TOP 7 varieties of indoor bamboo, rules for planting and care at home
Indoor bamboo is also called Dracaena Sander, this ornamental plant only looks like real bamboo, but belongs to a different species. This species is not capricious, it is recommended for beginner breeders, it is considered a symbol of happiness and well-being, which is why it is nicknamed "happy bamboo". There are no difficulties in growing indoor bamboo, home care involves watering, feeding, pruning to add decorative effect.
Description and characteristics of the plant
Sandera bamboo is an evergreen herbaceous plant belonging to the asparagus family, genus Dracaena. The natural range covers the tropical regions of Africa. In nature, the plant spreads for several meters, and indoors the height does not exceed 80 cm.
The stems of Dracaena Sander look like real bamboo. The stem is glabrous, segmented and has a dark light green color, but dark green varieties are also found.
Indoor bamboo can flower indoors, but this happens extremely rarely. Inflorescences appear on the peduncle in the form of panicles, consisting of small white flowers.
Varieties
Indoor bamboo is divided into height types.
moo
In low-growing indoor bamboos, the length of the stem does not exceed 1 m. The popular varieties Golden Lily and Tsuboi are representative.
Mean
The stem extends up to 3 m. These varieties include Mexican and Shiroshima.
High
Such varieties are rarely grown, only in spacious offices and other rooms with high ceilings, since the stem can stretch up to 6 m. Representatives of the variety are Black Tropical and Monastyrsky.
Popular varieties
All varieties of indoor bamboo are very decorative and are used as a natural element of the interior. Tall varieties are often used as a room divider into sections.
golden lily
Variety with shiny, yellow-green leaves and a beautiful yellowish tint of the stem.
tsuboi
Japanese variety adapted to temperate climates. The leaves are small, juicy green, decorated with light stripes.
shiroshima
Tall Japanese variety with large, luxurious, white-green leaves.
mexican crying
Tall variety originating from Mexico. The diameter of the stem reaches 4 cm. The leaves are light, elongated, narrow.
tropical black
Great Indonesian variety. The stem reaches 10 cm in diameter, is green-violet in color, almost black. The leaves are small, rich green.
Monastyrsky
High variety common in China and Thailand. The stems are graceful, green. The leaves are small.
lucky right
The most common type of indoor bamboo. The rods are straight, but to enhance their decorative effect, they are curved in a spiral.
What conditions do you need to grow
Indoor bamboo is not capricious, quickly adapts to environmental conditions, takes root in different types of soil. But in order to get a beautiful and strong plant, you still need to follow the rules of growth.
Location selection
The best options are western and eastern window sills. In the warm season, the plant can be kept in the yard or on the balcony, but with mandatory protection from direct sunlight and precipitation.
How to choose a jar
The larger the dracaena, the larger the pot should be. The container should be twice the height of the root, and the width should be such that there is at least 5 cm between the extreme stem and the edge of the pot. A pot made of any material will do.
Temperature and lighting
The optimum temperature for growing bamboo indoors is +22 to +25°C. In the cold season, the plant feels normal at a temperature of about +20°C. Heat above +30°C is tolerated normally, but wasted when the thermometer shows below +18°C.
The pot is placed so that an intense, but diffused light falls on it. You cannot keep bamboo in a draft.
Humidity
Indoor bamboo is not capricious in terms of soil moisture, but it requires high air humidity. Therefore, it is recommended to spray the culture 2 times a week. In the warm season, you can irrigate the plant with a shower at room temperature, covering the soil with polyethylene.
Cultivation methods
Indoor bamboo feels great in different types of substrates.
In water
Sander bamboo looks beautiful and elegant in a transparent vase in water. The bottom of the container is covered with a small amount of pebbles washed in boiling water. Bamboo roots are cleaned of soil residues, placed in a container, poured with settled water.The use of tap water is unacceptable. Only healthy bamboo is grown in water. If the plant is affected by root rot, the infection will multiply at double intensity during aquatic cultivation.
In the ground
Indoor bamboo is not picky about soil composition, grows well in any indoor plant substrate, including peat, turf and humus. Drainage is necessary and its height should be 25% of the height of the tank. Brick chips and expanded clay are used as drainage material.
In hydrogel
Bamboo in a hydrogel feels good. The roots are placed in the substance, filled with water. Add water periodically.
How to take care of
Despite the non-capricious character of decorative bamboo, simple rules of maintenance should be observed. Otherwise, the plant will get sick, wither.
Floor
A universal substrate is suitable for growing bamboo; you can buy special soil for dracaena. More comfortable for a plant in slightly acidic soil, light and breathable.
watering mode
The frequency of watering indoor bamboo depends on the size of the leaf patches. Large-leaved varieties are moistened every 2 days. When the leaves are small, watering twice a week is sufficient. The amount of water to pour depends on the size of the plant, but you can not over-moisten the soil. In the cold season, the frequency of watering should be reduced.
When Dracaena Sander grows in water, it is important to ensure that the roots are always under water, adding liquid if necessary.
Transfer
Indoor bamboo is transplanted in April or May.Bamboo should be planted in a pot with the root ends resting on the drain. After pouring the soil, it is lightly pressed so that there are no air cavities inside. The transplanted dracaena is watered abundantly.
