How to Propagate Clumping Bamboo via Division

[muppet1487]

thank you so much i have a circle of bamboo that i like it it is really nice but it looks like it has been growing for year and looks like it has started to spread and i was wodnering how to make the area smaller because i am adding a pond to the yard real close to it or maybe around it if i can isolate it any tips?

[fatbuddhaboo]

@muppet1487

Do you know if it's a runner or clumper? Really the only true way to keep it from spreading would be to install some bamboo rhizome barrier. There are a few bamboo suppliers online that carry it, and Lewis Bamboo has some excellent install directions.

[dannybuntu]

Cool tool. My only tool for digging these things is a metal bar..... Nice video. Liked it. Thanks

[fatbuddhaboo]

@dannybuntu

Glad you found it useful! I got sick of the back breaking work using just a pry bar and slammer...this is much easier! I also have a 110v sawzall now for use around the house and can be mobile with a small generator as well which saves on the batteries.

[meadowyck]

what is your web site address? Good video.

[fatbuddhaboo]

@meadowyck

Thanks. I can't seem to post my url, so just Google "gator ventures" and my site should be the first one listed (the one referencing bamboo)

[meadowyck]

@fatbuddhaboo  thanks will do.

[Boomerangchucker]

Hey mate I brought some bamboo today and was told how hard it was to propagate this stuff so I would have to spend a fortune.Its the clumping type lipstick they call it and the reciprocating saw is fanbloody tastic idea your a champ and ur gonna save me thousands from the rip off merchants at the stores.

[fatbuddhaboo]

@Boomerangchucker

This is the reason why most bamboo are so expensive at your local retailer. I'm not familiar with lipstick bamboo, but glad you found the video useful. It certainly will save you thousands in the long run, but I'd give it a year or two before you start taking divisions.

[c0uchsl0uch]

are you saying that a person can only buy a few pots of this and with some time really build a dence fence line?

[fatbuddhaboo]

@c0uchsl0uch

Yep, pretty much a couple potted bamboo placed in the ground about 6 to 8 feet apart will grow into nice, natural hedge or windbreak in about 4 to 5 years. You can decrease the time by planting them closer together, or by taking a division from each plant and then planting them in the gaps to fill it in faster.

[JKDspirit]

hey dude, have u ever grew phylostachys aurea? i got a load in my garden hehe

[fatbuddhaboo]

@JKDspirit

Yeah, I have some growing at my brother's house in Central Florida as he has got the acreage to let it go wild. Running bamboos are not very neighbor friendly unless properly contained. How long have you had it growing?

[JKDspirit]

@fatbuddhaboo Ive had 3 plants for about 6 months now..ten i bought another 5 more! they come in clumps with about 5 stems each, they grow so fast cos they water them alot, but others are realy slow growing, one of my new ones has about 10 new shoots! They all tend to grow in a clumb along my fence, alot of the shoots grow into the ground! :S confusing, i put a stone underneath one of them to make it grow upwards now it looks all bent n deformed lol

[JKDspirit]

u sound and lok exactly the same as the guy from beavis and butthead hahaha epic

[fatbuddhaboo]

@JKDspirit

LOL, maybe that's because I watched way too much of them!

[niamh2739]

Hi scott, I am new to all of this bamboo stuff, ...what type of bamboo is the big thick kind that is use to buid with?

[fatbuddhaboo]

@niamh2739

To be honest it depends on where in the world you are living. In central & South America Guadua bamboo is widely used, in India and Central Asia Dendrocalamus varieties are used and in Eastern Asia "Moso" bamboo is primarily used.

[niamh2739]

@fatbuddhaboo

Well I live in south florida & I would love to grow that really thick "as in large in diameter" bamboo like the stuff they grow in asia

[fatbuddhaboo]

@niamh2739

South Florida is an excellent place to grow and enjoy many of the large tropical clumpers. Have you paid a visit to Robert Saporito's Tropical Bamboo Nursery in Loxahatchee? They have one of the largest selections in the state.

[niamh2739]

@fatbuddhaboo

No I have not. Thank you for that info, loxahatchee is not even that far from me either. I am goig to have to go and check them out.

[Livenlaff]

Great video Scott.

I would like to give my neighbor some of my bamboo.

Should I cut out the newest shoots or the older ones or both?

[fatbuddhaboo]

@Livenlaff

I've found it always best to cut out the growth that is closest to the edge, which may or may not be the newest growth. If it is last years growth, I usually try and wait until the culm has leafed out, as this helps to ensure there is both adequate root and leaf mass to sustain life once the division is taken.

[Livenlaff]

@fatbuddhaboo Good advice. Thanks

[JeepityJ]

Thanks! Very helpful. ;-)

[fatbuddhaboo]

@JeepityJ

Glad you found it useful. I have more on the way, including one on how this division is doing now.