Bamboo as a potted plant offers privacy not only in the garden, but also in the outdoor areas of coffee shops and restaurants. Densely leafy and compactly growing bamboo species with attractive stalk colors delight hobby gardeners and guests alike. Such as these bamboo species and varieties of the Fargesia family that are particularly suitable for containers.
How do you properly care for bamboo as a container plant?
Bamboo as a pot plant is particularly suitable for clump-forming varieties such as Fargesia species. Choose a sufficiently large container, ensure there is sufficient substrate and avoid waterlogging. Regular watering, fertilizing and cutting promotes he althy growth.
- Nitida Hybrids
- Nitida Fountain
- Jade Bamboo Original
- Murielae garden bamboo
What should you consider when planting bamboo in a pot?
There are two groups of bamboo plants. Some are better and others less suitable for keeping in containers. If you follow the most important rules, you can successfully plant and cultivate bamboo as a pot plant or in a plant container for many years.
Which bamboo should you plant in a pot – growing clumps or sprouting runners?
Since all Fargesias, like perennials, grow in clumps and do not form root runners, they can be cultivated without much care. It is advisable to use slightly larger containers. Pots with a diameter of only 50 cm are often too small for the fast-growing bamboo after a few months.
Bamboo plants with runners, on the other hand, are less suitable for pots. If so, then only in large buckets or square wooden containers with at least 80 centimeters in diameter and 50 centimeters in height. Especially in warmer regions, rhizome-forming bamboo plants root through the containers in a short time. Then you either have to transplant them into even larger containers or divide them professionally to preserve their full splendor.
Whether bamboo varieties grow with runners or clumps - their height growth in the pot is significantly lower than that of specimens planted in the garden. You can't expect a Phyllostachys bamboo, for example, to reach its final height of 6 meters or more. In planters, 4 meters is the maximum.
Please care for the potted bamboo a little more
Bottom bamboos require more care. Watering, fertilizing and cutting regularly emphasizes the Asian accents of the noble plants. In addition, the outer rhizomes around the root ball must be cut back once a year and older stalks thinned out.
Since bamboo does not like waterlogging, the substrate layer should be between 30 and 50 cm thick, depending on the height of the plant. To ensure that the substrate in the pot does not heat up in summer temperatures and is adequately protected from the cold in winter, it is recommended to line the bottom and side walls of the planters with Styrodur panels (€108.00 on Amazon). Don't forget the water drainage opening in the base plate! In addition, a mobile base is useful for larger planters so that the water can drain away.
Tips & Tricks
Bamboo absorbs a lot of moisture through its leaves. Therefore, shower often or give the plant a shower. And don't forget: Drain the water in the storage area completely during the cold season!