What are the special considerations for growing bamboo at home?
Bamboo holds a unique place in Chinese culture; its combination of flexibility and hardness makes it a symbol of virtue, which is why it is so beloved by the Chinese people. Along with plum, orchid and chrysanthemum, it is known as one of the Four Gentlemen, and along with plum and pine it is known as one of the Three Friends of Winter. Through the ages there have been a great many men of letters who loved and praised bamboo. Let us take a look below at what the special considerations are for growing bamboo at home!
What feng shui role does bamboo play?
Bamboo is the best auspicious plant for dissolving negative energy. In feng shui, malevolent forces pose a threat to a dwelling and need to be blocked. Walls can be used as a screen, but while a wall blocks the rushing negative energy of a road, it also blocks the auspicious energy when fortune is strong. When using trees to block negative energy, bamboo is the first choice: bamboo is elegant and upright, noble and refined, pleasantly fragrant, uniform in appearance, neatly arranged, appropriately spaced, and suitably both blocking and allowing passage. This quality of both blocking and allowing through stops malevolent forces while letting auspicious energy enter, making bamboo a key player in feng shui for dissolving negative energy.
What are the special considerations for growing bamboo at home?
1. Bamboo has the effect of generating wealth, so it is very suitable for placement in the wealth position, but you should not grow bamboo in an overly heavy container, nor add excessive water to the vase. You can tie a red ribbon around the bamboo, which is both attractive and prevents the leakage of wealth energy.
2. In feng shui, bamboo is used to boost official career prospects and academic success, and compared with boosting wealth, bamboo is even better at boosting literary fortune. If there is a child in the home who is studying, bamboo can be used to boost literary fortune.
3. When placing bamboo on an office desk, it is best to put it in the upper left corner; this position generally faces the sun and can fully absorb sunlight. In addition, the placement of bamboo also needs to be near a balcony, and it can be placed to the right of a floor-to-ceiling window.
How do you grow bamboo so it thrives?
1. Soil: Bamboo likes acidic or neutral soil and dislikes heavy clay and alkaline soil. You can use fertile, loose sandy soil, or mix farm soil with leaf mold and fine sand to increase the soil's air permeability.
2. Pot: Bamboo is a shallow-rooted plant, so you can choose a pot with a shallower mouth. After planting, add some ornamental stones or moss to increase its ornamental value and make it look fresher and more elegant.
3. Watering: Bamboo likes moisture and fears waterlogging. Newly transplanted bamboo should first be watered thoroughly. In routine care, do not water too much. In summer, water every day and spray the leaves; in winter, reduce watering to prevent cold damage.
4. Fertilizing: When planting bamboo, mix organic fertilizer into the potting soil. After normal growth, apply supplementary fertilizer appropriately, following the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently. In spring and summer, you can apply 0.5% urea or 1.0% compound fertilizer with the water.
5. Pests and diseases: The main insect pests of bamboo include bamboo aphids and bamboo scale insects, which can be controlled by spraying insecticide. The main diseases include sooty mold and witches' broom, so management should be strengthened and diseased plants pruned promptly.
6. Pruning: Bamboo grows fairly quickly, so it should be pruned in good time: remove the old and keep the young, remove the dense and keep the sparse, remove the weak and keep the strong. When repotting each year, remove dead branches appropriately so the plant's shape stays attractive.