Top dressing and fertilization
Sander Bamboo likes liquid fertilizers. It is fed with mineral preparations intended for decorative leafy species. It is better to purchase special fertilizers for dracaena.
How often a houseplant should be fed depends on its condition. A healthy and strong specimen should be fed every 2 months. If the plant suffers from nutritional deficiencies, looks weak, then it is recommended to apply top dressing every 2-3 weeks.
How to prune correctly
If you want to get a tall straight stem, you need to cut the side shoots. If you want to create a branched, lush plant, the stem is cut slightly above the node, after which a notch is placed horizontally with a knife. Lateral stems will come out of the cup.
The sections are sprinkled with ashes or sealed with wax so that they do not dry out unsightly.
In winter
Bamboo can be grown indoors without problems during the cold season. It is enough to protect it from drafts, move it away from the window frame. If the winter is cloudy and the leaves have begun to wither and turn yellow, a lack of lighting should be suspected. In this case, phytolamps are installed.
How to twist spiral rods
You can give a straight rod its original shape in two ways:
- A stick or other object of the desired shape is inserted into the pot. A rod is bent around it. Secure with thread. After lignification, the stem is released.
- The plant is placed in a box. Open one side of the box to let in light.The bamboo will start to stretch in that direction. The pot in the box is gradually turned relative to the light so that the rod twists in the form of a spiral.
Plant rejuvenation
Indoor bamboo grows quickly. The foliage should be pruned regularly so that the culture does not lose its decorative effect. Remove old dead, diseased, stunted leaves. The sections are sprinkled with ashes. After the procedure, the plant is watered abundantly, providing comfortable microclimatic conditions. After rejuvenating pruning, bamboo grows more actively.
Breeding methods
Indoor bamboo is propagated by several methods, but the most popular method is by cuttings.
Cuttings
In the spring, a young shoot is carefully cut from the main stem of an adult plant 3-4 years old. It is planted in a standard rooting medium.
Apical
The procedure is as follows:
- The apical shoot is cut from the parent specimen.
- The section is sealed with wax.
- The cup is placed in water.
- After the roots appear, the young plant is planted in the substrate.
Stem
This method is used if reproduction by the apical method has failed:
- Cut the stem from the mother plant.
- Cut it into as many parts as needed for the children. Each room should contain a growth point.
- The sections are covered with wax.
- Each part is put in water.
- After releasing the roots, the children are planted in the ground.
Knees
The method is used to propagate an old, dying plant. The roots grow where the stem segments meet. This part is cut out, dug into the ground for rooting.
Seeds
It is impossible to propagate Sander's bamboo in indoor conditions by seed.Planting seeds is useless, their germination is almost nil. But even if the seed hatches, it is extremely difficult to create optimal environmental conditions for its survival.
Diseases and pests
Indoor bamboo is prone to the following diseases:
- Fungal rot. The symptom is dark spots on the foliage. For treatment, a fungicide is used.
- Spider. The symptom is leaf covering with cobwebs. Insecticide treatment required.
- Aphid. The affected plant wilts, the leaves are covered with a sticky bloom. They kill the parasite with insecticides.
The use of dracaena indoors
Sander bamboo is good because it harmoniously fits into the interior of any style. It is used to decorate offices and residential premises, beauty salons, recreation rooms, hotels. Tall varieties are suitable for creating interior partitions, hedges and compositions.
Indoor bamboo is loved by designers for its ability to form beautiful and bizarre shapes from its flexible stems.
Common Mistakes
Due to improper maintenance of indoor bamboo, the following problems occur:
- The tips of the leaves dry up. The reasons for this are a drop in temperature and dry air. The bamboo is transferred to a warm place with normal air humidity.
- Leaf plates curl, darken, fall off. The reason is hypothermia. The plant is endowed with a comfortable microclimate.
- The roots rot after planting. The reasons are lack of drainage, heavy soil. It is necessary to transplant bamboo into light, airy soil with drainage.
- Dry spots on the leaves. The reason is a burn. The pot is rearranged where the light is diffused.
- The aerial part grows slowly, turns yellow. The reason is a mineral deficiency.A competent diet is required.
Tips & Tricks
Experienced growers offer the following tips for those looking to get started with indoor bamboo:
- Irrigation water should be used settled, rainfed or thawed.
- Young specimens are transplanted once a year, older ones - once every 3 years.
- If, after feeding, the bamboo turns yellow and begins to lose leaves, then an excess of nutrition should be suspected. Fertilizers should be applied less often.
- The floor is easy to do yourself. It should include turf, leafy soil, peat in a 2: 1: 1 ratio.
- For growing bamboo in a hydrogel, it is advisable to use a finely grained substance.
- Extreme microclimatic conditions are created to stimulate bamboo flowering. But flowering requires a lot of energy, in most cases the plant dies.
Indoor bamboo is a non-capricious, beautiful and exotic species, suitable for any interior, creating an atmosphere of the tropics. Even a novice grower can handle plant care, and the bizarre curvatures of the stems invariably delight the eye.