Thanks to its tall, bushy growth, the fast-growing room bamboo (bot. Pogonatherum paniceum) is an attractive plant both for indoor culture and for keeping on the balcony or terrace. In addition, the sweet grass scores with its easy-care simplicity. If its preferences in terms of location and care are taken into account, you will enjoy the plant for many years.

The indoor bamboo needs a lot of light

Table of Contents

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  1. origin and use
  2. appearance and growth
  3. leaves
  4. flowers and fruits
  5. toxicity
  6. Which location is suitable?
  7. substrate
  8. plant and repot
  9. Pour room bamboo
  10. Fertilize indoor bamboo properly
  11. Cut room bamboo correctly
  12. Propagating indoor bamboo
  13. hibernate
  14. diseases and pests
  15. species and varieties

    16. origin and use

    Some quite different plants are commercially available under the name “room bamboo”. In fact, it is basically not a botanical plant name, but a trivial name. In general, the sweet grass species Pogonatherum paniceum, which is widespread in India, Sri Lanka, Burma and parts of China, is meant by the name "room bamboo".

    Despite the apparent similarities, Pogonatherum paniceum is not even remotely related to the true bamboo species and cultivars, but instead is more closely related to the corn native to South America. With us, the bushy and uncomplicated plant is often used as a houseplant, but also to beautify balconies and terraces - for example as a privacy screen. Due to the lack of winter hardiness, the indoor bamboo must not be planted in the garden.

    Sometimes the species is also offered as "cat grass" in specialist shops. However, true cat grass - botanically Cyperus zumula - belongs to the sedge family. Traders do not always use the correct botanical names of the different plant species correctly, which often leads to confusion and also makes care more difficult.

    appearance and growth

    The growth of the indoor bamboo is very reminiscent of the real bamboo, even if it is not one. The evergreen and clump-forming plant develops numerous stalks, which are usually between 30 and 50 centimeters, but sometimes can be significantly higher. These culms branch out at the top, so that the indoor bamboo looks quite bushy overall. Once the height has increased, the plant continues to grow steadily, but only in width thanks to the underground rhizomes.

    leaves

    The soft, light green leaves of the indoor bamboo are alternate and arranged close to the upright stalks. The foliage is very narrow and up to seven centimeters long. Pogonatherum paniceum is evergreen and keeps its leaves all year round.

    flowers and fruits

    At its natural location, Pogonatherum paniceum develops yellowish, inconspicuous spike flowers between June and August, which only very rarely appear in indoor culture. If you want to make the indoor bamboo bloom, you should take care of it on the balcony or terrace over the summer months at temperatures of more than 20 °C and, above all, ensure that there is sufficient light - if it is too dark, the plant will not produce any flowers.

    If fertilization takes place during the flowering period, nut fruits called caryopsis then develop, which are typical of the grass family. Under favorable conditions, indoor bamboo tends to self-seed, because its seeds begin to germinate quickly when they come into contact with the ground.

    toxicity

    Pogonatherum paniceum is only slightly poisonous as a young plant, but later the toxins contained break down. Instead, the problem is the hard, sharp-edged leaves, which can easily cut you.

    Which location is suitable?

    The indoor bamboo needs a lot of light for healthy growth, but must not be in the blazing sun during the summer months. In particular, the plant should be protected from intense sunlight during midday. Otherwise, Pogonatherum paniceum feels very comfortable when it is warm, with temperatures of 20 °C and more being ideal. On the other hand, it must not get cooler than 16 °C, as the houseplant, which comes from tropical and subtropical Asia, is very sensitive to it.

    substrate

    The room bamboo thrives excellently in commercially available flower or house plant soil. You can mix this with gravel, sand or expanded clay (€19.73) for better drainage. If possible, choose a quality compost-based substrate as this can absorb and drain water more easily than peat soil, which hardens quickly. Furthermore, the plant also feels very comfortable in hydroponics, which further reduces the already low maintenance effort.

    plant and repot

    Since the room bamboo grows more and more in width over the years, you should regularly move it to a larger pot. Choose a planter that is as wide as possible and made of a heavy material so that the plant does not accidentally tip over one day. Young plants need a lot of space for their roots and for the formation of new clumps and should therefore be repotted once a year. For older plants, it is sufficient to carry out this measure every two to three years.

