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ALTHOUGH it is without doubt easy to grow anything in the garden either on the ground or in pots, nevertheless, at times, it can be a problem in the choice of the variety of plants.Some may be too tall and skinny, while others may be too round, bulging and rotund.  Yet there are those that seasonally go through a period of heavy shedding of leaves and becomes botak. Still, there are some with wrinkly and crimpled bark that are not too far different from the saggy, deeply crinkled, once-proud comb of a tottering old cockerel.

Whatever it is, the advice from horticulturists is that you should grow and keep the varieties that you enjoy.  Alternatively, you can also grow those that can make lots of money, such as in nurseries, market-gardening or even tourism-related greens. The best way is to grow and enjoy the plants while they grow up, and one fine day, if someone with deep pockets comes along and make an irresistible offer, why not?

But the problem  can be much compounded by the difficulty in finding plants that are suitable for all conditions, meaning indoors, outdoors, shaded or exposed, and situations such as in homes, open spaces, offices and buildings, traffic islands, highways, parks or playgrounds. Even ghettoes, shacks, slums or squatter zones have plenty of shrubs and trees planted probably by illegal immigrants and squatters as a means to cover up the colony from prying eyes and subsequent raids by the authorities.

Having said that, what would a house, a condo, an office or a commercial building deserve most in the form of a plant for all occasions and situations?  Of course the ‘Japanese Bamboo’ is recommended. This is the local jargon for Dracaena surculosa punctulata which is sometimes also called Spotted Dracaena due to the presence of large numbers of yellow mottles or spots on the foliage. Just can’t imagine a multimillion ringgit property, or a project worth hundreds of million ringgit but with poorly matched or ill-fitting greens that only merge awkwardly and jaggedly with the rest of the space. But whatever its name, it does not matter much for many gardening enthusiasts so long as it can be recognised as a wonderful plant and can be cultivated with fruitful results without much problem. The Japanese Bamboo is a highly flexible plant that is most suitable for virtually every location where it can grow perfectly well both under or without shelter as long as there is minimal amount of diffused light. Even if fully exposed to the sun, the plant may still remain alright if it has been sufficiently acclimatised prior to the relocation.

Having fulfilled these conditions, the scenario where the plant can be suitably and gainfully applied is wide indeed.  This is why it is often seen in many homes, offices and gardens growing beautifully on the ground or in all kinds of containers.

As an ornamental, the Japanese Bamboo is grown mainly for its beautiful glossy foliage and tall, slim and wiry stems. As it is widely cultivated, the popularity rating for this variety of plant has always been and is still very high.  The reason is that firstly, the plant is physically a very attractive and classy decorative ornamental. It has bamboo-shaped leaves which are coloured faintly yellow to dark green. On the leaf surface can be found the characteristic blotchings that are of a lighter colour and distributed all over the surface.  With well-grown plants, the leaf surface has a waxy feel and glossy shine. And being a rugged plant, it should pose no problem to growers because if it is well-taken care of, it will turn out to be lush green and luxuriant, and if it is neglected, it will still survive, though, but will nevertheless remain scraggly and scrawny.

