Planting Tips for Healthy, Happy Bamboos "the short version" for more detailed information, click here

Good drainage is good! For lumber, better drainage is better. Dig a hole the size of the pot. Remove the plant from the pot. If the plant is extremely full in its pot, and if you feel bumps around the outside of the pot, then you will have to cut the pot to remove the plant. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DAMAGE THE NEW BUDS (the bumps you feel when you run your hands over the outside of the pot) when you do this. Set the plant in the hole so that the soil with the plant is just slightly below the grade of the existing soil. Backfill; make sure that there are no air pockets around the root ball. Pull all the weeds for a diameter of about a foot all the way around the plant. Fertilize: many fertilizers designed for grasses and palms will work. Avoid any products with very high nitrogen on young plants as you can burn the roots. Compost is good. If mineral supplements are not present in your fertilizer we recommend adding some. Ask your local Ag Extension agent what is best for your particular conditions. CAUTION, CUIDADO: be very careful about using Boron which can be toxic in even very small amounts. Water well, and mulch heavily. Most bamboos don’t like to have their feet wet all the time. They like to dry out a bit between waterings. If you live where the grass does not stay green you will probably need to water the plants 1-4 times a week depending on the species and the time of year. During the months between Spring and early Fall, the plants will probably use more water than during the winter. Keep weeds away for the first year or so. Mulch helps. Mulch and compost every year. Mulch, mulch, mulch ... then mulch some more. CAUTION, CUIDADO: keep young plants safe from dogs, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, children, elephants, gorillas, and some kinds of lemurs. Tigers and ducks, however, are acceptable. pH: bamboos prefer a somewhat acid pH - 5.5 - 6.5. While most species are fairly adaptable to higher pH ranges, pH into the high 8's is not desirable. For those of you at the seashore: add compost to the hole when you are planting and add mulch and compost as a top dressing every year. A lot of soil problems can be solved with compost and mulch. Also – please make certain that the water you are using is not highly alkaline. Never ever water with hot water. Make certain your irrigation water is cool.