How to Care for a Bamboo Palm

I’ve had this plant forever – it used to be an office plant. I haven’t taken the best of care of this plant, and now out looks anemic. Could you advise me on how to care for the palm – based on thi pictures. What should I trim back our or remove (one branch is broken and not sure it can be saved). I put it outdoors during the summer in partial light. Should I re-pot tit ? How much watering does it it take?
Thanks so much for your help!

Hi,

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First, I would not recommend re-potting at this time. You should never re-pot a plant under stress. As to pruning: fertilize your bamboo palm one week before pruning. This will encourage immediate growth at the area where you pruned. Cut off the broken stem at the soil levelThese are general guidelines that describe how poisonous certain houseplants are. It's possible for an allergic reaction to occur from contact with any houseplant, toxic or non-toxic. If there is ever a concern, call: Poison Control Center: ******1-800-222-1222****** Level #1: Houseplants with low toxicity, may be mildly irritating, especially the sap of the plant. Level#2: Houseplants with medium to severe toxicity. Eating parts of these houseplants may result in vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties. Level #3: These houseplants are very poisonous. When eaten, especially in large quantities, severe vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pains, skin irritations, and breathing difficulties can occur. Level #4: These houseplants are extremely poisonous. Eating parts of these houseplants can be be life threatening. Every plant listed in our Popular HousePlant guide has a section explaining whether or not it is poisonous and, if so, how poisonous. Amaryllis, alocasia, dieffenbachias, crotons, ivies, azaleas, lilies, and philodendrons are just a few of the highly poisonous plants we use in our homes and offices all of the time. If you don't know whether your houseplant is poisonous, go to Ask Judy on the HousePlant411.com website, send her a picture of your plant, and she'll let you know if the houseplant should be kept away from small children and pets. See colorful pictures and get more information about poisonous houseplants in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants and any other stems that look bare. Here are some care tips on how to grow a Bamboo Palm.

Light: Although a Bamboo Palm grows faster in bright indirect light, it will do well in medium light and even low light if you’re careful not to over-water.

Water: Always allow the top 1/3 of the soil of a Bamboo Palm to dry out before watering. Never allow a Bamboo Palm to sit in water. Do not use water that has passed through a softener on a Bamboo Palm because it has a high salt content and it will damage the leaves. Leaf tips turn pale and green leaves fall off because of over-watering. New growth and leaf tips on a Bamboo Palm turn brown from under-watering.

Fertilizer: Feed a Bamboo Palm monthly in the spring and summer with a fertilizer high in nitrogen at 1/2 the recommended strength. Don’t use plant food if a Bamboo Palm is not actively growing or if the soil is very dry.

Temperature: A Bamboo Palm does well in temperatures between 65-80 degrees.

You can read all of my care advice for a Bamboo Palm in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.

http://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/bamboo-palm-how-to-grow-care

There is also a product called superthrive that you can read about in the Glossary that does wonders for plants that are not growing well or looking good.