The vast majority of clumpers are sub-tropical or tropical, althought there are a few that are extremely cold hardy, most of those can’t handle the heat in the southeast.Because of this, all I grow and sell are the running types of bamboo. What tools do you need for propagating bamboo? Allow bamboo leaves around the plants. Bamboo is one of the most decorative and useful members of the grass family. Dig a trench at least 60cm (2ft) deep, but ideally 1.2m (4ft) deep Running bamboo spreads rapidly, sending out long roots and rhizomes. See Plant Bamboo for more about plant care. Follow @bambooinspired!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({}); Author - Saw (hand saw or electric, whichever you prefer), Garden pruners or secateurs, and Shears may also be useful, Axe (not needed for smaller plants but may be needed for a large ground planted bamboo). Running bamboo species put out more runners than clumping bamboo so they're likely to become root bound much faster. The minimum size container for growing most types of bamboo would be 10 gallons in volume. See Plant Bamboo for more about plant care. Bamboo is a type of grass that adds an Asian vibe to any garden. How to Divide Large Potted Bamboo. Some species of running bamboo will do so very quickly. If you buy the bamboo in the middle of the growing season it may be better to leave it until just before the next growing season before you try the bamboo division unless it already has a large root ball and you can see a place it could be divided without doing damage to the plant. Among the 90 genera and roughly 1,500 species of bamboo, we like to divide them into two simple categories. Clumping bamboo reaches the greatest diameter and grows in stately, solid groves of golden and green culms. A reciprocating saw can be … Set on a flat surface. Try to have several stems in the mass. Blog - Depending on the species, the size of the final grove varies between 1 and 2 meters (3-7 ft) in diameter. It uses energy from one plant to grow more plants. New bamboo plants or divisions can be contained within a physical barrier to prevent them spreading through beds and borders. Buy half as many as you need and divide them. Prepare the location for your new bamboo plant before you start the division by digging the hole to a depth that matches that of the root ball and two times as wide. Move the loosened dirt aside by hand until the rhizome is uncovered. How to Divide & Transplant Black Bamboo. All bamboo will spread and eventually outgrow a pot. Bamboo is easy to grow, but there are a few things you should know before starting. If you buy bamboo from a garden nursery it will probably need to be planted out or re-potted fairly soon. Thus, bamboo is classified as either clumping or running. We did half. Not everything on this list may be needed; it all depends on how big the bamboo is and whether it is in a container or in the ground. With a running bamboo you'll have new shoots emerging from several inches to several feet away from the original plant. Look for rhizomes with buds and roots that are … I hope you have the clumping kind! Clumping bamboo grown in a 20” by 20” planter and running bamboo grown in a 30” by 30” planter should be divided or repotted about every five years. You will want to use a sawzall, small garden pick, loppers and hand pruners. A bamboo (Bambusa spp.) Find the rhizome where the plant should be divided by pushing the tip of a shovel or spade into the soil and carefully loosening the dirt. Be sure to have the following tools available before you start: a knife, pruning saw, good pair of scissors or pruning shears and one or more new pots. Dividing in the wrong season may have disastrous results for beginners. Clumping bamboo grows a tangled thick root mass in which individual culms develop from a single rhizome. It's much easier to control. You can plant the entire rhizome or cut it into sections, each with one or more culms. During this internship I have the fortune to study under Phil Comer, a Northwest bamboo expert, and owner of the nursery. Drive the shovel into the bamboo root mass. How to Care for a Divided Bamboo. Running bamboos can provide a calm privacy screen or a lovely bamboo grove through which to walk. You probably don’t have the time to wait around for your bamboo to produce seeds, so you’re going to have to divide your existing clumps and transplant them when you want to propagate your plants. Moisten the root ball and don't let it dry out, wrap in plastic sheeting if you need to take a break before planting. How to Divide Bamboo. Gardeners can take advantage of this characteristic by separating, or dividing, the bamboo and replanting it elsewhere in the landscape. The garden pick is useful for chopping the smaller … Decide if you want to divide it in half, thirds or quarters. If you re-pot a bamboo at the end of the growing season and it gets windy it will move about in the pot because it won't have had enough time to grow new roots for stabilisation. Large bamboos