Bamboo Plant Information and Care
Posted by in Bamboo Plant on July 4, 2011
Did you know that there are over 2,000 different varieties of bamboo plant in the world? One of these varieties may be just the right touch to give your home that exotic or unique look that you are searching for. They can be grown in a container garden inside or as a privacy screen outside, or even just as a natural barrier between two different areas of landscaping. It was thought for many years that because bamboo is a grass that it was a fairly simple plant, but it is actually very highly evolved. While one bamboo plant blooms every year, others may bloom only once in a hundred years. It is said that you can even see bamboo growing-some grows at the astonishing rate of 12 inches a day. For gardeners and non-gardeners alike, growing bamboo can be a fun hobby. Did you know that you can get a bamboo plant that comes in colors other than yellow or gold? The stems can be burgundy, blue, and black-even the leaves come in different shades and color variations as well.
Where To Look And What To Look For
If you can find a nursery in your area that has a variety of bamboo plant for sale this is ideal. It means that it will probably grow in your area. If not, you will need to go online and search for sources of bamboo that will grow in your area. Bamboo can grow in all different climates, not just tropical ones. You should pick a bamboo plant that is well-acclimated to your day and night temperatures and your soil type.
As you are looking for bamboo, you will also need to consider where you are going to be planting the bamboo. The varieties that grow to 50 feet in height will not be good for indoor planting. If you are planting indoors the climate is not as much of an issue for which bamboo plant you choose. The varieties that spread across a large area, but only grow a few inches in height will not be suitable for a barrier or privacy screen.
Tips On Caring For Your Bamboo
- Bamboo is fairly simple to grow because it is a hardy plant-but you need to know a few basic rules. All varieties of bamboo need a lot of sunshine so positioning is the key. In the beginning the young plants need a lot of water. But, if you water your bamboo plant too much it will begin to yellow and it could die. Those plants that seem to be thriving without any special care probably just have the ideal situation for their survival.
- Use the same type of fertilizer for your bamboo plant that you would use for your grass (but not the weed and feed variety.) You can also use natural fertilizers like manure or other animal byproduct fertilizers with success. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Amazing Plant and Flower Facts
Posted by in Amazing Flower, Amazing Plant on July 4, 2011
Rafflesia Arnoldi
The world’s largest and rarest flower is from the jungles of Southeast Asia. The rafflesia arnoldi can reach a diameter of up to three feet and weigh as much as fifteen pounds. This heavy flower is pollinated by beetles and flies. It has no roots, leaves or stems and the disembodied blossom grows only as a parasite on the vines of another plant.The large single flower has no chlorophyll. The huge fleshy, fungus like petals are reddish-brown spotted with white. Very little is known about the rafflesia arnoldi because it is difficult to travel deep into the dense rainforest. It has been impossible to duplicate its environment in which it lives therefore it has been unattainable to grow it in confinement. When the flower is ready for reproduction it gives off a potent stench of decay to attract its insect pollinators. The flowers can be smelled long before they are seen. This rare flower is near extinction because of the destruction of its habitat, the rainforest.
Water Lilies
The royal, or giant, water lily is one of the wonders of the plant world. On the Amazon River, their buds begin to open in the morning and by mid-afternoon are fully opened, staying open all night. Among all the blossoms, only one flower opens at a time. The huge leaves of the water lily can reach up to six feet across and are strong enough to support the weight of a child. Water lilies are probably the oldest group of flowering plants. The earliest known fossilized pollen originated from one of these plants about 140 million years ago.
Bromeliad Plants
Bromeliads claim their home on tree branches. These types of plants are called epiphytic plants; flowers that cling on to other plants for support. The Tillandsia is a rootless bromeliad, a true “air” plant that lives on the nutrients in moist air. The bromeliad makes its home on the branches using their roots as anchorages only and not to take nourishment from their host.
Moving Flowers
Plants do not have a nervous system, but they are capable of movement. Their rudimentary sensitivities can cause reactions to environmental factors such as light. This is called tropism and the movements are called tropism. Sunflowers are especially “phototropic”, growing in response to light. A field of sunflowers will follow the sun as it moves across the sky during the day. Keeping their “faces” to the sun ensures that the flowers mature, are pollinated and ripen their seeds. At night, the sunflower stems slowly return to their natural upright position. The individual sunflowers in a row will move at slightly different speeds, but overall will follow the same track. Read the rest of this entry »