How to Split Bamboo Easily with a Bamboo Splitter ?
Large Bamboo Division: Learn When To Split Potted Bamboo Plants
Bamboo plants are wonderful plants to grow in pots. Many varieties are invasive when planted in the ground, so growing them in pots is a great solution, but they will grow pretty quickly and can be a challenge to repot.
How to Divide Large Potted Bamboo
Let’s go over how to repot bamboo. Be sure to have the following tools available before you start: a knife, pruning saw, good pair of scissors or pruning shears, and one or more new pots.
Large bamboo division can be awkward and difficult if done alone, so you may want to have a friend help you out too.
If your potted bamboo needs splitting, here is what you can do:
First of all, how do you know when to split potted bamboo? Getting the timing correct is important. The best time timeframe for dividing potted bamboo and repotting is late winter. You’ll want to avoid the active growing season, spring and summer, when you can disturb the root ball too much.
Give your potted bamboo a good watering to hydrate the root ball. Next, you’ll want to run a knife around the perimeter of the pot in order to help loosen the root ball. Bamboo plants have very vigorous, dense root systems so this step is important!
Then tip the pot over gently, with the help of a friend, if needed, and remove the plant from the pot. If the bottom of the root ball has thick matted roots, cut off the bottom inch (2.5 cm.) or so with a pruning saw.
Next, return the plant to an upright position and use the pruning saw to divide the root ball into two or more pieces. Simply saw right through the root ball into as many divisions as you’d like. As you are doing this, you may want to test if the division can be teased away from the main root ball using your hands. Otherwise, keep sawing until each division breaks loose.
For each division, be sure to remove any dead, rotten, or severely damaged roots. Remove any soil that is loose. Repot each of the divisions into their new pots. Be sure to give the divisions a good watering and monitor carefully until they become more established.
How do I divide off a section of a clumping bamboo?
A customer writes:
Hi, Sherry. I’ve been missing your column in the “Slantinel”. They’ve been making so many changes in the last few months. Did you ever get a book published?
I have a question. I’ve got to move some of my bamboo; I made the mistake of putting some of it too close to other plants, and now I’ve got to make some room. I can see from your FAQ that now seems to be an okay time to do it, but what do I do, just dig it up and replant it? I was thinking of moving only half a clump to a new spot. Can I just slice down the middle, dig out what I want to transplant, and replant, or do I have to cut it back?
Thanks for any info you and Ralph can give me. All the bamboo I got from you is doing absolutely fantastic, especially with all this rain, and the seabreeze my daughter, Emily, put in has almost completely obscured the house next door.
Regards,
Dave
My response:
Hi Dave – My column only runs in the Lake County edition of the Orlando Sentinel now but you can read it online on my SIMPLY LIVING blog where I post new columns each Monday (you can sign up to be a FOLLOWER and receive automatic updates). I haven’t gotten my book published yet but it is in the works.
You can certainly divide off a section of your existing clump but be forewarned: It ain’t easy! Also, if you don’t have to do it right now, it would be a little better if you waited until all the new shoots stopped growing and leafing out because any new shoots that haven’t leafed out may not survive transplanting. Dividing during the late winter or early spring (before the new shoots emerge) is the ideal time to make divisions. Whenever you do it, it helps to use a sawsall to cut through the roots and to top the plants so only about a third of the top growth is left on the part you want to divide off. If you wet the ground down thoroughly before digging, it will make your job less difficult. After the section is divided off, make sure it is potted up and set in a shady place where it gets frequent watering to recuperate fully before setting back out into the ground.
