I was visiting my favorite Vietnamese restaurant last week (I have to admit I am addicted to Pho), where I encountered an attractive, but plastic, potted bamboo plant. When I asked the restaurant owner about the plant he told me that traditionally it was very common for families to keep small potted bamboo plants indoors, and that they were quite effective at refreshing and cleaning stale indoor air. This does make sense, as I know from my research that bamboo absorbs 5 times the co2 and gives back 5 times the amount of oxygen than a traditional tree.
With over 1300 known cultivated varieties of bamboo to choose from, there are plenty of varieties well suited for growing in pots. There are even a few varieties that will handle being grown in pots indoors (under medium to high light conditions). Follow these simple tips and you can easily grow potted bamboo indoors and out.
Choose A Small Leaf Bamboo For Low Light & Indoor Environments
Small Leaf bamboo like the multiplex family (fernleaf, stripestem, silverstripe, alphonse karr, hedge) all make excellent houseplants. Their relatively small leaves need less light to feed them and they are easily adaptable to a high light indoor situation. Ventricosa (buddha Belly or zig zag bamboo) also makes a handsome house plant and is highly adaptable to various light conditions. Both are top choices for using bamboo in pots and indoor situations.
Indoors Or Out - Give It A Medium-High Light Environment
Place your bamboo plant next to a window or skylight to give it plenty of sunshine when keeping them indoors.
Give It A Spritz
Bamboo loves humidity so if you are in a particularly dry climate, occasionally spraying the leaves with a spray bottle of water keeps the leaves happy and looking great. Adding a teaspoon per gallon of Silica to the water is even better!
Rotate The Stock
Did you ever wonder how the plants look so perfect in those high end hotels and malls. The trick to always keeping the perfect looking plant is to recharge it outdoors frequently. Many top indoor locations use the practice of using 2 plants for 1 location. They always have one plant in a low-medium light outdoor environment (like a patio or porch) and another kept in a medium to high light indoor environment.
My name is Scott and i have been growing bamboo since 2002 and would love to help you choose the correct variety for your specific application.please call me at 8554769420 and i will get you the perfect bamboo.