Small Buddha Belly Bamboo - Bambusa Ventricosa

[Makyai]

Hi,

I urgently need some help. I bought 3 plants a couple of weeks ago and now they are looking very ill. 2 of them I have repotted into a new terracotta pot. I have read some information about them on the internet - water enough so that they are not water-logged or dry out, a light feeding (I used that fish liquid you mix with water), new pots have good draining soil. They are outside and get good sun exposure. They are in the wind a little and it is cool at the moment so I am not sure if this has anything to do with it.

I really don't want them to die on me. I have attached photos of all three. Would greatly appreciate any help.

Regards

Makyai

[mangotogo]

Hi,

Your bamboo should reshoot: i don't think the culms that are up right now will do too much. In Australia I had one that escaped from it's container and reverted to a more common type ( without the bellies: it grew enormous: poles were 12 meters long!. After hacking it many times (over 8 years) I decided it needed a radical approach: some gardeners came in with a chipper and reduced it to just cut poles about 30 cm high. It resprouted but only very short and frail branches: then seeded. I am not sure if it has died now. But the flowering phase was interesting: looked like rice.

I was reflecting on what happens in China and the Giant panda's plea when their forests all seed at the same time.

Good luck, you may need a larger container soon!

[kaz49]

Hi,

I urgently need some help. I bought 3 plants a couple of weeks ago and now they are looking very ill. 2 of them I have repotted into a new terracotta pot. I have read some information about them on the internet - water enough so that they are not water-logged or dry out, a light feeding (I used that fish liquid you mix with water), new pots have good draining soil. They are outside and get good sun exposure. They are in the wind a little and it is cool at the moment so I am not sure if this has anything to do with it.

Hi Makyai, I recently bought a whole lot of different bamboo and palms (Greater Buddha Belly, Bambusa Vulgaris) to place in my courtyard here in Brisvegas to remind me of Thailand. Mine also looked a bit shabby after a week or so, but I moved them into part shade, and they seem to need a lot of water as its been raining here the past four days and they have really come on well. I would be reluctant to repot into terrecotta pots, as these type of pots, can be very porous and water evaporates very quickly. Having said that your plants look quite exposed to the sun and elements in your photos. Try clumping a few together, a bit of shade cloth? large outdoor umbrella? A large palm in a pot close by? Also I would only feed the variety I have in spring or summer here. Are you overfeeding your plants perhaps? At the top of the container you could put all the long narrow leaves that have dried out and died to keep some of the moisture in the soil? Terracotta also can stain your pavers after some time, and so your pots dont get waterlogged at the bottom you can buy small feet to place under the pot to keep it up an inch from the pavers, assists with any water log problem/and the possibility of roots going through the pot into the pavers over a period of time, if your plants are invasive variety.

Good luck