PLANTING AND PLANT CARE
PLANTING YOUR BAMBOO:
1.Think about your location and the type of bamboo you are planting. Clumping bamboos will each fill about an 8-10 foot diameter space. When planting clumping bamboo up against a fence or property line give the bamboo at least 5 feet off the fence/property line. If you want to plant in a more narrow space you can use a rhizome barrier. If planting a running bamboo decide if containing the bamboo is important and if so use a rhizome barrier.
2. Dig a hole that is 6 inches wider and 4 inches deeper than the root ball. Make sure that the bamboo is vertical and not laid down on the ground while waiting to be planted. When bamboo lays down in the sun/heat it can hurt the bamboo very quickly.
3. Carefully remove your plant from its container. This is easiest to do by using a utility knife to cut the pot off. Do not break up the rootball!
4. Bamboos are quite resilient to soils and conditions, but when they are newly planted, you can help your bamboo get a good start by amending the soil inside the hole. Backfill the hole with a 1/2 and 1/2 mix of good soil and composted cow manure. You can mix the compost with the soil you removed from the hole if you have good soil. If you have a lot of clay in your soil you can mix 1/3 soil, 1/3 composted cow manure, and 1/3 pine bark mulch in the hole. Place the mix under, around, and on top of the rootball with the top of the rootball sitting about an inch below ground level.
5. Top with about an inch layer of well-composted cow manure (bagged material/not fresh off the farm). This will become the top layer as the plant settles.
6. Put three inches of mulch on top of the compost extending the mulch six inches beyond the hole. We like to use a mulch with a neutral to low ph level like pine bark mulch. Extending your mulch beyond the compost helps discourage weeds and grasses from growing into your bamboo plant. Mulching will help protect the soil and roots from direct sun, break down and improve the soil under it, regulate moisture, cool the plant in summer, and protect the plant in winter. Mature bamboos that shade their root system also begin to produce their own mulch. Bamboo leaves are high in silica and if left as mulch will continue to act as mulch and recycle silica into the soil for the roots to use.
7. Make a slight indention (about an inch deep) in the center of the canes to help retain and redirect water into the rootball.
8. Although established bamboos can survive with no fertilizer or little care after their first several years, they will never reach their potential with the max cane diameter or height in those conditions. To keep the leaves dark green and produce maximum size bamboos, fertilizing is necessary. A time release high nitrogen fertilizer used in addition to the compost will produce good results. We like a fertilizer with numbers close to 19-5-9. We use Florikan 19-5-9 300 day in our nursery, but that is a product that is mostly available to those in the nursery trade. Therefore, we often refer our clients to Lewis Bamboo for fertilizer because they make a good fertilizer and it is easy for individuals to order. The numbers on their fertilizer are 18-5-12. Fertilizer should be applied in mid March if it is a long lasting fertilizer like Florikan. Shorter lasting fertilizer such as the Lewis Bamboo Fertilizer should be applied mid March and mid July. We also suggest treating newly planted bamboo with Quick Start Miracle Grow based on the directions on the bottle when planted and again at the correct interval listed on the bottle to avoid transition issues and get the roots moving. We start the application of the Quick Start Miracle Grow on third day in the ground so that the first few days the plant can be watered heavily. Quick Start Miracle Grow is also now available in tab form which provides an easier application process. NO WEED AND FEED should be used on or around the bamboo.
9. Water every morning for the first 3 weeks when planted, every other morning for 3 weeks, and at least 3 times a week thereafter. If planting in the hotter months of Spring and Summer water every morning for 3 weeks, every other morning for the rest of Spring and Summer, and at least 3 times a week starting in the Fall when the temps have dropped. The key to watering is to do deep watering rather than surface watering, water in the mornings, always do long transitions, and water more if seeing signs of distress such as folded leaves. Plants that are in pots must be watered daily, or every other day depending on the time of year, indefinitely in the mornings and positioned so that they will not be blown over by the wind. Also, consider that metal planters can be an issue for plants in the hot months once the roots have gotten big enough to come into contact with the metal and may need more water more often in the hot months.
10. If you have any concerns about your plants at all please notify us immediately so that we can help you correct the situation right away. This typically just involves adjusting the watering and or feeding. All of our plants are very well rooted in healthy plants and do not have any issues when planted and cared for as instructed. Because we have no control over how the plants are cared for once they leave our location all sales are final and we do not offer refunds, returns, or exchanges. *Please see our sales and warranty information page for more information.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE FOR YOUR BAMBOO:
1. Every Spring, mid March, add composted cow manure and then pine bark mulch to the base of the plants. This will replenish the soil and help protect the bamboo as you head into the warmer months.
2. Add fertilizer to the bamboo. Refer to number 8 in the “planting your bamboo” section above for fertilizer information.
3. You can cut out any dead canes or small canes at the base that you no longer need as the bamboo has grown and produced enough larger canes.
4. You can trim lower branches to expose the canes up to the height you like. We usually do this in the bottom 3-4 feet.
5. You can cut any dead tips above the last live node (ring on the cane where the branches grow from), but just know that any cane you cut will not grow back.