Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Arrow leaf bamboo - why are the leaves going brown/dying from the tips?

neil.holbrookneil.holbrook Posts: 6
in Plants
I have an arrow leaf bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica) which I've had for 2 years in a big pot and over the past 6 months the leaves have been dying/going brown from the tips. It's still shooting and these look green and healthy. 
It's in a partial shade, partial sunny position and is watered regularly. I have another one in the same sized pot and garden position a few feet away and this one still looks healthy. Any suggestions as to what could be causing this please? Photos attached

 

Posts

  • neil.holbrookneil.holbrook Posts: 6
    edited May 2019
    Thanks @Philippasmith2 , I've checked the pot and there's definitely plenty of room for the roots so that's not the problem. And my garden is very secluded with little wind. I'll try watering it more often but it's strange that the matching bamboo (in the same size pot and 4 feet away from the other) is still looking green and healthy!
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Looking at the size of that pot in pic.2 , in my opinion it is far too small to sustain a plant of that size .
    Full sunshine and drying winds are not always good recipes for healthy plants ; regarding the second bamboo , perhaps the roots have broken through the pot base to find more nutritious soil  .
  • neil.holbrookneil.holbrook Posts: 6
    Thanks @Paul B3 - the pot is actually huge - it's a 80 litre dustbin but in the pic other plants are covering it. It's in partial shade as it has a tree above it, so only gets full sun for a couple of hours and there is very little wind. It was very healthy for the first 18 months and has gradually gone brown over about the last 6 months. Very odd!
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    edited May 2019
    I stand (actually sitting) corrected   ;) hope someone can advise you on the problem .
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Could the drainage holes have become blocked?  Waterlogged roots give similar symptoms to drought.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Just reading back, I think Philippa has the possible answer. If the roots are filling that pot, it's at the expense of the soil, and therefore nutrients, not just water.
    The root systems become huge very quickly, and when they aren't in the ground, they have nothing to sustain them. It's why many bamboos struggle in pots, regardless of the size.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • neil.holbrookneil.holbrook Posts: 6
    Thanks @BobTheGardener, the drainage holes may have become blocked - will check that out :-) 
  • margaretholley1pGpml0xEmargaretholley1pGpml0xE Posts: 1
    neil.holbrook said:
    Thanks @Philippasmith2 , I've checked the pot and there's definitely plenty of room for the roots so that's not the problem. And my garden is very secluded with little wind. I'll try watering it more often but it's strange that the matching bamboo (in the same size pot and 4 feet away from the other) is still looking green and healthy!All the leaves on my bamboo have gone brown and its in the ground there a another 3 right next to it and they are fine any suggestions, it was in a pot 
Sign In or Register to comment.