Bamboo Care

[Decado]

Hey, just got this bamboo plant today, and I'm wondering what I should know about caring for it.

[img]https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/wrathloki/6-19-2009/DSC01766.jpg[/img]

How much and how often do I water it? (It looks like it's in an all pea gravel pot.) What kind of light do I need and how often do I fertilize with what kind of fertilizer?

[bonsaiboy]

First of all, what you have is not realy a Bamboo, but a Dracaena (Dracaena sanderiana). This type of plant is often planted in water, but if you want it to live longer and healthier, it will need to be planted in soil. Water when the very top of the soil becomes dry, but letting the entire soil dry out is not good. Fertilize as you would any other plant. It can tolerate low light, but does best in an east or west window.

[Decado]

Cool, it's in an east window. So if it's not a bamboo why would they label it as a bamboo at the store? Either way, it's a pretty cool plant.

[!potatoes!]

'if it's not a bamboo why would they label it as a bamboo at the store?'

because it bears some similarities, and is a word the common consumer recognizes.

[Vatika]

but if you want it to live longer and healthier, it will need to be planted in soil. Water when the very top of the soil becomes dry, but letting the entire soil dry out is not good. .

Not meaning to hijack your thread Decado, but I have a similar bamboo/Dracaena plant in a pot of water. It gets low light but the leaves are a little yellow, does that mean I need to pot it in soil? Or does it mean that it's not getting enough light?

[bonsaiboy]

Vatika,

It may mean a little of both. It also needs to have access to nutrients not found in tap water.

[The Helpful Gardener]

And tap water can have lots of chlorine and chloromine that can kill biology on the roots and lead to nutrient deficiencies (we actually call yellowing of leaves chlorosis...)

HG