Bamboo Care Tips
🍂 Seasonal Bamboo Care Tips:
Preparing for Fall & Winter
Watering
Falling temperatures and rainy days mean it’s almost time to put the hose away. Potted bamboos may still need a soak if we get a dry spell, but most plantings shouldn’t need to be watered until next year.
*It’s important to remove water catch basins from patio pots to prevent your bamboo from sitting in stagnant water over the winter.
Pruning & Thinning
Now is a great time to prune any damaged or older canes and branches. Doing so promotes better air circulation to discourage pests and makes space for new growth. Remove any old and deadened, wooden colored branches and canes. Cut canes at or slightly below ground level to prevent unsightly stubs.
Many bamboos produce canes that arch from the weight of top heavy clustering leaves. If you’re trying to keep them more upright, snipping off the top 1-2’ is usually enough to straighten the canes. Elongated branches can likewise be cut back and permanently removed from the cane. (Once snipped the tips and branches do not grow back.)
Fertilizing
A final application of fertilizer will fortify your bamboo going into winter and increase the potential for stronger, colorful new canes next year. Bamboo specific formulas can be found online; conventional, balanced time release fertilizers (Osmocote, Plant Magic, etc..) likewise work great. Larger plantings can equally benefit from a broadcasted 1-2” layer of compost. It’s normal for the oldest sets of leaves to turn yellow and drop at the end of summer.
Large Grove/Barrier Maintenance
This is the time of year to inspect the perimeter of the barrier looking for any surfacing rhizomes (roots) trying to cross. Further prevent this by removing any adjacent leaves to prevent them from building a layer next to the barrier. If you’re employing an open barrier/ trench method, pick through the sand trap and prune out any rhizomes.
Bamboo is easy to grow. Choosing the right type for your area and purpose is as important as care tips. It looks great with regular watering, simple pruning twice a year, and some fertilizer. Here are basic care tips for healthy, attractive bamboo.
We stock the best varieties suited for the Seattle - Puget Sound and are happy to help you decide what will work best
General bamboo care tips
When to plant bamboo
Bamboo can be planted any time of the year in Seattle with a few seasonal considerations. Tall plants may need to be staked during the windy season and expect a negligible amount of growth during the winter months. New plantings of bamboo need to be watered every few days when the temps rise past the 70°’s
Thinning out bamboo canes
Carefully removing smaller, older bamboo canes enhances its appearance. You can cut out thin canes at ground level when the larger, mature ones are fully grown. Dried canes that have turned to tan wood can likewise be clipped out.
Bamboo branch removal
Bamboo branches can be trimmed back to size or removed completely to clear paths and sidewalks. Removing some branches and canes helps improve air flow, makes space for future growth, and lowers water and nutrient use. Some varieties of bamboo are branchier than others, some weep, some upright, sparse, dense, again a nod to select the best variety for the job.
Pruning and thinning bamboo
Topping bamboo canes
Bamboo grows new canes each year, reaching full height in three months. If a cane is cut, it won't regrow. You can manage height by trimming the canes twice a year, but this is less practical for large groves. Best to choose a suitable variety for the height and space requirements.
Cutting 1/4 of the height off unwanted arching canes helps to straighten them up.
Sun Requirements
The annual Puget Sound Northwest weather cycle is typically rain and clouds until June transitioning to hot summer-to-late fall blue skies.
Most varieties can tolerate the few months of full sun in conjunction with frequent light watering. All varieties of Phyllostachys and most running bamboos are contenders if no shade is available.
Shade
A few wide leaf varieties and clumping bamboos can grow in full shade, but low-light conditions tend to produce anemic growth and invite pest insects.
Many bamboos grow naturally under forest canopy and enjoy protection from hot, overhead sun. If you have access to dappled shade, varieties with fine features and delicate branches/leaf structures will look their best.
Soil
Pots and containers
Mix equal parts potting soil to red bark mulch with a handful of compost or fertilizer for a dependable bamboo blend. Gardeners can replicate their vegetable producing soil, especially so if you intend on eating the shoots. We generally have a blend on-site to offer if you need extra for planting.
