Propagate bamboo cuttings – Here’s your step-by-step guide!

If you’ve never grown bamboo you might be shocked to see how quickly it shoots up. I’ve witnessed it with my own bamboo plants but Wikipedia says that some species of bamboo can grow 36 inches in a 24-hour period – 1.5 inches an hour.

I grow Seabreeze (Bambusa malingensis ‘Seabreeze’), a clumping type of bamboo and although it’s a fast grower, it’s nothing on par with those “certain species” mentioned at Wikipedia.org.

I’ve found that growing bamboo is like growing plumeria – it’s addictive. When you’re ready to add another to your windscreen, privacy block or even to grow in pots, try taking a cutting from your current stock. The ideal time to root bamboo cuttings is in mid-spring, although I’ve had success in the summer as well.

What you’ll need to propagate bamboo cuttings

See the Resources section at the end of this post for where to buy.

• Fine-tooth saw with 14 or more teeth per inch (the Kakuri is my go-to)
• Masking tape
• 6mm drill bit
• IBA rooting hormone
• Coarse sand or vermiculite
• Fine sand
• Plastic bag

The parts of a bamboo plant

Bamboo is a rather generic term for any of nearly 1,500 species in 115 genera. They are commonly divided into clumping and running varieties. The latter are notoriously invasive and, if a barrier isn’t added underground, they’ll start popping up all over the neighborhood.

Clumping varieties will spread, but they’re not as wildly invasive as their running cousins.

Success with propagating bamboo requires that you understand the parts of the plant, specifically the culm. This is the “trunk” or “stalk” of the plant. The rings around the culm are technically known as nodes and it is from the nodes that the culm sprouts.

The smooth spaces between nodes are called internodes. See the diagram, above, for clarity.

Taking the bamboo cutting

Best results are realized from culms that are less than one-year old, according to a study presented at the XII World Forestry Congress in 2003.

If that’s not possible, choose a bamboo culm from a clump that is less than three-years-old.

Use a fine-tooth saw with 14 or more teeth per inch to cut the culm from the clump (see the Resources section, below, for where to buy). Finer blades decrease the chance of splitting the culm.

The more nodes you include, the better your chances of getting more than one sprout.

Preparing the bamboo cutting for propagation

Use the lower two-thirds of the cutting and dispose of the rest. Cut the remaining portion of the culm into sections that contain four to six internodes.

Drill a 3/4-inch long/ 1/3-inch deep hole through the middle internode. Don’t drill all the way through.

Bamboo splits easily, so wrap the drilling area in masking tape, smoothing the tape down with your fingers to ensure good contact, before drilling.

Bamboo culms will not produce roots without rooting hormone, according to a study published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The study suggests using a solution composed of 4,000 ppm of 1 H-indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (or choose the one in the supplies list at the top of this post).

Follow the instructions on the label and pour the IBA into the hole that you drilled. Wrap the hole with a strip of plastic, such as that from a plastic bag, and tie it.

Planting the bamboo cutting

Use an 8- to 12-inch deep planting container that is large enough to accommodate the length of your culm. Layer the planting media in the container, beginning with 4 to 6 inches of coarse sand.

Add an equal amount of fine sand on top of the coarse sand layer. Lay the culm in the top layer of fine sand and push it down to 1 inch above the coarse sand layer Mist the sand until it is just barely moist (all the way to the bottom) and slide the propagation container into a plastic bag.

Although black bags are ideal, transparent bags are sufficient. The bag supplies the high humidity rate required for propagation. Finally, place the bagged cutting in the shade.

Care of the bamboo cutting

After one week in the shade, begin to gradually move the bagged bamboo cutting into the sun. Keep the planting medium moist at all times. The bamboo culm should sprout within one week of planting and roots within 90 days of planting.

Read more about how to take care of a bamboo plant here.