Jan 16 2012
Bamboo Plant Food Is Crucial For Growth, Continued Thriving
Bamboo plants are sprouting up everywhere, nowadays, or so it seems. These mostly tropical plants are heartier than often given credit for, however, and while the traditional tall, lush varieties generally favor more tropical environments, there are woodsier types that can do just fine in colder environments. Indoor locations have the ability to support many types, so that, no matter where one lives, it is possible to raise bamboo plants.
As with any plant, in order to ensure health and growth, four important maintenance and care aspects must be considered: water, sunlight, food or nutrients, and adequate growing space. If given the proper care, in fact, bamboo is nearly indestructible and will simply continue to grow, like a tree, although technically it is categorized as a grass. Moreover, if there are deficiencies in any of the four major areas of care or their balance, a bamboo plant will not thrive and grow, though it may survive for quite awhile.
When considering care for indoor plants, water is important, though not as much is needed for bamboo as even for standard houseplants, such a ferns. Thus, it should not be over-watered, with a once per week cycle working well along with some occasional misting. Outdoor plants can handle twice a week watering, again not too much, and should be somewhat shaded and not placed in harsh sunlight.
Indoor plants do best also with indirect sunlight, constantly received, and enough space to grow, as bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth and will quickly outgrow a small pot or enclosure. With pots, there should always be at least two inches between both the root ball and growth stalks and the pots edge. Leaves should also not be touching any wall or ceiling surfaces.
Additionally, bamboo plant food should take the form of a fertilizer, administered once a month if indoors. As nitrogen is the most essential element for bamboo growth and healthy nutrition, planting it in nitrogen rich soil will also be of great help as a food source. Outdoor plants have very similar soil needs, as all bamboo does best with amino acids that come from nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, with nitrogen being first and foremost.
Regarding bamboo food for outdoor plants, most likely planted in the ground, make sure the fertilizer used in summer is higher in nitrogen than what is given in the fall and spring. In winter, fertilizer is unnecessary outdoors. Overall, using fertilizer during a plants initial development phases will ensure the proper rate of growth and increase foliage amounts. Once well-developed, though not as important as during initial growth, a plant will continue thriving when fed.
When looking for bamboo plant food, remember that nitrogen is critical, while phosphorous and potassium, along with sulfur, magnesium, calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, molybdenum, boron, manganese, and zinc also factor into plant metabolism and growth. While oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon are found in the water and air a plant drinks and breathes, without a doubt, feeding bamboo plants will provide important nutrients that may not otherwise be so easily available to them. The right food, chosen according to specific bamboo species or type, therefore, can make all of the difference in the world between plants that continue to grow and thrive, and those that just weakly exist.
Comments Off