    Pour room bamboo

    Regular and even watering is immensely important for the well-being of the indoor bamboo. Don't let the substrate dry out, but don't water too much either: Permanently too much moisture in the potting soil leads to root rot, which will sooner or later cause the plant to die. Before each watering, do a finger test first: If the substrate has dried on the surface, Pogonatherum paniceum tolerates watering again. During very warm phases or a short absence in the summer months, you can place the plant in a saucer filled with water - but then the plant pot must have holes in the bottom so that the roots can absorb the water.

    Room bamboo is getting brown leaves, what to do?

    If the indoor bamboo suddenly develops brown, dry leaves, there is usually a problem with the water supply behind it. Either you water the plant too much - due to the resulting root rot, the plant can no longer absorb enough water and dries up - or too little. In order to find the right cause, unpot the plant and examine the roots: if they are muddy and damp, or maybe they smell rotten, then you need to act as quickly as possible. Remove the attached soil, cut away the rotting roots and repot the plant in a fresh, dry substrate. Water them less in the future. On the other hand, if the indoor bamboo is too dry, simply water more - but be careful not to overdo it with water. Otherwise you will soon have the opposite problem.

    Fertilize indoor bamboo properly

    Between April and October, give the indoor bamboo commercial, liquid flower or green plant fertilizer about every two to three weeks (the smaller the plant and the pot, the less often it is fertilized). There is no fertilization during the winter months.

    Cut room bamboo correctly

    A pruning is not necessary because the indoor bamboo develops a beautiful growth habit all by itself. You should only cut off brown and dried stalks directly at the base. However, avoid such pruning work during the winter months, as the plant is now in its dormant phase and can react quite sensitively to disturbances.
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    Propagating indoor bamboo

    Over time, a room bamboo can become quite extensive, which is why it is advisable to divide large and wide specimens in spring - preferably in one go with repotting. To do this, simply unpot the plant, gently shake off the adhering soil and divide the root system into several sections. If necessary, you can also use a sharp, clean knife for this. However, be careful not to damage the roots more than is absolutely necessary: unfortunately, this often leads to the formation of brown leaves.

    Propagation by root suckers

    It is preferable to separate off the clearly visible root runners, which you then first place in a glass with water. Change the water regularly and place the jar in a warm and bright spot. When the offshoots have developed sufficiently strong roots of their own, plant them in a pot with a suitable substrate.

    propagation by cuttings

    Furthermore, vegetative propagation via cuttings ten to fifteen centimeters long, which are also cut in the spring, is also possible. These require a constant warm temperature of at least 20 °C and high humidity, which you can in turn create with a translucent cover.

    Sow room bamboo

    If your room bamboo develops spikes, you can also use them for propagation. Simply stick them in a small pot of potting soil, keep slightly moist, air tense with a translucent cover and wait a few weeks. If the plant that has grown from the seeds is about ten centimeters high, you can repot it in normal substrate and care for it as usual.
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    hibernate

    It is advantageous to keep the indoor bamboo slightly cooler at around 18 °C during the winter months than in summer and to water it less and stop fertilizing. This hibernation helps the plant to survive the low-light season more easily. But be careful: If yellow or brown leaves appear on the plant, you should water it more often and/or fertilize it occasionally. Basically, however, special hibernation measures are not necessary, but then you should ensure sufficient brightness - for example with suitable lighting.

    diseases and pests

    The indoor bamboo is a very hardy indoor plant that is rarely attacked by diseases or pests. Symptoms of illness are often a reference to care errors, especially in relation to watering, or an unsuitable location. In particular, if the plant is too dark, too cool or too damp, problems can arise as a result of root rot.

    Spider mites or aphids sometimes get lost on the indoor bamboo as pests. However, you can get rid of them quite easily with the help of a shower jet.

    tips

    Even if the room bamboo is occasionally sold as "cat grass", the furry four-legged friend should not chew on its stalks: The rigid and sharp stalks can cause injuries and even get stuck in the throat.

    species and varieties

    There are no special cultivars of the type Pogonatherum paniceum (colloquially also known as seychelles grass or bamboo grass), which is usually referred to as indoor bamboo. Instead, there are some other indoor plant species that are quite similar in their appearance and in their care requirements:

    • Golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea): real bamboo, grows up to four meters high
    • Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana or D.braunii): similar to Pogonatherum paniceum
    • Bambusa multiplex: grows up to three meters high, not very tolerant of frost
    • Pleioblastus chino: up to one meter high, grows strongly in clumps and forms many runners, ideal for the balcony (frost-tolerant)

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Indoor plants