need very large containers to achieve optimal health and potential of the plant. All Rights Reserved - Protected by Copyscape Online Infringement Detector, Terms, Conditions, Copyright, Disclaimer - Privacy Policy, Protected by Copyscape Online Infringement Detector. Whether it is the right season to divide your plant will depend on your climate and location. Each bamboo forms underground rhizomes, but in clumping species, growth remains concentrated to one grove. The first step in repotting is to remove the bamboo … A small to medium sized bamboo will probably outgrow its pot in one season unless the pot is big enough to allow for growth. Some species of running bamboo … The Rhizomes Make the Difference . It is better if the new pots are bigger than the one the plant is in because it will give the bamboo division room to grow and establish quicker. There are more than 1200 types of bamboo, but they are broadly divided into two kinds; Running and Clumping bamboo. That said, the bigger the better. While bamboo can be expensive, it also is a great barrier plant that can provide a lot of privacy. Stones for in the bottom of the pot to aid drainage and give weight. Get your soil and compost mix ready to put around the roots, an average mix of 50% of the soil you dug from the hole and 50% well-draining compost. Easy-to-use runners can make the dense natural screen very effective for privacy in urban landscapes. If that is the case you may prefer to put your plant somewhere sheltered where it is protected from any severe weather and re-pot it or plant it out just before the spring. I hope you have the clumping kind! Is dividing them a wise thing to do, or will I end up with 8 dead bamboo plants. Select a clump of bamboo that is overgrown or out of place. Outside of mild climates, give the plant time to get established before winter. To plant clumping bamboo in the ground, dig a hole twice the size of the rootball. Bamboo is one of the most decorative and useful members of the grass family. Tip. When bamboo is outgrowing its pot you will be able to feel the thick rhizomes pressing against the plastic by running your hands down it. Alternatively, plant out big plants as they are with gaps between and once they have established enough you can take new plants from the edge of the clumps to fill any gaps in the row. Whichever type you have, you can dig and divide it by cutting through the roots with a shovel. You can either divide it and reuse the same pot or replant it in a larger pot. Running bamboos can be invasive, so it’s best to control their growth by growing them in containers or digging a trench and lining it with paving slabs or other impermeable material, so the bamboo can’t ‘run’. They spread very quickly, by as much as 5 feet each year. Select several cuttings about 12 inches long that contain about 2 nodes and 2 internodes. If your bamboo is outgrowing its bounds or you just want to get the most of the new bamboo, dividing it is the way to go. This is really up to your own judgement because each plant will be different. The most widespread genera of runners are the Phyllostachys and Pleioblastus. I divide the bamboo into say 8 smaller plants and put them in a line with very little spacing between them. Clumping or Running? Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) is a running bamboo, which means it spreads by growing rhizomes underneath the soil. Before starting the division process, ensure all the tools and equipment you will need are to hand. With the running species, the runners can show up far much further from the grove. Regardless of the variety, bamboo plants take to division and splitting well. Plant in new location as soon as you can and if you have to transport the division, wrap in plastic and ensure the roots are kept moist at all times. Basically, we have runners and clumpers. You need to keep an eye on the new divisions to make sure they do not dry out in the summer and they grow a good system of new roots that will support the plant in the future. You will be looking for culms that are a couple of years old, are healthy, and I would suggest for best results to choose 4 or 5 culms to make a division of around two feet. Bamboo produces new culms in the spring season. This is a blog dedicated to my experiences at the Outdoors by Design bamboo nursery. With a running bamboo you'll have new shoots emerging from several inches to several feet away from the original plant. For this reason, it is really best to start running bamboo in planters of at least 30” by 30”. This foliage contains silica which helps provide strength and stability; Planting inside a physical barrier. Be careful not to damage any new buds that may be growing on the rhizomes. This would be particularly useful if you want several plants to create a windbreak or privacy screen but can't afford to buy enough plants. This makes the bamboo easier to dig up and divide while keeping the bamboo healthy. It will also mean you won't have to go through this process again