Dwarf Bamboo Care And Display
Dwarf Bamboo in the genus Sasa is a common ground cover and makes a good accent.
This is a moss ball, or kokedama, planting. A kokedama doesn’t have a pot, it’s just a mass of roots and soil.
Sasa is a vigorous grower and can fill out fast. This one has grown out well but could use a touch up before using it in display.
After cutting out half the stems, I stood back for a look. In Japan I was taught to remove the lower growth and thin grasses and bamboo in the summer to give a light, breezy feeling, rather than a heavy one. By those standards this isn’t there yet.
After cutting away another set of stems. Now perhaps there’s the feeling of an airy bamboo patch.
In display you might pair this accent with an object or scroll of a cricket to suggest a summer night. Or a dragonfly for a summer day.
Dwarf bamboo is a thirsty plant compared to other accents. A heavy trim reduces transpiration and can ease summer care. It likes constant fertilizer and light shade in the growing season, or the leaves will turn yellowish.
4 Comments
Thank you Michael for sharing this knowledge. How old is this one and how often do you remake it?
Hi Ray, we put this together about 6 years ago, and haven’t repotted it. Most moss balls are relatively self-maintaining. You might split one, however, to refresh it, if a dwarf bamboo is getting weak.
I get reducing transpiration. I get negative space.
Does the actual end result please your eye more than untrimmed or partially trimmed editions? The answer is almost certainly “yes,” as you’ve shared them with us. But you say “…By these standards…” suggesting to me an openness to other standards? Might you try a different look on some future version?
Great question! By the standards of the tradition, is maybe a better phrasing of my meaning. In this instance I do like the traditional guidance, and do appreciate the airiness of that plant after thinning to this degree. The blog is I admit confusing sometimes because for the most part I offer what I learned of the tradition. But then I also have my personal work which is often a sideways adventure. Such as 3D printed slabs under smaller trees, or countertop materials under large forests. But I haven’t gotten too adventuresome with moss balls, though that is an intriguing idea. Sometimes a new way of presenting an old idea might be enough to freshen it up. It’s a great thought!