These slow-growing palms typically only grow a few inches a year, but if they are put outside, they may develop more quickly.
How Long Can Bamboo Palms Live?
Many types of palms can survive outdoors for up to 100 years. With adequate light and water, they can survive indoors for more than ten years as houseplants.
What’s the Difference Between Bamboo Palms and Parlor Palms?
The fronds of parlor palms develop on separate stems as opposed to the bamboo palm’s core “trunk,” or cluster, of stems with individual fronds, and they do not grow as tall as bamboo palms.
Can Bamboo Palms Grow Outdoors?
Yes. Bamboo palms may flourish outside in warmer climes (USDA hardiness zones 10–11), and with the correct conditions, they can even grow to a height of 20 feet.
Can you grow a bamboo palm outside?
Any room in the house benefits from the color and warmth of potted bamboo palms. There are numerous tropical treats to select from, but the majority require strong indirect light to flourish. The bamboo palm, Chamaedorea seifrizii, is an exception to this rule and can thrive in low light, albeit it will get taller as the light level increases. Adults range in height from 1 to 3.5 meters (4 to 12 feet), with a spread of 3 to 5 feet (91 cm. to 1.5 m.). In USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, the bamboo palm plant can also be grown outside.
Are bamboo palms suitable as houseplants?
Because they require little upkeep and thrive in a variety of lighting conditions, bamboo palms are common indoor plants. They do need constant moisture, so if you have a tendency to water your plants too little, you might want to pass on this palm.
Can bamboo palms endure direct sunlight?
The bamboo palm is the ideal plant for a neglected area of your apartment since it combines simplicity of maintenance, a splash of color, and a healthy dash of elegance. Because of this, we’re breaking down all the information you need to know about the bamboo palm, including its traits, applications, and maintenance requirements.
What is the Bamboo Palm Plant?
Unlike many of its warm-weather brethren, it can actually survive in lesser light, making it a rare tropical joy. The bamboo palm thrives in low, indirect light, contrary to the fact that the majority of tropical plants actually require intense light to survive.
But that’s the typical tale of this plant: that it’s hardy, uncomplicated, and attractive.
Characteristics
You’ll understand why Chamaedorea bamboo palms are a well-liked indoor plant once you’ve tried one. They should not be confused with actual bamboo, though. Chamaedorea is a palm in the Aracaceae family, but real bamboo is a grass in the Poaceae family. Many types of bamboo are cultivated outside for ornamental purposes in the southern United States. Real bamboo needs full exposure to the sun. Because of how much they resemble real bamboo, the Chamaedorea palms are sometimes referred to as “bamboo palms,” but we can still appreciate them indoors in low light.
Although they will grow bigger if they are placed outside or in larger pots, most bamboo palms remain on the tiny side. If allowed to spread, bamboo plants can reach heights of 4 to 12 feet.
Check your climate if you want a tropical feel in your outdoor garden.
The USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and 11 are suitable for planting the bamboo palm outside.
Cleaning the Air
The majority of botanical professionals concur that the bamboo palm has a sizable beneficial impact on your health.
How? It’s easy: the bamboo palm is excellent at purifying the air, much like many other plants.
Particularly effective at removing formaldehyde, benzene, chloroform, and carbon monoxide from the air are bamboo palms.
Decoration
Are you really still in need of an excuse to start looking for your own bamboo palm?
If you do, we mustn’t forget that the bamboo palm is a very attractive plant to show in your home, which is one of its main appeals.
It is a neat, compact plant with an appealing shape and an impression of refinement, but it also has an exotic flair that many flower pots lack.
Additionally, it’s a really simple plant to grow if you want to spruce up a dark corner of your apartment or living space.
Caring for Your Bamboo Plant
The bamboo palm is a laid-back housemate who isn’t very demanding, unlike some other popular houseplants with a diva reputation (looking at you, fiddle leaf fig).
That’s not to imply you can plant it wherever and it will grow like a weed, but if you take the proper care of your new friend, you have a good chance of success.