very soon. If you feel bumps you know it's trying to get out! Support the culms in the correct upright position while carefully filling around the roots with your soil/compost mix and press the soil down around the bamboo to make sure it is stable and secure, and not wobbling around. Newsletter - Running bamboo has a distinctively vigorous rhizome root system. Bamboo can be roughly classified into two groups; clumping and running bamboo. It's much easier to control. The two main types of bamboo (Bambusa spp.) Bamboo will grow and spread quickly, but there is no real way to direct it into far corners of the garden. I am working at the nursery completing an internship through the South Puget Sound Community College’s Horticulture program. Contact - As the horizontal rhizomes extend outward, they eventually produce fresh shoots, new culms, growing upward. Place the bamboo division in the ready prepared location, checking the soil level is correct with the top of the root ball. Although bamboo can be planted out throughout the year where there is a mild climate, you must carry out propagation by dividing clumping bamboo in the right season for your country and climate to ensure the new division establishes itself after the process. Almost all cold hardy bamboos are runners and almost all tropical bamboos are clumpers. This way they would act like a screen and cover the whole fence. You can trim the top off the culms at this point. There are many types of bamboo but in general they can be divided into either clumpers or runners.The clumpers are non-invasive. Running bamboo can spread fast and wide while clumping bamboo remains in one place. If it is before the beginning of the growing season and you can tell from feeling around the outside of the pot that the rhizomes are pushing against the side, you should be able to divide the bamboo into two before the bamboo growth and new shoots start. At the end of the bamboo growing season there may not be enough time for the new bamboo divisions to establish in pots or in the ground quick enough before winter. A 20 or 30 gallon container will give you several more years before having to repot or divide. Bamboo is one of the most decorative and useful members of the grass family. Plant the bamboo so its rootball sits level with the ground surface. Large bamboo division can be awkward and difficult if done alone, so you may want to have a friend help you out too. Thus, bamboo is classified as either clumping or running. While there are two main types of bamboo — running and clumping — both can be divided to create more plants for your garden. Let’s go over how to repot bamboo. There are hundreds of species of bamboo and they can be roughly divided into either running or clumping bamboos. Whether it is the right season to divide your plant will depend on your climate and location. The monopodial or leptomorph rhizomes tend to grow horizontally, parallel to the ground, spreading outward and overtaking an area. You can take a smaller number of culms from larger plants if the culm(s) you divide have enough roots but it will take longer to establish a new plant. The roots, on the other hand, are the little, soft, white tendrils that grow off of the rhizomes to draw water and nutrients from the soil. Set the clump upright (culms facing up) on the ground. Dividing during the late winter or early spring (before the new shoots emerge) is the ideal time to make divisions. Bamboo is a type of grass that adds an Asian vibe to any garden. That said, the bigger the better. are clumping and running. Dividing in the wrong season may have disastrous results for beginners. Site Map, © 2007 - 2020 bamboo-inspiration.com. Running bamboo has a distinctively vigorous rhizome root system. Simply put, running bamboo spreads much wider and faster than clumping bamboo, so much so that it is considered an invasive plant. Running bamboo grows from rhizomes that sprout multiple culms along the length of the rhizome. Running Bamboo Rhizomes @ Bamboo Your Privacy in Austin, TXwww.BambooYourPrivacy.com Use the following as a guide for the spacing needed to allow your bamboos to grow freely. Newsletter - Giant and timber bamboo species need an allowance of somewhere between 15ft and 25ft in between each plant to give them enough room to grow. BTW - the bamboo is about 3m tall and each root is abou 40cm wide. Whenever you do it, it helps to use a sawsall to cut through the roots and to top the plants so only about a third of the top growth is left on the part you want to divide off. Water the area around the bamboo to be divided until it is saturated, and allow the water to soak into the soil. How to Dig Up & Split Bamboo. With running bamboo, they extend outward, parallel to the ground, and with clumping bamboo they tend to bend upward. Remove the bamboo plant from the post. Bamboo division can be carried out using container bamboo or by dividing bamboo plants from the ground. The amount of time between repottings depends on how quickly your bamboo