Keeping your bamboo healthy, lush and green is the result of good soil, even watering and feeding. Like a lawn, bamboo is a grass and a heavy feeder in spring and summer. The temperate bamboo, those hardy to single digit temperatures, send up new shoots in the spring to summer. Rhizome and root growth occur during this period. The general rule is to feed the bamboo during this period and back off from feeding during the fall and winter.

    The simplest way to fertilize your bamboo groves and starter plants out doors is by the use of Triple 13 or 15 bagged fertilizer found at your local feed store or farm supply. Many stores carry a simple lawn fertilizer that works fine. Make sure the fertilizer you are planning to purchase does not contain herbicides. Read the label carefully. Apply carefully. Over fertilizing with a high nitrogen type fertilizer like Urea can actually burn the bamboo and cause the leaves to drop off!

    Bagged manures are fine to use as a top dressing around the bamboo plant. Use it after the bamboo has time to recover from planting - about one month. However, a mistake that has resulted in dead plants by several people is to use the cow manure as a soil amendment in the hole the bamboo is planted. This is strictly prohibited! Bagged manures are HOT and the high nitrates can BURN sensitive roots by contact.

    The tropical and sub-tropical bamboos grow all year round with warm temperatures. They may slow down in areas where it is cooler in the winter. If it is warm in the winter feed them regularly. Don't feed in the fall if you might expect killing frost in the winter.
Interior bamboos behave the same. They will grow all year round with good light and warmth. They will slow down in the higher latitudes as the day length shortens and pick up again with the longer days of summer. Go easy with winter water and feeding if you are up north.

Dyna-gro Foliage-Pro 9-3-6
   
    Foliage-Pro is the answer for your potted bamboo in the house. Just as you must have a balanced diet to be healthy, so must your plants. If any of the essential water soluble plant minerals are in short supply all of a plant¹s metabolic processes will suffer accordingly.
If you are feeding your bamboo through a liquid system outdoors, by all means use Foliage-Pro!
We use the liquid Foliage-Pro and Pro-Tekt on our interior bamboo with excellent results. Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mixed in a gallon of water with every watering.

Dyna-gro Pro-TeKt

    Bamboo needs silica! To insure a healthy supply of the nutrients needed for strong cellular growth and disease resistance. Pro-Tekt is 7.8% silicon. This is the easiest way to supply silica to your bamboo plants planted in commercial potting mixes indoors.
Mix ratio is 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water.
Always read the label carefully before mixing and applying.