This guide teaches you how to cut bamboo plants to regrow instead of buying new plants. You start by choosing the right stem, cutting and cleaning the culms, and end with watering the soil.
This propagation method of cutting and regrowing sections of the bamboo stem is known as “culm segment cutting” and is easier than other methods. This extremely detailed guide will teach you everything you possibly need to know. Check out a few plants that look like bamboo that you can also add to your garden or house.
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How To Cut Bamboo Plants to Regrow Using These Simple Steps?
To cut bamboo to regrow follow these simple steps: You must choose the right stem for regrowing, cut it diagonally to ensure you do not damage it, clean off any foliage and prepare the type of soil you have. Then plant them deeply in rich, fertile soil, and water to keep them moist.
1. Choose the Right Stem
When propagating bamboo from a bamboo culm, selecting a stem that is a year or two years old with a minimum diameter of 1 inch is absolutely essential. These stems have more nodes, unlike the old ones that have lasted years in your garden.
The younger they are, the faster they produce shoots and roots. This makes it easy for your propagation journey. The younger bamboos are also easy to cut because they are not too hard like the matured ones.
2. Cut the Bamboo Cane
Cut the bamboo cane into sections that contain at least two to three nodes. A node is a small protrusion ring from the main plant where the leaves grow from. The culms should be approximately 1 foot long. You should cut below a node so you have most of the cutting above the node.
Cut your bamboo diagonally through the culm and not horizontally. Apply pressure on a downward push to cut swiftly. This ensures that you do not break the plant or damage it more than is necessary.
Each section with a node will grow into a new plant that you will replant separately. Cut as many culm sections as you may want to grow – add some extras if you experience loss from some that fail to get new shoots or roots. But remember not to over-prune! Bamboo grows back quickly but it may look unattractive.
3. Clean the Culms
Cut the foliage off to clean the bamboo cuttings. Use a pair of sharp clippers that will cut in one clean cut to avoid injury to the node or the cutting itself. Removing the foliage will help your cutting concentrate on growing new roots and shoots in the coming days without spending energy on something else.
Do not plant the culm with the foliage as it might lead to rotting or can make it not germinate. If you bury this foliage under the soil, it will rot making the culm also suffer from rotting or it may even die.
4. Prepare for Planting
With the culms now clean, it is time to prepare to plant it. Prepare holes in the site of your choice, digging a 6-inch hole. Add compost manure or organic fertilizer and mix it with soil filling the hole halfway with this mixture.
Keep the rest of the soil mixture aside to put it back once you plant the cutting. Prepare as many holes as required to take in one cutting per hole.
5. Plant the Cuttings
Before planting, lightly score the node with a sharp knife to encourage fast new root growth. Wet the cuttings and plant them in the hole covering one or two modes with the soil you had set aside.
Position the culm cutting to a 45-degree angle or vertically. Bury about a half to two-thirds of the culm into the soil to encourage fast growth. Germinating these culms can be tough, therefore prepare more than you need in case some of them die along the process.
6. Water the Soil
Water the soil around the culm and keep it moist throughout the first month. Water every time the soil feels dry to the touch to avoid killing the new growth coming up. Instead of being random in your watering, set a schedule that you can follow to ensure you do it right.
Keep the plant warm but out of direct sunlight when propagating bamboo. That is why starting the cuttings in the warm season is recommended. If you provide these growing conditions, you will notice new growth within one to two months.
How to Trim Lucky Bamboo Plants Easily?
To trim lucky bamboo easily, you must prepare with the right tools before completing the task. Once you are ready, start by cutting off the yellow leaves, followed by dead leaves or stalks, and finally, cut the top of the plant to shorten it to your liking.
1. Prepare to Cut
Get your pruning shears or scissors ready by disinfecting them with alcohol or any other disinfectant to ensure they are free from diseases. Lucky bamboo can become easily infected if the shears used to cut are dirty.
Dip a cloth in 70 to 100 percent alcohol and wipe the blades of your scissors or pruning shears. This will take you a minute but save your plants from infections. To make it easier to disinfect after every cut, get a few packs of alcohol wipes close as you prepare to cut your plants.
2. Cut off Any Yellow Foliage First
If you notice some leaves or parts have turned yellow, trim these first. The yellowing is caused by insufficient water or too much sunlight. Trim the entire leaf instead of cutting out the yellow parts, as it can introduce a bacterial infection making your entire plant sick.
To prevent this yellowing from continuing, provide at least four inches of fresh water for the potted plant and keep it under indirect sunlight. Take your sterilized shears and cut the leaves off the stem, careful not to injure the stem.
3. Remove Any Dead Stalks or Leaves
Before you cut any fresh, healthy leaves, remove any dead or dry leaves or plants. Dead leaves are normal to find on this plant as the leaves die off as new growth happens.
Dead leaves are a sign of the healthy growth of this plant. However, if you notice a dead plant, it is best to cut it off and check to see if you are providing the right growing conditions. When you trim the dead leaves, your plant will work better and direct its energy toward new growth.
Take your disinfected shears and cut off the plant at the bottom or the leaves at the stem. Be careful not to injure the other plants as they grow as clumping bamboo.
4. Cut the Top of Your Lucky Bamboo Plant To Shorten It
To shorten your plant, cut off the leaves and the top of the stalk, known as a topping. This will encourage the bottom of the plant to give new shoots and leaves.
Take your disinfected shears and cut straight across the top. How much you cut depends on the amount you want to clip off. However, do not cut too much of the parent stalks; you need them to help produce shoots.
5. Trim the Offshoots if They Are Too Many or Too Bushy
Lucky bamboo growth can put on a show with its robust offshoots. If they have grown too bushy for your liking, you can clip them off at least one or two inches from the central stalk.
If you do not want these offshoots to grow back, cut them where they meet the central stalk.
6. Cut off a Healthy Stem for Regrowing
If you want to propagate lucky bamboo, you can get cutting. Select a healthy stem with enough nodes and cut it diagonally with a single cut to prevent damage. Place it in clean water to help with rooting before transplanting it to a ready pot.
