It'll grow dont worry,if it is very root bound make sure you water it properly.
cheers

I have had a Budda for 3 years, the leaves and flowers are great, it has only one main stalk. How do I get the belly to grow instead of the height ?

pwcoffey,

Did you say FLOWERS?! Hat to break it to ya, but if its flowering, it has a high possibility of dying. :(

Bamboo dies once it flowers, and rarely stays alive past flowering. It is very rare to see bamboo flower though.

As for getting the bellies and not the height, I'm working on doing the same with my Buddha. I heard that depriving it of water is the best way.

Well it has had flowers every year. yes I let it stay dry
I have seen several pict of Budda Bellys with the tall orange/red flowers. I will email you a picture

Thanks :)

I got your picture. That plant looks very nice But I think the buddha's people are talking about here, are Buddha Belly bamboo (Bambusa Ventricosa)

http://bamboogarden.com/Bambusa%20ventricosa.html

Sounds like you have something other than bamboo, if it is flowers every year.

Also, if your talking about Bambusa Ventricosa, then once a culm emerges, you cannot make it 'belly' if it doesn't grow that way. Stress is best for making it belly. Lack of water and lack of nutrients or being rootbound in a pot will help cause the new shoots to emerge with bellies.

A more reliable bellying bamboo is B. vulgaris 'Wamin' which will belly reliably no matter what the environment it is in. However, it is less cold hardy, but does very well in a pot.

Kt

Hi Kt and Kid... how goes it? My buddahs are just beginning to sprout new culms in the outdoor planters... the 2 I kept indoors as my bonsai project kept re leafing all the time...
need to take new pics. Mine arent flowering ;-)

The clumping Moso sent up 10 more culms all touching the one next to the other... weird I know.

CJ, that is an interesting Moso that you have growing there. It will be interesting yo see what it does next year.

Kt

Oh and BD... by placing the Buddah into the ground it is quite likely that it will soon revert back to its normal full culm growth habit and not show bellys again. The Planter, water and fert deprivation are what induce the morphed look.