spreads. Set up some shade for the new bamboo plants by stretching cheesecloth or other light fabric over poles to create a sort of light tent. The minimum size container for growing most types of bamboo would be 10 gallons in volume. Whenever you do it, it helps to use a sawsall to cut through the roots and to top the plants so only about a third of the top growth is left on the part you want to divide off. Dig up the clump of bamboo. Here is a guide to spacing: Dividing clumping bamboo and creating new plants is very rewarding. Please see my page on Bamboo Division for information on seasons and a list of tools that you'll need. Runners generally perform better in temperate climates. Dividing during the late winter or early spring (before the new shoots emerge) is the ideal time to make divisions. Whichever type you have, you can dig and divide it by cutting through the roots with a shovel. Blog - If you wet the ground down thoroughly before digging, it will make your job less difficult. Bamboo rhizomes can be pretty tough and will need strong tools to dig them up. Soak with water. It won't take long for them to get established and fill in the gaps! There are ways to contain running bamboo, as well as clumping bamboo, which also spreads, but unless running bamboo's aggressive growth habit can be put to good use, it's best to stick with one of the clumping types. Decide how the bamboo clump should be divided (halves, thirds, quarters, etc). We used a sawzall this time but in the past we have used a hack saw. For clumping bamboos, split the root mass with a sharp shovel or knife. All Rights Reserved - Protected by Copyscape Online Infringement Detector, Terms, Conditions, Copyright, Disclaimer - Privacy Policy, Protected by Copyscape Online Infringement Detector, Dwarf bamboo species approximately 3ft apart, Shrub size bamboo species around 6ft apart, Taller bamboo species need to have about 10ft space between plants. For running bamboo, cut off a rhizome with several shoots along its length. Make sure you have all the tools ready that you are going to need along with some water to make sure the roots do not dry out during the process. Follow the steps on these pages to divide container or clumping bamboo. Potting Bamboo Plants. Bamboo is a type of grass. It is a woody perennial that grows in two main types: clumping and running bamboo. Split bamboo in the early spring when the new shoots are just emerging, and the new splits will establish strong … Plastic sheet for wrapping root balls to make sure it doesn't dry out, particularly if one division has to wait while you put the other in a pot. Bamboo is a grass native to Asia, Africa, and parts of the Americas. The smaller the planter the more often you will have to divide the plant to keep it healthy. Bamboo loves water, especially when it’s stressed, and mulch will shade the soil and help keep in as much moisture as possible. Plant cuttings can be used to grow bamboo shoots in your own yard. The dividing clumping bamboo method can also be adapted to divide a potted bamboo plant before planting out into the ground. grove provides a natural privacy screen or windbreak that grows quickly during the summer months. Bamboo generally falls into one of two main types. Yes, you can. Follow @bambooinspired!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({}); Author - Two pots the right size. Contact - A 20 or 30 gallon container will give you several more years before having to repot or divide. Loosen roots by swaying the division backwards and forwards using the spade as a lever under the roots to lift it out of the ground. Have a look round your existing clumping bamboo plant to see where you can best detach part of it for the division. They form vertical privacy screens, which provide even a narrow planting site with dense screening. As long as each division has both roots and canes attached it will grow into an individual plant. If needed, pour some water on the root mass to loosen the dirt and roots. Steps for Dividing Clumping Bamboo. Dividing bamboo can be relatively simple if you have the right tools. Lets Divide our Bamboo by root division. Clumping Bamboo. Running bamboos send out root like rhizomes underground and can spread many feet each year. Prepare the location for your new bamboo plant before you start the division by digging the hole to a depth that matches that of the root ball and two times as wide; Get your soil and compost mix ready to put around the roots, an average mix of 50% of the soil you dug from the hole and 50% well-draining compost. Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) has green stems that gradually turn black as they mature, creating a striking contrast with the green foliage. Part of the series: Bamboo Growing 101. How to Grow Bamboo From Plant Cuttings. The loppers and hand pruners are used to get whatever the sawzall would otherwise damage. Running bamboo species put out more runners than clumping bamboo so they're likely to become root bound much faster.