Bring tropical flair to your space with a bamboo palm.
The growth habit varies, too.
Dig a hole just as wide as the root ball.
Paul Craft.
Light
Bamboo palms don’t tolerate full sun, unlike many other types of palm.
They thrive in part sun and even manage full shade or a north-facing window indoors.
Soil and Water
confirm to plant your bamboo palm in well-drained soil.
Credit: Paul Craft
While these plants need consistently moist soil, they won’t tolerate standing water.
Fertilizer
While bamboo palms like to be fed, don’t go overboard when fertilizing them.
The best route is to apply agranular slow-release fertilizerat the beginning of the growing season in the spring.
Credit: Dean Schoeppner
Don’t fertilize in fall and winter.
Pruning
Bamboo palms are low-maintenance plants that rarely need pruning.
Only remove any dried leaves or damaged fronds.
Credit: Paul Craft
Repotting is best done in the spring or early summer.
Pests and Problems
Bamboo palms are rugged plants with very few problems.
One of the main things your bamboo palm may encounter in a container setting is leaf burn.
Credit: Paul Craft
This happens when too much salt from water and fertilizer builds up within the soil.
Flush the pot with water until it runs clear.
In hot and dry conditions, palms may attractspider mites.
Credit: Paul Craft
Often, you’ll see small webbing at the edges of the leaves before you notice the mites themselves.
Outdoors, simply wash the leaves off with a heavy stream of water from the hose.
If the problem persists, treat the plant with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.
Credit: Paul Craft
Occasionally,mealybugsandscale insectsare a problem.
Control them with insecticidal soap.
A faster and more reliable way to propagate bamboo palms is from the offshoots of mature plants.
Credit: Paul Craft
Use a sharp knife to cut an offshoot with its roots from the plant.
Types of Bamboo Palm
The bamboo palm genus has more than 100 species to choose from.
It is commonly grown as a houseplant.
Credit: Paul Craft
Zones 10-11
Parlor Palm
Chamaedorea eleganshas been popular for indoor use since Victorian times.
In the landscape, it grows 5-8 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide.
Shade is essential; in too much sun, the foliage may burns and the plant declines.
Credit: Paul Craft
Zones 10-11
Cat Palm
Chamaedorea cataractarumis a mounded multi-stem palm that grows 6-8 feet tall and wide.
It is native to Mexico, where it grows along streams and rivers, so it prefers moist soil.
Cat palm grows well in full sun or moderate shade.
Zones 10-11
Cauqui Palm
Chamaedorea oblongataforms a single trunk and grows best in heavy shade.
It grows 8-10 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide.
Cauqui palm does poorly in dry soil, so keep it moist at all times.
It looks best with other low-growing shade plants.
Zones 10-11
Dwarf Bamboo Palm
Chamaedorea radicalisis slightly smaller than regular bamboo palm.
It’s hardier than some palms (to 25F), making it better adapted to slightly cooler regions.
Zones 9-11
Hardy Bamboo Palm
Chamaedorea microspadixis the hardiest of the bamboo palms (to 23F).
It’s a clumping palm with stems reaching 8-12 feet tall and 8-10 feet wide.
Its leaves are dark green and have a silvery cast.
Grow it in heavy to moderate shade.
The deep bluish-green leaves are splashed with silver, providing the plant with a metallic sheen.
Miniature fishtail palm grows 4-6 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide.
Zones 10-11
Pacaya Palm
Chamaedorea tepejiloteis a giant among bamboo palms.
This tree grows 10-20 feet tall and 5-20 feet wide.
Zones 10-11
Velvet Palm
Chamaedorea adscendensis named for the velvety appearance of its bluish-green leaves.
Bamboo palms have been identified as plants that improve air quality.
In the case of bamboo palms, they filter formaldehyde, xylene and toluene.
However, there are no statistics that indicate how many plants are necessary to improve air quality,
