Bamboo house plants
He who plants a garden, plants happiness.
If you have a inside location that gets at least 6 hours of sun per day, any bamboo will work as a house plant.
Where most of us don't have the required sun, we have to select our house bamboo based on shade tolerance. If you select one of the temperate bamboos, you should provide 30 to 45 days of outside chilling each winter. We put ours out in mid-November and bring them in before Christmas.
Bamboo needs water but does not like water logged soil. More bamboo dies from over watering than from not enough water. Bamboo also likes humidity so mist yours at least every other day -- daily would be better. If the new shoots reach the ceiling just top the culm right above a node.
As with any house plant, you will need to re-pot to a larger pot or divide the plant once the plant becomes root bound. Depending on the variety this could be 1 to 5 years. Use a high nitrogen fertilizer, either granular or liquid, and apply as directed. Any good quality plant pot will work; however, the bigger the better. DO NOT USE a pot with a smaller top than bottom or you will have to destroy the pot to get the bamboo out to divide or repot. One option is to use a decorative pot and keep the bamboo in a nursery pot which can be removed easily for dividing or repotting.
The bamboos listed on the left are just a few of the varieties that can make good house plants.
