Annual Clumping Bamboo Maintenance / Pruning

Quick tutorial on how to maintain a good looking stand of clumping bamboo.

[@fergus247]

It seems to me you made this clumping bamboo look like a running bamboo and really getting the best of both worlds it seems.

[@rickmelcher6845]

Great tips. Mine REALLY needs help. Thanks. (Your water feature makes me want to use the bathroom tho) 😊

[@carolfackler2339]

I have never thinned my clums (10+year old plant). The clum is very tight and about 3-4 feet in diameter. Should I just get in there and thin about 50% out the best I can. The canes are very narrow and can be cut with hand pruners. The canes are about 10 feet tall and arching.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Yes; it's recommended to remove the old discolored culms so new ones can grow in. You may want to start off slow and remove 25% now and prune again in 6 months so it's not a severe loss of culms. 10 years is usually the max life of a culm.

[@kwlweapons]

Can they be rooted from cuttings? Or only by shoots? I’d be interested in some cuttings if they are possible to propagate from

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Rooting is a way to propagate bamboo but I have had no success so far this year. None of my cuttings took.

[@DLittle82]

Thanks for the video. How often do you water your bamboo during this time in Arizona?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

For the past couple of months, I've just been watering it once a week but once we hit 100 which will be soon, I'll go to twice a week. I'm dropping about 20 gallons at watering.

[@Hindukushsailing]

👍👍

[@peterbedford2610]

I just moved into a house with 20' bamboo. Looks to be clumping with about 1" diameter canes. Some are bending way over. Should cut them out?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

You can try to tie the bunch to get them straightened out but if mature and bent then yes, cutting out the cane(s) is best if you want to tidy them up. New shoots will grow in their place over time.

[@MaryPoppins-tu1ms]

The Bamboo is amazing plant! It relizes most of O2 to the atmosphere as any other plant on the Planet.You are lucky to live between the Bamboo "forest"/Amazing Plant(grass actually)

[@TF-hn5dc]

I’m not sure what you’ve got, but it’s not “Buddah Belly” (bambusa vulgaris wamin). Buddah belly has nodes that are very close together (about2”) and bulbous , belly shaped.

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Thanks. It was labeled as bambusa ventricosa. I've seen a few pictures of this variety without the swollen internodes but agree that most show the belly like form (which my clump has never produced). It's very possible the nursery (Treeland in Mesa) purchased it mislabeled from the grower

[@liquidluck8594]

do you fertilize? If so with what product? how much and what time of year?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

I generally apply ammonium nitrate (3-4 TBSP per clump) in mid-spring and deodorized manure in early fall (2" depth over the clump).

[@mimovokang6495]

Hi! My bamboo plant has a branch that has grown too high. I was wondering if I can trim it and if I can. How much should I trim?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Hi! Yes just top it/cut the height down to where you want to. The branch/side shoot won't grow back once cut.

[@mimovokang6495]

The culm is already cut I was wondering if I could cut the branch that stems off of the node and how much I should cut😅

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

@@mimovokang6495 Of course you can cut the side branch. Cut to shape as you wish. Pruning bamboo is all about personal preference--yours not mine :) No harm will come to the plant by pruning

[@mimovokang6495]

@@EnlightenmentGarden Alright! Thank you!