How to Grow and Care for Bamboo Palms Like a Gardening Pro

Common Name	Bamboo Palm
Botanical Name	Chamaedorea seifrizii
Family	Arecaceae
Plant Type	Evergreen perennial
Mature Size	3-8 ft. tall, 1-10 ft. wide
Sun Exposure	Partial sun, shade
Soil Type	Moist, well-drained
Soil pH	Slightly acidic
Bloom Time	Summer
Flower Color	Yellow
Hardiness Zones	10-11
Native Area	Mexico and Central America
Toxicity	Non-toxic

Bamboo Palm Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing a bamboo palm.

• Plant in a rich, well-draining potting mix.
• Place in a spot that will get partial sun or shade, even a north-facing window will work.
• Water regularly to make sure the soil stays consistently moist, but do not let the soil get soggy.
• Fertilize bamboo palms in spring and summer, at the beginning of their growing season.

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Light

While they’re a heat-loving plant, bamboo palms don’t like to be in full sun. Placing them in a sunny window might seem like a good idea (many palms love the sun), but this will actually scorch your bamboo palm. Instead, place them in indirect light that gets either partial sun or shade.

Soil

Bamboo palms prefer well-draining soil that is slightly acidic. Use a potting mix to give it the richness that it needs.

Water

Especially during the growing season, bamboo palm prefers to stay consistently moist. However, you have to be careful not to let the soil get soggy. Overwatering can easily damage a bamboo palm.

Temperature and Humidity

Since they’re only hardy in Zones 10-11, it’s no surprise that bamboo palms prefer to be in temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Since they are tropical plants, they prefer a more humid environment.

Fertilizer

Bamboo palms should only be fertilized during their growing season in spring and summer. Sprinkle granule fertilizer around the soil but not directly on the trunk.

Types of Bamboo Palm

There are more than 100 species in the bamboo palm genus, and each has a distinctive spiky palm look.

• Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans): This lush tropical palm tree is a classic bamboo palm, with high-reaching fronds.
• Hardy bamboo palm (Chamaedorea microspadix): If you want a palm outside, but you don’t live in Zones 10-11, you can plant the hardy bamboo palm. This can survive in temperatures down to 23 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cat palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum): While many of the bamboo palm varieties grow upwards, the cat palm has a more compact, horizontal habit.
• Dwarf bamboo palm (Chamaedorea radicalis): This smaller version of the bamboo palm only grows to four to six feet tall, making it a great choice for spaces with less square footage.

Pruning

You shouldn’t have to prune a bamboo palm unless it’s to keep its size under control. In that case, spring and summer are the best times to prune. Otherwise, all you need to do is clean up dead leaves.

Propagating Bamboo Palm

Since bamboo palms are not generally grown by seed by amateur gardeners, either purchasing a young plant or propagating a friend’s abundant bamboo palm is the best way to get a palm of your own. Make sure you only propagate a mature plant, and do so in spring just before its growing season starts. Here’s what you’ll need to do to propagate a bamboo palm.

1. Select a mature plant to ensure it can handle the stress of cutting and separation.
2. Make sure you have a sharp garden knife, potting soil, and a correct-size pot.
3. Water both the existing palm and the new pot with soil.
4. Remove the existing bamboo palm from its pot and carefully cut off an offshoot section, including several stems and their roots.
5. Repot both the original plant and the cutting immediately. Water them generously and keep both plants in a humid environment.

Potting and Repotting Bamboo Palm

When potting a bamboo palm, make sure to choose a pot that has adequate drainage holes since they like to be watered regularly, but do not like soggy soil. Bamboo palms need room for their roots to spread out, so make sure to choose a pot that is two to three times larger than their root ball. Ideally, you shouldn’t have to repot your bamboo palm more than once every few years.

When you do repot a bamboo palm, make sure to water it generously both before and after.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

Bamboo palm’s biggest issues tend to stem from pests. Spider mites and mealy bugs both love to attack bamboo palm’s leaves. If you see green leaves turning yellow and then see mites on the underside of the leaves, wash the plant with soapy water.

Common Problems With Bamboo Palm

While bamboo palm is typically an easygoing, low-maintenance houseplant, that doesn’t mean it’s immune to problems. Here’s what can go wrong, and how you can fix it.

Leaves Turning Brown

Leaves turning brown could indicate sun scorch, which happens when your bamboo palm is getting too much light. Try removing the brown leaves, and then moving them to a shadier spot with less direct sunlight. This could also be caused by aging, which cannot be fixed, but you can just remove affected leaves.

Drooping Leaves

Drooping leaves are most likely caused by overwatering. Make sure the plant is In a container with adequate drainage, then drop back watering to once a week. The soil should remain moist, but never soggy.