Fengwei bamboo (Bambusa multiplex) brings tranquility; keeping a pot on your desk can even boost work efficiency

The ancients said: better to eat without meat than to live without bamboo. Nowadays many discerning people like to grow a clump of bamboo at home, giving a sense of leisure amid the bustling city. If you see one you really like but unfortunately do not have a big garden at home, there is no need to be disappointed. Today I recommend a bamboo suitable for growing on the balcony - Fengwei bamboo (Bambusa multiplex).

Fengwei bamboo is a clumping shrub type, with slender, lance-shaped leaves. Its culms are relatively short, with dense clumping branches and leaves and elegant leaf shape, making it very suitable for pot cultivation. Fengwei bamboo can be pruned into a small bonsai and placed on a desk or writing table, or grown into a large floor pot. It can be used to accent a small courtyard, and can also be placed in the living room or bedroom; paired with some small landscape stones and accessories, it has a particularly charming elegance.

So Fengwei bamboo is this beautiful - how should it be planted and cared for?

Fengwei bamboo likes slightly acidic soil. Add more decomposed organic soil to the potting mix to increase the soil's acidity, then mix in loose, breathable soil. If your soil mix is on the alkaline side, or you live in an area where the water is alkaline, you can occasionally dilute some ferrous sulfate into the water when watering to improve it.

Anyone who has dug up bamboo shoots should know that bamboo has a very developed root system, and its horizontal rhizomes grow very vigorously. So potted Fengwei bamboo needs repotting every year, and the roots must be pruned at the same time as repotting. Otherwise the bamboo rhizomes at the roots will grow wildly, consume all the soil in the pot, and thus affect growth.

Fengwei bamboo likes a warm environment, but in summer it needs to be moved back indoors or given shade. Because summer temperatures are higher, prolonged exposure to strong sun will cause Fengwei bamboo leaves to turn yellow and wither, and eventually the yellow leaves drop off. So in summer, use a small spray bottle often to spray water on the leaves and the surrounding area, increasing the air humidity and keeping Fengwei bamboo green through the summer.

In winter, the growing environment for Fengwei bamboo must not drop below zero degrees, so in winter it is best to move it back indoors, and when the air is dry you also need to use a spray bottle to increase humidity for Fengwei bamboo.

When caring for potted Fengwei bamboo, do not fertilize too much; a small amount of compound fertilizer once a month is enough. Because potted Fengwei bamboo is mainly for ornamental purposes, too much fertilizer will make the plant grow too tall. Of course, Fengwei bamboo grown in a small yard can be fertilized more, letting it grow sturdy and tall.