Question

My bamboos (8 pots) are looking very worse for wear and very yellow. I’ve had them about 10 years and never fed them. Tried tomato feed other day and don’t think it took very kindly. Can I use normal miracle grow dissolved in water?  

Answer 1

Ahhh my god I ballsed up big time., found that you can put lawn feed on them as high in nitrogen. only had weed killer in it too  

Answer 2

Mine look dead at the moment. Apparently It’s normal

Answer 3

Following this for answers but yours look a lot better than mine! x

Answer 4

Mine was dead this time last year, but ok this year. I know they don't like tap water, that's about all I know

Answer 5

They need loads and loads of water mine don’t look dead at all x

Answer 6

Careful don't let it escape. I would get native bushes like red twig dogwood, or chokeberry hazelnut shrubs instead.  

Comments

@imaimage390 their fine in these pots their really sturdy

Answer 7

Don’t you have to be careful with bamboo in the garden? X

Comments

@yearwood no their in sturdy pots not in ground

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Is it when it’s in the ground it causes a problem? X

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@yearwood ye we realised that a few years ago and soon lifted them after a few months . grows like wild fire in ground

Answer 8

Repot in a larger pot

Comments

@racoon they were re pitted last year and appear to have plenty of room ‍♀️

Answer 9

Its lovely . what kind of bamboo is this . I'm planting blue bamboo soon enough . Cant wait to see it grow

Comments

@tips65064 you do know how tall blue bamboo can get dont you

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@offutt57 yes that's why we chose that one

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@tips65064 oh it can grow to 30 feet in height and with the rainfall in. the uk they romp away

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@offutt57 ya we know that we want it to block the houses over looking ours at the back

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Ok make sure you line the trench to stop the roots spreading. As a rule of thumb the roots grow at the same rate as the bamboo. And could end up in your neighbours garden too. But it is a beautiful plant

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@offutt57 it said it's a non invasive species and dosent do that. Have you grown it yourself. I've been researching it for months and everything I read said it dosent spread under ground like some other bamboo

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@tips65064/activity" class="qa-user-link">tips65064 all bamboos spread @tips65064/activity" class="qa-user-link">tips65064 its the way they increase they send out a runner and up comes a new shoot Just like any grass and thats what the characteristics of the plant is. As an old Horticulturist we were always told check the species and natural characteristics of a plant. Blue bamboo has a girth/circumference of anything up to 6 inches. Between each section can be anything up to 18 inches.  

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Admittedly in there natural surroundings the rain fall is high so is the humidity

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@offutt57 sorry to jump on this but what would you like a trench with and would you line sides and bottom?  

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@tips65064 please keep it in strong pots I made mistake of putting a small cutting in garden. Omg it grows like wild fire. When i took flags up in gardwn its roots were from fence to house 12 ft away. It evwn ended up in my ne8ggbours garden . It also tried ita best to get through the black tarmac in path . X

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@thibault pond liner and chicken wire can slow down the spread ratio. Bamboo wont grow in clay soil. It needs free drainage. Imagine the mountains of the Himalayas. Plenty of free running rainfall. And thats the type of area these bamboos come from.  

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It says clumping bamboo is non invasive and dosent need barriers because of the way it grows up instead of outwards. Its rhizomes are u shaped and grow up off an existing rhizome

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@tips65064 have you ever grown iris from a rhiyzome in theory it shouldnt spread. But it does.  

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Better to understand the nature of a plant a u shaped rhizome means multiple points of growth

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That rhizome sends out another rhizome etc etc

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Its a wonderful architectural plant for height and colour. Just be aware of what cam happen

Answer 10

Best thing you can get for pots if you don't want to repot them is chicken pellets just place them on top of the soil when you water the plant the pellets break down and feed the plant all summer

Comments

@dosi ooh fab thankyou

Answer 11

Lawn feed but not weed and feed type x

Comments

@cedar ye I made the mistake of not checking the bottle that my neighbour gave me  fingers crossed it doesn’t kill them

Answer 12

Love your post I e same problem

Answer 13

Do not put this in the ground u less u manage it very well it will take over

Answer 14

Repot into a larger pot and use miracle grow.  

Answer 15

Mine did the same last week. I have it a good drink of water and it's starting to perk up. X

Answer 16

Thanks all