How to Grow Bamboo Indoors

There are hundreds of species of bamboo that you can grow indoors, from colorful tabletop plants to majestic central plants. Bamboo plants are often under a lot of pressure when grown indoors, so they require a lot of care. Keeping an eye on moisture is especially important to make sure your plants are getting enough water without becoming waterlogged.

Follow the locust care instructions if your tree: ^{[1] X Research Source}
– whose species name begins with Dracaena
– is labeled with the name of lucky bamboo, lucky bamboo, lucky bamboo
– has red or orange roots when mature ^{[2] X Research Source}
– or grown in water but not in soil

Table of Contents

Growing bamboo in the house

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Look for wide and low pots. Choose a pot that is twice as wide as the diameter of the roots, or the roots must be at least 5 cm from the wall of the pot. Good drainage is key to the survival of most bamboo species, so you need to make sure the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot are the right size. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Line the plant with plastic film to prevent the roots from crossing if you use a cement pot (cement pots can be harmful to plants) or wooden pots (makes the pot more durable by isolating from moisture).

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Consider using a humidifier. The moisture-loving bamboo plant makes it more difficult to grow indoors. A tray of water placed under the planter without waterlogging is the easiest way to add moisture in the air. There are two ways to do this:

Gravel tray
1. Fill the tray with gravel.
2. Pour a shallow layer of water into the tray.
3. Place the pot on top of the gravel, out of the water.

Scatter gravel
1. Spread a layer of gravel on the bottom of the pot.
2. Place the potted plant in a shallow tray of water.

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Pour well-draining soil into the pot. Bamboo plants need loose or medium compaction: drains quickly but must be able to hold moisture. You can use standard potting soil or mix your own with ⅓ humus, ⅓ perlite (or washed sand), and ⅓ peat moss (or well-rotted compost). Most bamboo species can tolerate a wide range of well-drained soils, so the soil composition doesn’t have to be exact. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

You can use good quality garden soil instead of potting soil. Avoid using heavy clay because it is poorly drained and difficult to improve.
Bamboo usually grows best in slightly acidic soil, with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5 but most can tolerate pH up to 7.5. ^{[5] X Research Source} Most soils have a pH in this range.

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Plant bamboo at a shallow depth. Place the stem and top of the root pot above the ground to prevent rotting. Press the soil down to remove air pockets and hydrate the plant.

If the roots are bunched together, use a clean knife to cut the roots from the wall of the pot. The roots will probably have a hard time absorbing water, so you should soak the roots (avoid soaking the stems) in water for about 20 minutes before planting. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Taking care of bamboo plants

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Carefully water the plant. This is the hardest part of growing bamboo indoors, as this plant is both water demanding and vulnerable to waterlogging. ^{[7] X Research Source} To start, you should water until you see some water seeping out of the bottom of the pot. Allow 5-7.5 cm of top layer of soil to dry completely before each watering.

If the top layer of soil dries quickly, dig down to a depth of about 10 cm to check for moisture. Soil at this depth should almost always be slightly moist, especially during the first three months after planting.

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Maintain moisture in the air. Most bamboo species prefer moist air, especially in hot weather. ^{[8] X Research Source} Just by avoiding over-watering, you can use any of the following to help keep plants healthy:

Place the pot on top of the water tray as described above.
Use a spray bottle to mist the leaves every few days.
Turn on the humidifier in the room.
Place plants close together (but be aware this increases the risk of disease spread).

