Loose sand is the most suitable soil for plant growth. The growth characteristics of arhat bamboo are that it likes moist pot soil, needs sufficient light, and the planting environment needs moist air. Different from other kinds of bamboos, Arhat bamboo has low cold resistance, and can only withstand light frost and temporary low temperature of about 0℃. Indoor maintenance is needed in winter, and the room temperature should be kept above 10℃. If the room temperature is below 4℃, plants may suffer from freezing injury.
The problem that beginners often encounter when planting arhat bamboo is to make arhat bamboo thinner and thinner. Until the end, the characteristics of Buddha belly are not obvious. According to my planting experience, there are four main reasons. First, there are too many buds left in autumn; second, there are too many improper pruning of bamboo shoots; third, there is too much or disproportionate fertilization; and fourth, there is insufficient light.
First, there are too many buds in autumn. According to planting observation, bamboo shoots germinated in spring can generally swell out of Buddha's belly, while bamboo shoots germinated in autumn are easy to grow white, with slender bamboo joints and thin internodes, which cannot form Buddha's belly. Therefore, for the bamboo shoots sprouting in autumn, it is necessary to cut them off in time to preserve the nutrition for the bamboo shoots sprouting by plants.
Second, the arhat bamboo is not properly trimmed. Both spring bamboo shoots and autumn bamboo shoots grow very fast in the early stage of germination. Idioms that have mushroomed mean two things, one is a large development area, and the other is a fast development speed. After a spring rain, bamboo shoots can grow to about one meter high overnight. Some people say that it is a bit exaggerated to hear the sound of bamboo shoots growing at night. The purpose is to explain that it is necessary to artificially control the overgrown bamboo shoots in the early stage of spring germination of arhat bamboo. The control method is to peel off the bamboo shoots layer by layer, carefully peel off several layers around the vigorous bamboo shoots, and only keep the middle leaf buds to prevent the bamboo shoots from growing wildly. Repeat it several times. Another point is coring. According to the needs of planting, when the new buds grow to a certain height, the top needs to be removed to promote the growth of the trunk.
Third, excessive or disproportionate use of fertilizers. Luohanzhu doesn't like being fat. As we know, most ancestors of bamboo grew up in barren mountainous areas or desolate places. Long-term growth environment has formed the growth habit of not needing heavy fertilizer. If there is too much fertilizer in the pot soil and plants grow too fast, it will be difficult to grow Buddha's belly. Another reason is that the nitrogen content in fertilizer is too high, which easily leads to white growth of plants. Therefore, phosphorus-rich potassium fertilizer should be used for top dressing of Phyllostachys pubescens to avoid too many times and too much fertilization. In the peak season of plant growth from March to September, decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer can be applied once a month. Potted bamboo is the best if calcium, magnesium, phosphorus or decomposed livestock manure is used as base fertilizer.
Fourth, the lack of light is also one of the reasons why the Buddha's belly can't be presented. In the early stage of bamboo shoot germination and growth, it is necessary to maintain sufficient light, only in this way can bamboo shoots thrive. During the germination of Phyllostachys pubescens, it is difficult to form a Buddha's belly if it is maintained in a place with insufficient indoor light.
There are two main propagation modes of Phyllostachys pubescens, one is ramet propagation, and the other is cutting propagation. The branching time is in February every year, and the cutting time is best in March-May every year. Either way, you need to choose bamboo shoots well. Bamboo mainly looks at the stems with short swollen internodes like Buddha's belly. So it is impossible to choose a straight bamboo pole without a big belly as a breeding seedling.