How to Plant Bamboo Stalks

Bamboo is a popular plant with homeowners, both as an indoor complement to containers and interiors and as an outdoor landscape addition that naturally lends itself to creating shade and privacy. In feng shui, bamboo is considered lucky. The green stalks and the soft sound they make when the wind blows through them are soothing. Planting bamboo is simple and can be done from a stalk snipped from a healthy bamboo plant.

Established bamboo plant

6- to 8-inch flowerpot

Small bag of potting soil

Small bag of sand

4 dowel rods

Large piece of plastic wrap

Large rubber band

Choose a healthy bamboo stalk from an established plant. Count up three rings, or nodes, from the bottom, and then cut the stalk free using a small saw. Count down from the top three nodes and cut this part off, too. The resulting middle section of the stalk will become the new plant.

Fill the flowerpot with the mixture of potting soil and sand. The ideal ratio is three parts soil to one part sand. Be sure the pot has holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. In the potting soil, make a small hole with your finger the width of the bamboo stalk. Remove all leaves from the stalk before planting.

Put the bamboo stalk into the hole made in the soil, and bury it up to the first ring, or node. Gently press the soil down around the stalk and water it thoroughly.

Place four dowel rods that are twice as high as the stalk into the soil around the stalk to help protect and stabilize the stalk as the roots grow.

Take the piece of plastic wrap and drape it over the poles. Cinch the ends around the pot, secure with a large rubber band, and then place the pot in indirect sunlight.

The bamboo stalk should begin to form new leaves after two to three weeks. When this happens, remove the plastic wrap, then wait at least one more week before repoting the stalk and the roots in a larger pot or outdoors.