Too sandy or mulch heavy = poor rhizome development
[Soil Calculator.com is a handy website to figure out how much you’ll need]
Large boxes, galvanized tanks and larger areas
It may be more practical to import a load of soil than haul the amount of bags it takes to fill large containers. Blend 75% aged red cedar bark with 25% sand or sandy topsoil blend. To that blend in a large bag of compost into the upper 8” of soil.
Yard debris (sticks, clippings, etc.) can be layered in the middle to fill volume and provide future nutrients. Bamboo roots only need 20” of depth. Filling the bottoms of deeper tanks or planters with sand ensures good drainage.
Contact us for associate expert referrals that can deliver soil and plant bamboo.
Planted in soil, barrier installations
Bamboo favors the general soil composition of the Puget Sound. Ideally, it prefers a sandy lower 10” layer for the small water roots to grow into, topped with a compost heavy, mulched upper layer for the rhizomes to spread. Prepare the space between new plantings to encourage the rhizome spread and create a hedge.
The one condition it doesn’t like is boggy/ perpetually wet soil, especially during the winter. Phyllostachys heteroclada, atrovaginata and rubromarginata are among exceptions that can tolerate prolonged wet soil.
To plant bamboo, take it out of the pot and dig a hole that is twice as wide. Mix some compost into the soil around the hole (2-3 feet). Do not untangle the roots. Adding 1-2 inches of bark chips or mulch on top keeps moisture in and supports the growth of the upper rhizome layer.
Fertilizer
Bamboo is among the fastest growing plant on earth and needs to be fed with supplemental fertilizer or compost to maximize cane, branch and leaf production.
Pots and containers
It’s especially important to replenish nutrients when growing bamboo in containers. Any of the numerous formulations of bamboo-specific time release fertilizers will boost cane development and prevent yellow leaves.
Planted in soil, ground
Bamboo planted in nutrient rich, composted soil will produce healthy growth for years. Adding an inch of natural compost or combination of aged manure, bone or feather meal, worm castings etc early Spring is ideal.
Unraked bamboo leaves left to compost return silica and essential nutrients. If using using a bamboo barrier, it’s more important to rake the leaves than rely on them for nutrients.
Pest Control
Bamboo, especially grown in stagnant areas and corridors, can be prone to aphids and bamboo mites. Aphids present themselves in a sticky black leaf soot. Mites create a white web under and tessellate the underside of the leaves. They float through the summer air, some years worse than others.
Both can perish in harsh winters and can be controlled with a strong nozzle hose or pressure washer. Bamboo leaves can resist the force that kills mites and aphids before they settle in or help reduce infestations as needed.
Trimming branches and canes removes dead space, improving air flow and helping to prevent issues. Small doses of Bayer 3+1 Rose fertilizer in granular form, along with various aerosol sprays, effectively combats the problem.
In general though, keeping your bamboo fertilized and water during the dry spells and choosing the right variety for the location is enough to carry into the winter without problem.
Watering
The weather pattern in the Seattle area/Puget Sound generally provides enough rain from October until temps rise into the 60°’s and dry patterns return.
Pots and Containers: A good rule of thumb is to allow the top couple inches of soil to dry out in between watering. As long as the soil drains, it can hardly be over-watered, nor does it need to be.
The leaves are the best indicator of the state of thirst. Normal, healthy looking leaves are a few days out from needing water. Curled leaves need water asap. Rippled, drooped yellow leaves are over-watered which is seldom a problem and points to a drainage issue.
Most plantings of bamboo will need a bi-weekly 30 second soak throughout summer. Umbrella emitters are preferable if using an irrigation system. Be sure to remove saucer plates from patio pots over the winter.
Leaf curl means that your bamboo needs water and/or needs more shade.
Bamboo planted as a grove will become quite drought tolerant over time if a low maintenance screen is the goal. Seattle area weather tends to be nine months of cloudy and mild straight into three months of hotter temps and near-drought conditions. Supplemental watering throughout summer makes a huge positive difference in leaf growth and retention, preventing yellow leaves and maximizing new cane potential.
An ideal irrigation strategy is to install the emitters on raised posts (can even use bamboo poles), so the water rains into the grove.