Bamboo needs routine care and attention the first 2 to 3 years until the rhizome system becomes established.  After this, the bamboo can fend for itself if need be. Bamboo will produce larger canes in height and diameter each year until it reaches its maximum potential. To encourage new growth, it is important to adequately feed and water your plants to ensure large, healthy, and robust growth the following spring.  Bamboo can be use as accent plants, container plants, ground cover, hedges, or tall screens.  They are grown for both their attractive culms and foliage. Culms can be yellow, black, red, blue, spotted and striped.  Some culms are wrinkled like curdoroy or smooth with a waxy coat.  Other bamboos have fragrant or fuzzy culms.  The foliage of these bamboos can range from light green to dark green and can be variegated as well.  Poles from bamboo can be used for construction and art work.

Bamboo shooting time is an exciting time of year for bamboo enthusiasts.  Bamboo is a unlike any other plant where you have shoots that mature into adult plants in as little as 6 weeks.  Several varieties have one shooting time a year.  All the vertical growth is done in a short span of time usually early to late spring then spends the rest of the year growing under ground to develop a strong root system to support the above ground growth.  Most of the time new plants will not send up new growth until the next year.  There are some species such as Phyllostachys Bissetii and Phyllostachys Vivax that have a 2nd shooting period later in the summer with smaller shoots. 

The existing culms never grow taller but each year the new shoots will create thicker and taller plants.

Ground temperature and type of species are the main factors of shooting times.

Clumping bamboos can be used in a small garden without containment or root pruning.  We have both semi-tropical clumping bamboos and cold hardy temperate clumping bamboos.  Semi-Tropical clumping bamboos such as Bambusas are best suited for zone 7 and up and will need some protection from the cold in zone 7 by heavy mulching and a slightly warmer micro-climate.  Cold hardy temperate clumping bamboos such as Fargesias are best suited for climate zones 5 through 7 but will need protection from the hot after noon sun in zone 7.  Spreading bamboos as can be used as screens, decorative specimen plants, or specimens in large containers. These bamboos are also more tolerant of heat and cold than your clumping bamboos. Spreading bamboos is your best choice if you need a fast privacy screen.  Containment or root pruning 2 times a year will be needed if you want to limit the spread.  Then you have the ground cover or dwarf bamboos. Dwarf bamboos offer a variety of leaf colors and variegation from dark green to yellow to almost all white. 
Many are useful as indoor plants or stabilizing banks against erosion and can be used as turf or ground cover.  These bamboos range of heights from several inches to several feet.

After selecting your healthy bamboo and quarantining it from mites, dig a hole twice the width and 1 times the depth of the container size. Incorporate 1/4 good garden soil, 1/4 soil conditioner (fine pine bark, peat moss, etc.), 1/4 composted manure and 1/4 native soil.  The soil conditioner and good soil will help with water drainage and retention.  The composted manure will act as a fertilizer for the new plants without burning their roots.  Bags of these additives are usually under $2 at Lowes.

If your new bamboo plant has been in a container, maker sure the plant is not root bound.  If the roots are wrapped around the root ball too tightly the plant will not be able to absorb water and nutrients.  You will have to either divide the plant or cut into the outer roots as well as thoroughly soak the roots to help unbound the root system.  After you have loosened the root system place the new plant in the center of the hole you dug then back fill with the new incorporated soil mixture.  Water generously, then mulch and water generously again.

Semi-Tropical clumping bamboos such as Bambusas, Borindas, Himalayacalamus and Thamnocalamus are best suited for zone 7 and up and will need some protection from the cold in zone 7 by heavy mulching and a slightly warmer microclimate.  The south side of a building will have protection frrom the cold north winds and usually have more sun exposer.  A body of water man made or natural will also create a warmer microclimate. Planting cold hardy temperate clumping bamboos such as Fargesias in a shadier spot such as a north side of a building or under taller trees will automatically create a cooler microclimate.

