The exotic bamboo is now at home with us. We show when, how and with what to properly fertilize and supply the bamboo with nutrients.

With rapid height growth, the optimal application of fertilizer ensures lush green foliage

Bamboo (Bambusoideae) is known for its rapid growth. Even without any action, bamboo grows towards the sky like a weed. However, if the Asian sweet grass (Poaceae) is to grow to its full height and lush green beauty, additional nitrogen fertilization is essential. This is because bamboo is one of the heavy consumers and has a special need for the chemical element. The plants need a lot of nutrients and minerals to be able to muster enough energy for the enormous sprouting.

So that your garden shines in a green sea of leaves even in winter, it is important to provide your bamboo with the optimal amount of nutrients and minerals. In other words, attention must be paid to correct fertilization. But which fertilizer is particularly suitable for bamboo and when and how much should you fertilize?

Fertilize bamboo: The best time

Bamboo can be supplied with nutrients for the first time when planting. For this purpose, the potting soil is mixed with well-ripened compost. There is also special bamboo soil that is supposed to promote growth through an adapted composition. If you plant your bamboo in special soil, you do not need to fertilize again for the first three months. The nutrients within the substrate, whether compost mixture or special soil, should normally be sufficient and provide the plant with optimal care.

After this time, fertilize - with older plants from mid-April - just before the stalks sprout. You should use the fertilizer a total of two to three times at intervals of about four weeks. To ensure that your bamboo gets through the winter as unscathed as possible, fertilize for the last time at the end of August at the latest. This gives the new stalks enough time to mature before frost. When fertilizing with a long-term fertilizer, a single application of fertilizer in the spring is sufficient. This promotes new growth of culms. If you choose an ecological fertilizer in organic quality, you are doing not only to your garden, but to all gardens on this planeta little favor.

Even when planting, you can give the bamboo a head start with the right fertilizer

Summary: When is the best time to fertilize bamboo?

  • When planting, the potting soil can be mixed with compost or another organic long-term fertilizer
  • The first fertilization takes place after 3 months or in the case of existing plants from mid-April
  • Fertilize 3 to 4 times with an organic fertilizer every 4 weeks
  • Last fertilization at the end of August at the latest

Bamboo fertilizer: How and with what to fertilize?

Bamboo has a good appetite, with the main focus being on supplying nitrogen and potassium. A nitrogen-heavy NPK fertilizer is therefore ideal for caring for your plant. There is also a special fertilizer for bamboo. This supplies the new shoots with a high proportion of nitrogen. The leaf structure is strengthened by silicon and the plant as a whole is more resilient. An additional load of potassium will make your bamboo fit for the winter.

When buying fertilizers, however, you should not only pay attention to the composition of the substances, because there is more to each product than its purpose. When buying, it is best to pay attention to organic fertilizer variants. These contain the nutrients in a form that can be released into the soil at the right dose over a long period of time. This not only saves you constant re-fertilization, but also minimizes the risk of over-fertilization. Because not only too little, but also too much nutrients damage a plant.

Organic slow-release fertilizers provide the bamboo plant with the right amount of nutrients

Instead of special bamboo fertilizer, you can also use lawn fertilizers such as our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer. Like bamboo, lawns also need an NPK fertilizer with a high nitrogen content. Our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer offers an optimal supply of primarily organic nutrients without resorting to animal products. In this way you promote soil life in a biological way and reduce the risk of over-fertilization through slow nutrient release.

Tip from the professional: Especially in gardens with low-potassium soil, additional fertilization with autumn lawn fertilizer rich in potassium in August helps the bamboo to become more frost-hardy and robust. Our Plantura organic autumn lawn fertilizer offers this extra amount of potassium while at the same time being of high and animal-free organic quality. The potassium helps with thatwater supply in winter and allows your bamboo to get through the winter more safely.

Summary: How and with what to fertilize bamboo?

  • Use nitrogen-heavy NPK fertilizer; primarily organic fertilizers such as our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer offer the advantage of a slow release of nutrients and vital soil life.
  • Special Bamboo Fertilizer contains silicon to strengthen leaf structure and increased resilience, and potassium to increase frost tolerance.
  • Do not remove browning and fallen leaves (more on this in the following section).
  • Fertilising with our Plantura organic autumn lawn fertilizer supports the frost hardiness of your bamboo.

Fertilize bamboo organically

Bamboo needs a lot of strength to grow to its full size. Of course, organic variants also ensure a balanced nutrient ratio in the soil in the right amount. You can use organic liquid fertilizers and granules such as our primarily organic Plantura organic lawn fertilizer, but also the following products:

  • Guano
  • Mature High Nitrogen Manure (Beef or Horse)
  • Mature compost
  • Horn shavings/horn meal

Silicic acid, or the silicon it contains, is also important for bamboo, because this ensures firm stalks. Therefore, the falling bamboo leaves should not be removed. Conveniently, the leaves contain the required silicon. If not enough foliage has accumulated, or if you prefer to remove unsightly brown leaves right away, you can fertilize with horsetail broth or stone powder - such as bentonite or Lucian stone powder. The whole thing is then applied extensively and superficially in the root area.

Fallen leaves or bark mulch naturally benefit the bamboo

Tip from the professional: An additional thin layer of bark mulch also stores moisture and thus reduces the watering effort. Even weeds only sparsely get through the mulch layer.

Organic long-term fertilization: instructions and dosages

In order for your garden to resemble an Asian sanctuary and not an overgrown panda reservoir, it is important to supply the right nutrients in the right amounts. Below we have prepared a step-by-step guide to bamboo happiness with our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer:

  1. Before planting, 100 g/m² (0.2 liter jar) of our Plantura organic lawn fertilizer in the top layer of soilincorporate
  2. Water the soil and freshly planted bamboo well so that the granulate can be easily loosened
  3. For maintenance fertilization from mid-April, you should fertilize again three to four times at intervals of 4 weeks with 40 - 60 g/m² (at least 10 teaspoons)

Fertilize bamboo with minerals

If you keep your bamboo in a pot or bucket, you can also apply a mineral liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water. However, you should only use blue grain and co. carefully and in small doses. However, it is best not to use mineral fertilizers with bamboo because of the high s alt content. Instead, use an organic fertilizer to save yourself some fertilization or even losses due to over-fertilization and salinization in pot culture. The quick energy boost from mineral fertilizers makes sense if your bamboo gets yellow or brown leaves due to a lack of magnesium, silicon or nitrogen. Here you can also use a mineral fertilizer for quick help. The rapid nutrient release is beneficial in an emergency, but really only then. It is better to act preventively and start using long-term fertilizers in spring.

Slow-release fertilizer can prevent a lack of nutrients in potted plants in advance

Fertilize bamboo with home remedies

You can also use nettle or comfrey manure to feed your bamboo. The plant remains are placed in rainwater for two weeks. The slurry is finally ready when it stops bubbling. The whole thing is diluted with water in a ratio of one to ten and the plant is watered with it. Other household remedies such as coffee grounds also offer unimaginable amounts of nitrogen. It is simply distributed in the root area or added to the irrigation water. An all-round supply brings a mix of coffee grounds and horn shavings. This power mixture is superficially worked into the soil in the root area. A layer of grass clippings is then applied. However, coffee grounds have a lowering effect on soil pH, which can lead to acidification. If the soil pH is acidic, however, crushed eggshells can be incorporated into the soil once a year as a remedial measure. These provide lime and thus increase the pH value.

You can find more information about coffee grounds as fertilizer here.

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