Lighting Conditions
You may assume that a tropical plant like bamboo enjoys lots of sunlight, aren’t you?
The bamboo palm actually favors low light levels, as we mentioned previously.
The bamboo palm typically prefers little sunshine and enjoys taking the indirect, filtered light or shade that little sunlight does come in.
When shifting locations, use caution wherever you place your palm.
A abrupt shift in brightness might startle the plant and seriously harm it. Every time you want to alter the lighting, do so gradually to give your plant time to get used to the new settings.
Temperature and Humidity
This implies that despite having a laid-back disposition, they do have specific temperature and humidity needs.
The bamboo palm thrives in conditions with medium to high humidity and temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Consider whether a bamboo plant is the right choice for you if this doesn’t sound like your local climate.
In either case, bamboo palms do not adapt well to dry and cold weather. In the winter, they can thrive just fine indoors, but you can wet them occasionally to make up for the dry air.
Additionally, because bamboo palms don’t react well to drafts, you should take care to keep them safe from them. This typically entails keeping your priceless palm away from windows and doorways.
Watering
In light of this, let’s discuss watering, one of the most fundamental (and finicky) components of plant maintenance.
As we mentioned, bamboo palms prefer muggy, humid environments. This is absolutely not the same as wading in mud or soaking in water. If you soak your plant, the roots are more likely to be harmed than anything else.
Instead, try to maintain an even moisture level in the soil (NOT wet). Water the entire top surface of the plant and make sure that any extra water drains out until the soil has dried down one-third to halfway from the top.
Keep in mind that these plants dislike sitting in water. You face the risk of their roots decaying if they are submerged in too much water.
As a general rule, water the soil only when it appears dry (rather than watering it every day). Use your Soil Sleuth (be sure to obtain one when you buy your plant) to determine whether the soil is dry or not. You may gauge the relative wetness in the soil under the surface using the Soil Sleuth and water accordingly.
Pruning
There is some disagreement over houseplants. Some individuals believe that pruning plants will injure them, while others claim that it has little advantage beyond aesthetics and neither any harm nor any gain.
Pruning bamboo palms is generally regarded as beneficial to the plant’s overall health (as long as you don’t go all Edward Scissorhands on it, of course).
Regularly check your hand for any dead or fading leaves. If you come across any leaves that meet this description, remove them at the stem’s base with a pair of sharp bypass pruners to prevent them from harming the plant’s other leaves.
Always ensure that your pruners are sharp before using them because dull blades can lead to uneven cuts or tears that can result in open sores. Additionally, make sure to clean your pruners before using them because unclean pruners might spread illnesses among plants.
Pests
Unfortunately, bamboo palms are prone to pests, especially those grown inside. Mites, a pesky insect native to Japan that enjoys chewing on bamboo, are a frequent problem. They regrettably followed bamboo palms to the US, so many bamboo growers have to cope with them.
Bamboo appears yellow-green as a result of photosynthesis being hindered by bamboo mites, which like to bite the underside of the leaves and suck out juices (like a vampire).
The leaf and leaflets’ top and bottom should be cleaned with a soapy solution since it is your best alternative. The small boogers will be removed as a result. A systemic miticide that has been licensed for mites may also be used; it is absorbed throughout the plant and kills mites as they feed, but it must be applied repeatedly because it doesn’t destroy newly laid eggs. Repeat the wiping process until you are mite-free.
Ready to Bring Bamboo into Your Home?
Depending on your preferences, we provide high-quality bamboo palms in two distinct sizes. Check out our Before You Buy section if you’re new to our site so you’re ready for your new green friend. Check out our Receiving Your Plantsection as soon as you purchase your plant.
My bamboo palm can I leave outside in the summer?
You must create conditions that are similar to the plant’s tropical home in order to maintain its growth pace. Since this plant is from South America, it needs moisture and filtered light.