Newly planted bamboo should be watered atleast 3 times per week.  Clumping bamboo can be around the perimeter of the clump.  Running bamboo should be watered in a larger area to promote rizome spreading.  Only composted manure such as black cow or black chicken (5:5:5) should be used as fertilizer in the first year to prevent root burn.  Once the bamboo is established after the first year an all purpose lawn fertilizer can be used.  Make sure this fertilizer does not have a weed and feed.  Weed and feed fertilizers can kill your bamboo plants.  The best time to fertilize is in the Spring just before shooting time which will be in February or March here in Zone 7.  Also in late Summer or early fall is the other time you will want to Fertilze.

Clumping bamboos can be used in a small garden without containment or root pruning.  Spreading bamboos will need to be root pruned once or twice a year.  This can be done by cutting into the ground about 6 - 18 inches deep around the perimeter of the bamboo grove.  Below is a picture showing how shallow rooted bamboo plants are.  Another way to prevent unwanted spread is by mowing around the perimeter of the grove.  You can install a bamboo rhizome barrier if you want but root pruning may still be required.  If you are in the North Carolina area, Brightside Bamboo installs rhizome barriers and removes bamboo from unwanted areas while preserving bamboo in wanted areas.  You can prune both clumping and spreading bamboo any desired height as long as there are branches and leaves below your pruning point.

First always check new plants prior to bringing them home from the garden center.  Keep weeds down and remove infested plants. Make sure plants are regularly watered and spray the leaves as well.  Take advantage of natural enemies such as ladybug larvae. If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension office, read and follow all label directions. Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the leaves as that is where spider mites generally live. New shoots are vulnerable to deer, rabits, and squirels.  It is a good idea to fence in new plantings or use animal repellents.  Young and new bamboo root systems need to be protected from voles.  Heavy mulching and vole repellent may be helpful but still not 100%.

Many bamboos can be used as house plants but extra care will be needed.  Bambusa and Phyllostachys Bamboos will need a bright window preferably a window facing south or east for best sunlight.  Smaller Bamboos such as Hibanobambusa Tranquillans Shiroshima, Indocalamus, Pleioblastus, Pseudosasa, Sasaellas and Sasas can handle less sunlight but will perform better with South, East or West facing windows or indoor lighting for plants.  Indoor air in the winter is dry so daily misting of the leaves will help the plant look better and there will be less leaf loss.  Indoor Bamboos will need to be watered and fertilized as often as other house plants.

Clumping bamboos can be used in a small garden without containment or root pruning.  We have both semi-tropical clumping bamboos and cold hardy temperate clumping bamboos.  Semi-Tropical clumping bamboos such as Bambusas, Borindas, Himalayacalamus and Thamnocalamus are best suited for zone 7 and up and will need some protection from the cold in zone 7 by heavy mulching and a slightly warmer microclimate.  Cold hardy temperate clumping bamboos such as Fargesias are best suited for climate zones 5 through 7 but will need protection from the hot after noon sun in zone 7.

Dwarf bamboos offer a variety of leaf colors and variegation from dark green to yellow to almost all white.  Many are useful as indoor plants or stabilizing banks against erosion. These bamboos range of heights from several inches to several feet. As with all indoor bamboos plants they will need to be watered and fertilized as often as other house plants with daily misting of the leaves.  For outdoor bamboo plants mow completely to the ground in winter-time for fresh new growth in the Spring.  They do well in Zones 5 to 8 and are all running bamboos that will need to be root pruned to prevent unwanted spread.

Use these bamboos in large containers, as a hedge, as a large speciman in concrete containment or as house plants. (1) If you plant the larger bamboo in a container extra care will be needed.  You will have to be careful to water more in the hotter months and not to over fertilize.  Touch the soil to make sure the soil is not dry in the top 2 inches.  Also bamboo will curl its leaves when it is stressed by too much heat and too little water.  Container bamboo will need to be divided every year or 2 depending on the variety.  (2) Remember bamboo planted in the ground will need root pruning 2 times a year to limit the spread.  (3) Bamboo as house plants will need a sunny window for lighting requirements.  Indoor bamboo will also need a daily misting of the leaves to slow down leaf loss.  You will have some leaf drop with indoor plants as they are adjusting to indoor conditions.  The watering requirements for indoor plants are the same as other house plants.