How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.

--
If you have nothing to do look at this blog

http://lily-dog-blog.blogspot.com/

On Thu, 5 Apr 2007 22:42:26 +0100, "david"
wrote:

How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.

Takeout complete canes, not parts of canes. It depends what type it
is. Is it spreading or clump-forming? Eventually you may have to dig
some up if it gets too big.
Mine appears to have died after flowering, but I am still hoping it
may shoot out again. However, I am in good company with Westonbirt
and Forde Abbey having had the same thing happen.


Pam in Bristol

On 5/4/07 22:42, in article , "david"
wrote:

How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.

Do you know which you have - is there a name?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Unfortunately I do no know the name of it. It is a variegated variety, about
4foot high and very bushy - when I got it it was in a 4inch pot from Tesco!
it is now just a bit too big and bushy

--
If you have nothing to do look at this blog

http://lily-dog-blog.blogspot.com/
"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 5/4/07 22:42, in article ,
"david"
wrote:

How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.

Do you know which you have - is there a name?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

"david" wrote in message
...
How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.

As Pam says you can thin the clump by taking whole stems out, you can also
remove the bottom leaves from all the stem to reveal the trunks, and if the
actual clump is now to wide you can (with some effort!) chop a section off,
I use a sharp bladed mattock for this job.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do
I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.


When its bushy it seems puzzling to know where to start. what I do is get
hedging shears and hack brutally into it cutting in a * vertical direction*.
this makes the main vertical stems more 'visible'.

Then cut down say half the main stems at ground level. then take out a
lot of side shoots. as far as I can see from my own experience bamboos just
seem to grow back really fast after pruning.

To my mind I think bamboos actually look more interesting if you have less
stems.

On 6/4/07 07:23, in article , "david"
wrote:

Unfortunately I do no know the name of it. It is a variegated variety, about
4foot high and very bushy - when I got it it was in a 4inch pot from Tesco!
it is now just a bit too big and bushy

I asked the name because some are invasive and some are clump forming. But
cut out the stems you don't want and using something very sharp with great
care, see if you can cut through the roots and hoick out the bit you want to
get rid of.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Thank you

--
If you have nothing to do look at this blog

http://lily-dog-blog.blogspot.com/
"Charlie Pridham" wrote in message
...

"david" wrote in message
...
How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.

As Pam says you can thin the clump by taking whole stems out, you can also
remove the bottom leaves from all the stem to reveal the trunks, and if
the
actual clump is now to wide you can (with some effort!) chop a section
off,
I use a sharp bladed mattock for this job.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 5/4/07 22:42, in article ,
"david"
wrote:

How do you prune a Bamboo? The one I have is becoming rather large - do I
just chop bits out of it, cut it back or what?

Any advice welcome.

Do you know which you have - is there a name?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)


It could be a Pleioblastus (perhaps).
The best way to treat these smaller clumps is to dig up the entire root ball
and then split it until you have the desired clump size. Replant in a pot
and sink the pot in the ground or use rhizome barrier.
If you limit the number of new culms by chopping them out you should end up
with thicker stems.
Although some boos run more than others they all spread by the same method
of runners. (friendly warning):-)