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,
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 level 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.
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.
