Can I take Bamboo cuttings?

Hi! I have a beautiful bamboo in my garden which I bought 2 years ago. It has grown really quickly and is doing a perfect job of filling the space that was there. I now have another area which I would love to put a bamboo in, however, they are expensive and I wondered if anybody knows how to take cuttings and grow another bush from the one I already have. Thanks!

On plant Bambusa vulgaris (Common Bamboo)

23 Apr, 2008

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bamboos

Answers

Maple

Bamboo (if it is a running bamboo) is easy to propagate. Get your spade, choose the part of your main plant you want, insert the spade and push down. This should cut the rhizomatous roots and you can dig up your new plant. Move it to the new planting hole, fill in and away you go.
If it's a tropical bamboo the propagation is very different but let us know.
Good luck

24 Apr, 2008

Helofadigger

Yep done what Maple suggests a few years back in fact we got quite a few large plants from dividing my clump and was able to give some away too. The original mother plant was still quite huge when we left it in our old garden only wish I could have taken the whole lot as it would have saved me buying more now that I have plans for a jungle garden!Hel.xxx.

24 Apr, 2008

Sid

I would just add one point to all this. Bamboo plants only survive for so long (av about 10 years I think) and then they flower and usually die. I believe that if you take vegitative cuttings from a bamboo, the offspring will contain the same life-span-clock as the parent plant. Therefore, the offspring is likely to flower and die at the same time as the parent plant. This might be a consideration to bare in mind. If I'm wrong about this, please could somebody tell me?!

24 Apr, 2008