As you already discovered, this plant is not an actual bamboo, but a dracaena -- which can be grown as a standard houseplant. Keep your plant slightly moist at all times for the first few weeks to help it get used to life in the soil, since it's roots are used to growing in the gel. After a week or two, the plant should be developing new roots, and you can cut back watering. Water only when the soil begins to dry out. February 26, Most varieties of bamboo can handle such a division pretty well.
But you might not have a percent success, especially if you are going to make several smaller sections. Better to lose one or two divisions, however, than to lose the whole plant because it got strangled by its own roots. NOTE: The thick roots of a bamboo plant, which resemble the stems culms , are technically rhizomes.
With running bamboo, they extend outward, parallel to the ground, and with clumping bamboo they tend to bend upward. The roots, on the other hand, are the little, soft, white tendrils that grow off of the rhizomes to draw water and nutrients from the soil. In some cases, this is an important botanical distinction. But in this article, we may use the terms interchangeably.
In nature, bamboo roots and rhizomes have plenty of room to spread, outward and downward. But in a container they can run out of space quickly.
As the roots get overcrowded, the plant can suffer in number of ways. But most importantly, the bamboo will have difficulty getting the water and nutrients from a container filled more with roots and less with soil. Instead, most of the water ends up just running off the top. Symptoms of overwatering are actually similar to what happens with a root bound bamboo.
The leaves may curl and lose their bright green color. As they turn yellow, they also begin to drop. Meanwhile, the thirsty and unhealthy plant is failing to produce fresh new leaves or culms.
Try sticking your finger into the soil. If you have a healthy bamboo plant in a small pot, say one or two gallons, the roots will probably fill in within the first year or two. As long as you are not disrupting the bamboo too much, then you can do this any time of year. Look at the drain hole under the pot to see if the roots have reached the bottom yet. You can always keep them for use as an ornamental mulch afterwards.
If the roots are moderately intertwined, pull them apart and spread them out away from the stems. If, however, they wrap around the inside of the original pot or form such a tangled mess you could never separate them, grab a pair of pruning shears and cut off the outside roots all around the root ball. In fact, it will encourage it to form new roots more quickly.
You can easily remove a third of the old roots without doing any harm to the plant. Center the plant in the new pot and fill in around the roots with potting soil, tamping down lightly.
This assumes you want a cluster of plants in the same pot, as you could also have separated the stems, planting each in its own individual pot. Place the pot in a saucer slightly larger than its diameter and water gently to settle the plant in.
Throw away any excess water that collects in the saucer. Finally, place the plant under normal indoor temperatures in a spot that offers at least moderate light … perhaps its original location. As mentioned, the plant may lose a few leaves at first, but will gain strength after a few months and should soon be even more attractive than ever.
Cut the stems of the plant to the length you want. Compost the bottom of the stem and the roots. Using a pencil, make a hole in the potting soil for each stem, spacing them equally for a better effect.
Insert each cutting stem into a hole, cut side down, of course, ensuring that at least 2 nodes 3 nodes will give even better results will be covered with potting soil. Place the pot of cuttings in a location that is slightly to moderately lit and at room temperature. The roots that will form in this drier environment will be terrestrial roots and thus your lucky bamboo will be able to resume a more normal growth habit. Within a few months, you should see a huge improvement in its appearance. A lucky bamboo grown in potting mix can live for several decades.
Caring for a soil-rooted lucky bamboo is very easy: just give it normal indoor temperatures, reasonable light with maybe a bit of sun and water its root ball as soon as feels dry to the touch. Water the plant immediately to moisten the soil and roots. Discard any unused or damaged bamboo. A potted bamboo needs a lot of fertilizer.
Follow the high dosage instructions provided on a water-soluble fertilizer, advises the University of Georgia Extension. Water one to two times per week for the first several months after replanting. Once established, you can cut back watering to once every seven to 10 days. If you notice the leaves curling in, your bamboo needs more water. Place the bamboo in a location where it can get full sun, which is at least five hours each day, advises the University of Maryland Extension.
Many species will survive with less sun but will not grow as quickly. If you keep your potted plant outdoors, make sure it is protected from the wind and bring it in when it gets cold. While bamboo may die back in the cold, some hardy bamboo will come back the following spring.
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