Hello, I am quite a beginner in bamboo growing (I only have a small clump which cares itself) so I would like to ask you a few beginner questions I couldn't find an answer for: 1. When propagating bamboo, is it best to select a small rhizome or a large one? Will the larger rhizome grow and yield more plants faster? 2. I've read that bamboo is best propagated before it begins to "wake up", before spring, so between February and March, so that rhizome starch content is maximum. Does this apply for Phyllostachys pubescens too? 3. I've read that there are other bamboo propagation methods, like culm cuttings and using branches. Is there any publication or website I could look for an explanation of these methods? (I currently have "Bamboo: The Plant and its Uses" book). 4. Do any propagation method work reasonably good in late spring/summer? 5. Are "whole plant" propagation methods (like picking whole root+stem of dwarf bamboo) superior to just digging rhizomes without culm? 6. Is there a graduation in propagation methods, from the least optimal to the best? Example: rhizome < branch cutting < rhizome + a few culm nodes < rhizome + whole plant ? 7. How reliable is sowing bamboo seeds offered from online Chinese sellers? Thank you Alfred
I've always just used a sharp spade (sometimes an axe!) and divided my bamboo clumps, and have done it at any time of year that the ground wasn't frozen. As long as you get some roots with the stem, it should catch. Because dividing is so easy I've never bothered with seed. If dividing by rhizome, make sure the rhizome has some roots before you take it. If there are none, it may still be getting nutrients from the parent plant and will not root later. I say "may" because I've never had one that didn't grow after division! My main experience is with Phyllostachys nigra and aurea but I have had other species and all of them seem quite similar. Hope that helps, Keke
I see, thank you. Do you think I'd dig out a rootball in summer too? Or would it be better to dig a rootball + 1 foot of culm?
I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but if you're wondering whether you can split off a culm with a chunk of the rootball, yes. That would give the attached culm some nutrients while it creates its own roots. And as I say, anytime is okay to do it unless it's freezing. I'd avoid doing it between say November and late January here in Vancouver, but mostly because we have so little light then, plus the chance of frost, that the new plants wouldn't get a good start.
