Saturday, August 2
Bamboo indoors?: "I have a Drepanostachys khasiana (a Himalayan mountain bamboo) that has lived in a very big Thai garden pot for six years. It lives inside from the end of October until the end of April, then it goes outside for the warm weather.
The soil gets refreshed every spring with new compost and a bit of sand and potting soil. If the 'boo outgrows the pot, it will get transplanted into a larger one. I haven't had to do that though because the pot it's in is humungous.
The biggest indoor problems are mealy bug and mites. Keeping humidity higher helps prevent mites, but mealy bug you have to watch for and spray the 'boo with warm soapy water that has a bit of liquid insecticide in it.
You also have to watch the water - can't overwater in winter or it will rot the roots. Pot up the 'boo in a soil mixture of 2 parts potting soil, 1 part sand and 2 parts good compost (rotted cow manure, etc.)."
The soil gets refreshed every spring with new compost and a bit of sand and potting soil. If the 'boo outgrows the pot, it will get transplanted into a larger one. I haven't had to do that though because the pot it's in is humungous.
The biggest indoor problems are mealy bug and mites. Keeping humidity higher helps prevent mites, but mealy bug you have to watch for and spray the 'boo with warm soapy water that has a bit of liquid insecticide in it.
You also have to watch the water - can't overwater in winter or it will rot the roots. Pot up the 'boo in a soil mixture of 2 parts potting soil, 1 part sand and 2 parts good compost (rotted cow manure, etc.)."
