Is Rice Water Good For Bamboo Plants?

is rice water good for bamboo plants

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Organic, homemade fertilizers are an excellent way to feed your plants without running the risk of burning or harming them. Rice water has become a popular way of supplementing house plants. But is it any good for bamboo plants, specifically?

Rice water is rich in potassium and nitrogen, which bamboo needs to thrive. Rice water can benefit your bamboo plant as long as you don’t overwater the plant and bog down the roots or change the soil’s pH level too much.

Rice water is supposed to be an excellent organic fertilizer for plants, but can it benefit bamboo plants specifically? And if so, how frequently should it be used?

Is Rice Water Good For Bamboo Plants?

There is lots of data to support the benefits of rice water in growing plants, but even if you’re not overly scientific about it, there is a certain logic in using rice water – at least in relation to tap water. With loads of nutrients and minerals, rice water has been known to increase the production of fruit and flowers in some plants. But is it any good for bamboo specifically?

While regular plants can benefit extensively from organic fertilizers like rice water, bamboo is unique in some ways. Let’s break down what it’s like to grow bamboo.

Unique Requirements of Bamboo Plants 

To grow bamboo successfully, there are a few things you need to know – and before you consider whether rice water makes a good fertilizer, it helps to understand what bamboo needs to thrive. With a variety of bamboo types, here are some commonalities you should understand:

  • Bamboo thrives when soil is moist and well-drained. The wet or boggy ground won’t be good for your bamboo, nor will dry conditions.
  • Acidic soil is best for bamboo, with pH levels needing to be managed appropriately.
  • Bamboo plants proliferate and are known as “hungry” plants – they require regular watering and should be fertilized with a balanced, specific fertilizer. 
  • Bamboo thrives in soil rich with nitrogen, potassium, and silica. Salt is very bad for bamboo, however.

To see if rice water ascribes to these requirements, let’s look at what it is and whether it will benefit bamboo plants specifically.

What Is Rice Water?

Rice water is the liquid that is poured off washed or cooked rice after some of the starch, minerals, and nutrients have seeped into the water. In theory, water contains all the elements that plants can benefit from, including vitamins, carbohydrates, and bacteria-stimulating starches. 

Benefits of Using Rice Water As a Fertilizer

There are numerous advantages to be gained from using rice water with your plants, which include the following:

  • Rice water contains high amounts of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K) – these are essentials needed for plants to thrive
  • Organic and chemical-free fertilizer that can’t burn or harm your plants and is environmentally friendly
  • A good way of recycling or reusing the liquid you’re cooking with – it’s easy to obtain and costs less
  • Starches in the rice water provide carbohydrates for the plant to use to form energy
  • Carbohydrates ferment and promote the growth of good bacteria in the soil, which breaks down organic materials in the soil and, in turn, become good nutrients for the plant.

So, Is Rice Water Good For Bamboo?

Considering that rice water contains nutrients like potassium and nitrogen, which bamboo plants require to thrive, it’s a good bet that using this organic fertilizer will benefit your bamboo plant. And since bamboo loves to be watered – especially when it’s still young – it can gain added nutrients when you use this chemical-free liquid to water it.

However, it’s important to note that bamboo is averse to salt, so if your rice water contains any salt, you should avoid using it entirely. Naturally, rice water already has some salt, so be careful not to over-fertilize with it as it can also cause buildup and leave salts behind.

Lastly, bamboo is sensitive to pH changes in the soil, and since it prefers acidic soil, you will need to confirm that the rice water you’re adding doesn’t change the levels of soil to being less acidic than is required for the bamboo to thrive.

In theory, being attentive to your bamboo, adding rice water to its feed, and ensuring good drainage of the roots is most vital – your bamboo can only benefit from sporadic use of rice water as a fertilizer while ensuring the roots don’t become bogged down by too much liquid. 

Cautionary Things To Remember

While there are many benefits to using rice water, there are also some issues people have noticed when using it as a fertilizer or booster for their plants. Firstly, while rice water promotes bacterial growth, not all of this is good for your plants. It has also been known to cause severe fungal problems, which can lead to your plants dying.

Other things to remember include rice water potentially hardening the soil, attracting pests that feed off the starch, and sour odors from fermented starch. If you will use rice water, do so sparingly and only occasionally. It’s also best to consider the most appropriate method of watering for your specific plant. 

How To Make Rice Water For Your Plants

Rice water for plants can be made in one of three ways: 

  • Soaking or washing: Cover the rice in water and let it stand. Agitate the rice by stirring and pour of the starchy, opaque liquid. 
  • Boiling or cooking the rice: While some pour the boiling water off and let it cool, others heat the rice granules in a pan and grind them down in a blender before straining them over water. Theoretically, this releases the most nutrients into the water. 
  • Fermented rice water: Allowing the carbohydrates in the rice water to ferment before using it is said to release the most potential for stimulating good bacterial colonies.

How To Apply Rice Water As a Fertilizer

For bamboo, regular watering is required to keep the plants growing at their best, but one of the most common issues with bamboo is bogging down the roots with too much water, which will see the plants discolor, fade, and even rot. What, then, is the best way to use rice water on your bamboo plants?

Firstly, don’t add to a watering regime, as that will be too much liquid for your bamboo plant. Instead, use the rice water in one of your watering sessions every second week. If your bamboo is potted, it is advisable to add bamboo water to a tray and sit the pot in the tray and let the roots absorb the water.

Be sure to monitor the quality of your soil and the pH levels, and ensure no residue or crust is forming due to too much starch. The most vital aspect of watering, supplementing, and fertilizing your bamboo is to ensure the roots have adequate drainage.

Final Thoughts

Rice water has been proven to have many benefits when used as a plant fertilizer. With high potassium and nitrogen counts, it can also be beneficial to bamboo plants that specifically require these elements to thrive. While research has shown that rice water is most beneficial for plants with lots of foliage, fruit, or flowers, bamboo can benefit from careful, moderate use of rice water, provided all its other needs are met.  

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