Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make an appointment to look at your inventory?

We are located on private agricultural property behind a couple of locked gates, so our customer experience is different than most retail nurseries. When contacting us to make an appointment, please be as specific as possible about your project needs and include any height limitations or other considerations. We can give give you advice over email on which varieties would be best for your project and make sure we have the plants in stock before you make a trip out to the nursery.

How do I receive my plants? Where do you deliver plants?

Our plants are available for free pick-up at our nursery in Waialua on the North Shore of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. Please contact us to make an appointment to pick up plants, or we will contact you after you complete a purchase. Delivery is available for an extra fee on Oʻahu. Please contact us with an idea of the size of your order and the delivery neighborhood and we will give you a delivery rate. In general, delivery fees can range from $150-$600 depending on the delivery neighborhood and size of the order.

Which bamboo plants are right for me?

We have our inventory organized by category to make browsing easy. We can also make specific recommendations if you email us at hello@oahubamboo.com. Please include photos of your planting area, as well as a brief description of what you want to accomplish in your space and any height restrictions. We can also send photos of specific plants in the nursery to help your decision-making.

Can I keep my bamboo plant in a pot?

Keeping bamboo in a large pot or other container requires selecting specific varieties. We have categorized those varieties on the Bamboo For Containers page of our inventory.

Can I keep my bamboo plant as an indoor plant?

We do not recommend keeping bamboo inside as an indoor plant, since our plants cannot survive with so little natural light. Instead we would recommend a palm suitable for indoor life, or a fake bamboo plant if you desire that aesthetic.

Do you sell plants for wholesale?

Yes, we sell plants for wholesale to nurseries on Oʻahu. Please email us at hello@oahubamboo.com for a wholesale price list.

What is your refund policy?

Due to the nature of nursery plant sales, we do not offer refunds on plants after delivery. If your plants have not yet been delivered and you would like to cancel your order, please contact us for a full refund. Once delivery has been scheduled, there are no returns or cancellations. Please refer to the bamboo care guide for advice on how to care for your plants.

What is the difference between pot sizes?

In general, bamboo plants of each variety will eventually mature to be about the same size as all other of that variety, depending on things like irrigation, soil, wind, and other environmental factors. The variety is the biggest consideration you should make when choosing a bamboo plant for your needs. As we propagate and up-pot bamboo plants, we move them to increasingly large pots. The smaller pots (in gallons) are generally less mature, younger plants. The larger pots are more mature, older plants. When you purchase the smaller pot sizes, it will take longer for that plant to eventually reach its full maturity. If you want a plant to grow quickly, we always recommend purchasing the largest size pot you can because those plants have had more time to mature and will grow the quickest once out-planted.

Is bamboo invasive in Hawaii?

There are two types of bamboo: running bamboo and clumping bamboo. Running bamboo is generally what people think of as invasive bamboo, and this is what you see in bamboo forests in Hawaii. Running bamboo plants are often cold-weather varieties, and their growing structure is exactly what it sounds like: new shoots pop up along an extensive rhizome system that tends to spread out. Clumping bamboo varieties, on the other hand, grow within a circular footprint. Clumping bamboo has a different rhizome structure than running bamboo. In clumping varieties, each rhizomes curves under and shoots upward to form a culm. Clumping varieties grow steadily outward from the center of the plant. At Oahu Bamboo, we only grow non-invasive, clumping varieties of bamboo. First, clumping bamboos are tropical varieties that are well-suited for Hawaii’s climate. Second, we have backgrounds in conservation and would never grow and sell invasive plants for folks to plant in their yards. While running varieties can be contained with some effort, there are many examples of plants getting out of control and becoming invasive. That being said, clumping varieties will also expand in diameter over time. That means that before planting a clumping bamboo, consideration should be made to ensure that there is adequate space for the plant. This is true for all clumping varieties, but especially for larger varieties, such as the Maxima or Java Black. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about which plant is right for your space!

Bamboo Planting & Care Guide

How do I plant bamboo?

Holes for planting should be about the size of the pot. However, wider is better than deeper because the plant roots are relatively shallow so you don't need a deep hole like you would for a tree. When you plant bamboo, the root ball should be the same level as the soil around it: you don't want to bury it or have it mounding out of the soil.

Spacing depends on the bamboo variety and the type of planting you want. In general, tighter spacing will result in shorter plants. However, if spacing is too tight you run the risk of plants withering from lack of light or moisture. After digging holes, we recommend prepping the soil with fertilizer by sprinkling some in each hole.

We recommend setting up automatic irrigation prior to plant delivery to ensure the plants can get in the ground immediately. This will help the bamboo’s health, since planting can cause a fair bit of shock as it adapts to its new environment. Irrigation lines should be set up for the type of bamboo planting you desire (hedging and/or stand-alone ornamental).

We are available to answer any specific spacing questions you have at time of purchase. We also offer landscaping services to plant and set up irrigation for an additional fee. Please contact us for more information.

How do I care for my bamboo plants?

Because nursery plants can be sensitive, we advise customers to prepare their areas for planting prior to getting the plants delivered. Each plant has unique needs, but in general bamboo plants should be planted in healthy soil with adequate light and irrigation. We recommend setting up some type of automatic irrigation such as drip irrigation. We also suggest using a fertilizer. We like Gro Power 8-8-8, but any generic turf fertilizer will do. Make sure to water your plants generously, especially in hot and dry areas and during the summer as plants are getting established. As a general rule of thumb, watering each plant every day for about 30 minutes (~1 gallon of water per day) will suffice. Let us know if you have any questions and we will be happy to give you more specific guidelines for your selected plants.

How do I keep bamboo in pots?

In general, keeping bamboo in pots will be more difficult than planting them in the ground. The main issue is that they will get dry more easily in pots. To remedy this, you will want to up-pot the plants into the largest possible pot size. Choose any potting soil mix for optimal water retention, and make sure to water the plants thoroughly. If they get dried out, they will become top-heavy and prone to falling over. Securing the pots or containers to the ground in some way can help mitigate this.

If you are looking for varieties that do better in containers, check out the three varieties on this page.

Can I hedge bamboo?

When you cut a bamboo culm, it does not continue growing from the top like a tree. That culm will remain the height that you cut it. This makes hedging bamboo pretty easy, particularly the varieties with slender culms like Variegated Malay Dwarf, Alphonse Karr and Slender Weavers.