How to grow the Japanese bamboo

Any gardening enthusiast who is able to visualise what a Japanese Bamboo is, has already acquired a certain level of expert skill, and should be able to rub shoulders with horticulturists and agriculturists, and perhaps banter around on topics of mutual interests. For instance, the easiest method to start growing the plant is, without saying, to use ready plants obtained from a nursery. A large mature clump taken from a broken pot can normally yield a large number of plantlets that can be easily separated and planted individually in order to increase its numbers within the location. Another easy route is to use cuttings taken from old plants or from the leftovers of a pruning exercise. Such cuttings may be trimmed to lengths of 10-15 cm each and then inserted into a good soil where new plants can be had within 6-8 weeks. Cuttings root readily with sufficient moisture and shade, and new shoots should be visible in 4-6 weeks from insertion into a good germination or growing medium. When sufficiently firm and sturdy, they can be transplanted into pots for them to mature into a slightly bushy form. To transplant them directly onto the ground, it is better to let them grow to a height of 0.5-1.0 metre as it would by then be more meaningfully visible, as well as being better positioned to compete with weeds for space, light, water and nutrients. Growing the Japanese Bamboo on the ground is basically a breeze-through.  Just prepare a suitably-sized hole, throw in some manure and NPK, and stir a bit in the same way that a cauldron of kari kentang ayam is stirred. Then get hold of the young plant with its rootball intact and place it in the centre of the hole.  Spread some soil around the base of the plant while firming and stabilising it. Give it a good watering and the job is done.  When grown on the ground, a Japanese Bamboo cluster of mature size should be able to attain a height of 2.5-3.5 metres.

With container-bound plants, the principle is basically the same.  In fact, some people can even yawn all the way through the entire planting exercise, and yet be able to obtain amazing results.  To begin with, just prepare and manure the soil before the transplanting or repotting. With the bigger pots, such as the 30 cm or 45 cm types, the Japanese Bamboo can grow incredibly vigorously. Very quickly, it begins to send up light green to whitish coloured asparagus-like young shoots that push through and above the soil surface. Under optimum conditions, these shoots grow really fast, and may add 20 cm of height in a single week. A fairly good-sized planting container should be able to keep the plant growing beautifully for many years without the need for a change.

Usually, there are great benefits to be gained from the cultivation of the Japanese Bamboo using all kinds of planting containers or even planter boxes made of steel, wood or concrete. This is because the entire contraption becomes more versatile while being mobile, meaning that it can be moved around to redecorate or redesign the garden, or simply to rearrange the greens either indoors or outdoors.

Maintenance of the Japanese bamboo

All cultivated plants need care and maintenance, unless it is intended to be left to nature to care for them. The saying that producing, caring and maintenance must, of necessity, always go together for success to be attained, is not much different from humans who know how to produce and also be responsible for caring and maintaining whatever is produced.

Therefore, to keep the Japanese Bamboo in good shape and condition, it is necessary to provide good upkeep of the plant.  A fertile, well-drained loam with a generous amount of manure and NPK is best for its growth. Once the plant is getting by steadily and firmly, additional applications of nutrients may be given once in 1-3 months, together with a spray of soluble foliage fertiliser.  Even just an application once every 6 months is acceptable.  Fortunately, the plant is extremely hardy and can withstand a lot of belt-tightening as is evidenced by the recent nation-wide lockdown where most commercial activities were reduced to zero, including outlets selling fertilisers and manures.

Watering is important but overdoing it is bad, which is the same for any other plant, unless it is an aquatic plant such as water hyacinth or water lily. The question of providing shade is flexible as the Japanese Bamboo can survive well both indoors and outdoors.  Shaded plants always result in greener and more glossy leaves while those exposed to the sun are likely to suffer a certain degree of bleaching thus turning some of the leaves into a pale yellow. When placed indoors, some in large containers can stay put for years without any issue. In fact, a plant that is well-maintained is able to sustain itself at the same location for so long that it can probably be handed down from grandpa to grandson, perhaps with a change or two of the planting container along the way.

Occasionally, the Japanese Bamboo produces a number of thin and straggly shoots, and sometimes, the form of the plant becomes an eyesore due to unrefined manicuring. When this happens, a wholesome pruning should be resorted to in order to get rid of all weak, unkempt and spindly parts of the plant.  At the same time, skilful pruning also helps to shape the plant into a form that is more attractive and desirable.

Earthing-up and soil replenishment is also required once in a couple of years but this is more based on visual judgement whereby fresh enriched soil is added to fill in the volume lost as a result of careless watering. It is also beneficial to lightly remove a superficial layer of the old, exhausted soil at the top prior to adding in the fresh soil.  In this way, the plant may be kept healthy for many more years without always having to change the container.