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Find out the light needs of the plants you are growing. If you know the name of the species of bamboo you are growing, look for specific recommendations. If your plant needs more light than it does in the climate you live in, install a night light. If you don’t know what species of bamboo you are growing, follow these rules: ^{[9] X Research Source}

Need more light:
-tree with small leaves
– tropical plants
-plants in a warm room

Less light required:
-tree with big leaves
-temperate plants in hibernation
-plants in the cool room

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Fertilize plants. Bamboo plants grow quickly if planted in large pots, and they need extra nutrients to support this growth. A slow release fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season will provide a steady source of nutrients for the plant. You can use a balanced fertilizer like 16-16-16, or a high-nitrogen fertilizer like 30-10-10. Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content prevent plants from blooming, causing many plants to weaken. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Warning:
-Do not fertilize within 6 months of purchase. Most of the plants were already well fertilized in the nursery.
Avoid seaweed fertilizers due to their high salt content. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Prune the tree regularly. Most bamboo species have a great deal of tolerance when pruned, so don’t hesitate to pose once it’s rooted and healthy: ^{[12] X Research Source}

Prune yellow, stunted, or excess stems at ground level.
To prevent the plant from growing beyond a certain height, cut the tree just above the node (where the branches grow).
Prune the branches regularly if you want to limit the growth of the tree.
Prune low-growing branches to increase aesthetics.

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Repot or split the plant when it grows out of the pot. Bamboo plants can grow in two different ways depending on the species. The “outstretched” variety has long shoots that grow to form a seedling, and will spiral around the large pot within 3-5 years. The “clustered” variety will gradually grow out and can be grown for up to 6 years without having to be repotted. Any bamboo plant needs to be transplanted to a larger pot when the roots begin to tighten.

To slow down the plant’s growth, instead of digging up, cut back about 1/3 of the roots and replant the old pot with the new soil mixture. ^{[13] X Research Source}
You can propagate most species of bamboo by cutting the stems and replanting them in other pots. This method does not work with solid or nearly solid trees. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Resovle problem

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Find the cause of leaf drop. The phenomenon of bamboo trees dropping a lot of leaves when moving indoors or replanting is quite common. However, as long as the new leaves at the tip of the branch look healthy, the plant is still able to recover. If these leaves fall off or don’t look well, taking the plant outside for a few months (weather permitting) can help it recover. ^{[15] X Research Source} If the tree has been planted in one place for a long time, consider the following reasons:

Temperate species often shed their leaves in low light. A dormant period in cold weather and low light benefits these plants and helps reduce leaf drop. The fewer leaves left, the less water the plant needs. ^{[16] X Research Source}
Many species drop their leaves in the spring (or, more rarely, in the fall), and gradually shed new leaves. If there are green leaves, yellow leaves and new leaves on the tree, the tree is probably fine.

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Handle curling and drooping leaves. If the edges of the leaves curl inward, the plant needs to be watered. (Photosynthesis requires water, so plants are reducing this process by avoiding the sun.) If the leaves are drooping, it means the plant is waterlogged or the soil is not draining quickly.

Over-watering is more dangerous than under-watering. Waiting for the leaves to curl slightly before watering will usually not harm the plant.

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Treat when leaves are yellow. If the bamboo tree turns yellow out of winter, it can be due to many reasons:

If the leaves appear dry and the tips turn brown or curl, the plant needs more water. Maybe the roots are tight and need to be moved to a larger pot.
The leaves gradually turn pale and yellow, usually due to nutritional deficiencies. You should fertilize the plant with mineral supplements. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Sudden color change of leaves after fertilizing is due to too much fertilizer. Treat this by removing the potting fertilizer and watering it with plenty of water to wash away excess minerals.

Advice

Find information specific to the species you are growing whenever possible. Bamboo species that do well indoors include Indocalamus tessellatus , Phyllostachys nigra , and Bambusa multiplex . ^{[21] X Research Sources}^{[22] X Research Sources}
Some bamboo species grow best when planted in several pots in the same pot. They will not grow as well if grown alone. However, not all bamboo species are the same, so learning about bamboo species will be helpful.

Things you need

Bamboo
Wide pots
Well-draining potting mix
Fertilizer (balanced or high-nitrogen fertilizer)
Humidifier tray, spray bottle or humidifier
Tree pruning scissors

Steps

Growing bamboo in the house

Taking care of bamboo plants

Resovle problem

Advice

Things you need

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