This plant can only be grown outdoors in the southern half of America, in zones 10 and 11.
Like many other plants, indoor palms will benefit from spending the summer outside. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that indoor palms will not thrive in direct sunshine, so if they are placed outside, shade must be provided.
Are humans poisoned by bamboo palms?
The following reasons make the plants on this list deserving of your attention:
- It has proven to be capable of phytomedicating well-known air contaminants indoors.
- It is safe for both humans and animals to consume.
- In a domestic context, it can grow rather easily.
Please take note: edible does not equate to nontoxic. Consuming a harmless plant may have unfavorable effects like stomach upset. When bringing new plants into your home, keep an eye on your dogs and young children and contact poison control, your neighborhood veterinarian, or the ASPCA right away if any plant matter is consumed.
Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)
The bamboo palm, commonly referred to as the reed palm, naturally grows in humid climates like those in Mexico and Central America.
It is a common indoor plant since it is a NASA Clean Air variety and is safe for humans, dogs, and cats to consume.
This graceful beauty may grow to a height of seven feet and makes a lovely botanical focal point with its fluffy green fronds and clusters of brown fibrous stalks. Yellow blooms are produced by it.
The bamboo palm is quite simple to maintain and is hardy and inexpensive. It grows well in low-light environments, just like all of NASA’s study plants. It does, however, thrive in brighter light as long as it is indirect.
Palms prefer moist, but not soggy, soil. I like to use an unadorned takeout chopstick to gauge the wetness.
This is how:
Simply bury one in the ground to a depth of approximately one-third the pot’s overall depth. It’s time to water if it’s dry when you take it out.
Your palm will let you know what it needs, like most plants do:
- If the fronds start to turn brown, you might need to provide additional water.
- If they are yellow, you might need to water the plant less or take it out of the sun.
- Discoloration and the emergence of what appear to be “dirt” on fronds but are actually small insects can both be signs of a mite infestation.
I prefer to use my electrostatic duster on the fronds each week as I clean because dust and dryness are appealing to these pests.
After using the duster, make sure to shake it outside before washing it.
Additionally, the misting that I advise is another approach to prevent small vermin from establishing a home. If you have access to a shower or the outdoors, give your palm a good rinse every so often.
If, despite your best efforts, you find signs of mites, prepare a solution by combining one tablespoon of baby shampoo or another mild soap with half a gallon of water.
Test your mixture on the top and bottom of one frond using a spray bottle. If everything is fine, wait a day to make sure it doesn’t harm your plant, and then spray each leaf in the same way.
To keep mites at bay, this treatment may be repeated periodically. If that doesn’t work, get some insecticidal soap from your neighborhood nursery and use it as directed.
Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
Gerberas are harmless to humans, dogs, and cats, making them another one of NASA’s wonder plants.
This daisy-like flower, which comes in a rainbow of hues and grows in clusters in perennial beds, has green lobed, hairy leaves and is frequently displayed outside.
It’s interesting that while it’s not a member of the daisy family, it is related to the sunflower (just like sunchokes are), and is frequently the highlight of cut bouquets.
Gerberas will survive low light, much like all of NASA’s study kinds. However, they favor a few hours of morning sunlight each day.
The gerbera needs just enough moisture to prevent its roots from drying up because it is a plant from an arid environment.
I insert a clean, dry chopstick or finger two to three inches into the ground, and if it comes up dry, I know it’s time to water.
When water starts to drip from the drainage holes, I like to take my gerbera to the kitchen sink and gently run the tap over the dirt. I leave it there until the drip stops, at which point I move it back to a bright area.
Instead of a florist who normally sells cut flowers, get gerberas from a nursery, and steer clear of buying during the times when gifts are being given for the holidays.
Plants produced as gifts frequently die off soon after flowering because they weren’t raised for longevity.
When a gerbera blooms, be sure to remove any spent flowers by making a clean cut just above the leaves along the stem.
This process, known as “deadheading,” redistributes energy to sustain subsequent flowering.