Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Tuesday - July 29, 2008

From: Virginia Beach, VA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Non-Natives, Propagation, Transplants
Title: Transplanting bamboo
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

To transplant bamboo from one place to another, do you dig the plant up or do you get a cutting, put it in water and then root the plant?

ANSWER:

Just to make sure, did you mean the "Lucky Bamboo" that is sold everywhere growing in water? If so, here is an article on Caring for Lucky Bamboo Plants to give you instructions. It is not a bamboo at all, but a member of the Draceana family, and is considered an indoor pot plant.

Now, if you are asking about "real" bamboo, Phyllostachys aurea, yes, we can give you some information on how to transplant this true grass, largest member of the family Poaceae and fastest growing woody plant in the world. The first two websites will give you transplanting instructions that sound absolutely backbreaking. The last one tells you why we don't recommend it. This plant is a native of China, and at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, we are all about the promotion, propagation and protection of plants native to North America, because a plant growing in the area to which it is native will need less water, fertilization and maintenance. So, are you sure you want to?

Bamboo Care - Transplanting

From the DIY Network, article by Paul James, host of Gardening by the Yard on bamboo.