is much larger than the previous one. If necessary, prune leaves and cut the stem above the node.

Follow the above tips of growing and caring indoor bamboo plants to stimulate optimal growth. If you notice your indoor bamboo plants yellowing, this may be probably due to water, nutrient or sunlight related problems. You can know more about this on bamboo plant turning yellow. In such a case, trim off the yellow foliage and stems (if applicable), and continue to provide adequate growth requirements. Most probably, your indoor bamboo plants will regain their normal color and growth with time.