Bamboo

Q. I received a friendship bamboo plant for my birthday. It came in a small ceramic pot filled with marbles and a small bamboo plant in the middle. There were no instructions on how to care for it. Would you help me out?

A. These bamboo gifts are pretty for a while then tend to falter. They need constant water below to keep moist. The stalks grow green sprouts from all parts of the bamboo stick out of the water. Always keep at least one inch of water in the bottom holding saucer. No fertilizer is needed. Change the water weekly to avoid a bacteria buildup. Do not use soap. Give the plant plenty of bright morning sun and filtered afternoon sunlight behind drapes or blinds. If you live in a tropical locale you can plant outside.

Q. I want to try some bamboo in Houston but I know nothing about their care and which to try. Could you help?

A. Bamboo is a native of tropical and subtropical Asia hardy in zones 9 to 12. It is usually propagated by digging up part of a clump of existing bamboo and moving it elsewhere. The vast majority of propagating is done that way and it results in most plants of most species in the U.S. being clones. If you divide a bamboo plant and put it in a new location it usually doesn't do much for the first few growing seasons. The first two years it puts out roots in its new location and usually by the third year it starts putting out larger culms. By the fourth or fifth years it's putting out culms as large as that plant ever will in that location with that much sun and that much water in that kind of soil.

Bamboo has become a popular ornamental grass. Gardeners should be aware that bamboo may be classified as clump-forming or running types -- the latter of which spread by rhizomes that can quickly get out of control.

All bamboo need full sun to partial shade and grow phenomenally fast during their short growth period. To achieve rapid growth water frequently and fertilize with a lawn fertilizer. To restrict size water and fertilize less. To contain bamboo dig a trench around the clump and when a rhizome moves into the trench cut it off. Thin the patch by removing whole stems.