Bamboo Cloning

[StickyBiz]

I am going to attempt to clone two types of bamboo this summer, Pyllostachys nigra and Fargesia rufa. I planted both about a decade ago and now have nice plants to work with as well as a desire for a new hedge line. I read up on it, and it takes about 4 months to get them rooted and ready for transplant so now is the time to do it. Has anyone here had success cloning bamboo?

 

[Og Gong]

I can't wait to see how it goes. I love bamboo. Very useful plant. Keep us posted bro!

 

[StickyBiz]

Some of the cuttings don't take up water, the small culms. The larger culms appear to take up water good so will see what can be done with them.

 

[rubthe nub]

For the Fargesia I'd try 'air layering'

For the Phyllostachys I'd try just 'layering'

Stem cuts can be attempted with the P. Nigra
Look for a lower node that has little nubs around the the culm joint
Those are latent roots, you'll want ones that have BOTH nubs and a small 'branch' of leaves coming out.
Cut just below the nodes immediately above and below the best 'sites'. You want to be able to fill the culm with water, it will act as a little reservoir. I'm quite sure you could find pics on google. I have never propagated P. nigra like that but I did a ton of Bambusa oldhamii, B. vulgaris, B. textilis, B. chungii among others

Good luck

 

[rubthe nub]

I googled this pic
In the culm on the left you can see the little 'nubs' of latent roots at the culm joint
You can also clearly see a latent 'bud site'
You cut just below that joint
Then just below the next joint, that will create the reservior.

IME those are the only stem cuttings I ever got to 'root' and grow.
fwiw, I use to sell quite a few bamboo every year using the technique I described.


Pictured is Bambusa vulgaris 'Wamin' striata, one the varieties I sold

 

[StickyBiz]

Thank you so much for showing the way! What I tried from off an internet search method from some dude in FL...ummm...here to duly report epic failure.

 

[Albatross]

for hedging with some bamboos at least you can dig a 6" trench along your hedge line, bend a stalk over without severing the roots and bury the majority of it while leaving any laterals and the tip exposed to the light, keep moist, the nubs will become new stalks, the laterals or any green left exposed produces energy to speed up the process. Never tried with Negra but it works with clumpers like Oldhamii

 

[Og Gong]

@al frey have you tried cloning any of your bamboo's?

 

[tobh]

Commenting to sub to this. Curious to see how this goes, always been a fan of bamboo and would love to give this a shot at some point.

 

[Topofthecrop]

Awesome thread. Once I get my new property I will be coming back here. But I would like to add that a great "hardwood" product I've found off the shelves for rooting is dip n grow. I know bamboo is different than shrubs and trees but it one hell of a product for tough cloning guys like bamboo. I've not once tried to clone bamboo let me finish with that. Good luck!

 

[Topofthecrop]

for hedging with some bamboos at least you can dig a 6" trench along your hedge line, bend a stalk over without severing the roots and bury the majority of it while leaving any laterals and the tip exposed to the light, keep moist, the nubs will become new stalks, the laterals or any green left exposed produces energy to speed up the process. Never tried with Negra but it works with clumpers like Oldhamii

Great post!

 

[fishwhistle]

@al frey have you tried cloning any of your bamboo's?

Sure Al Frey will chime in when he sees this,he definitely has some bamboo growing,lol.

 

[Og Gong]

Sure Al Frey will chime in when he sees this,he definitely has some bamboo growing,lol.

Lmao he got me hooked on black bamboo :D

 

[StickyBiz]

I am going to try another set in the spray cloner. I got some cloner shit from Dyna Gro that I tried on cannabis and they shot roots out afro style in two weeks.

 

[boo]

heya folks, been real busy this last week but it's all good...went to the hospital today for my 6 month followup on cancer, clean as a whistle...it's been one hellava 5 years...

I've got over a dozen species and 100 groves, I started planting it 15 years ago and it's gone nutz...I don't clone but do reproduce it by laying it on the ground and letting the nodes form roots at the internodal joints...instead of LST method used in weed I use HST which is high stress training...same thing albatros eluded to...I tried many different ways to get it to grow in soil but seem to have only gotten lucky...transplanting is an option but it's crazy hard work...dyna gro is where I get my silica and gro formulas...30 gallon drums make it cheaper...keep in mind the black refers to the "desired" species of black...the negra is a weed in the bamboo world, not a clumper but a very invasive species...this is my timor lako, she's green on the first year but black thereafter...I'll take some current pics of different species tomorrow...

 

[str8smokn]

Down here in the south all you have to do is throw it on the ground and keep moist.
When someone pisses you off cut a pcs of bamboo and throw it over their fence,it's so invasive that it starts popping up everywhere and the only way to get ride of means digging and tilling the whole spot up and then it still comes back.. Kind of like a Crape Myrtle,I hate them damn trees..
STR8

 

[str8smokn]

I wasn't aware it was hard to root?
STR8

 

[tobh]

I'll trade you our goatheads and tumbleweeds for some of that invasive bamboo any day! @str8smokn

 

[str8smokn]

@tobh No thank you cause I'm sure the bamboo is much prettier. I just don't grow it in the ground, potted is all good though.
We have tumble weeds in the spring time when all of the Oak trees drop their tassels, bigg ass yellow tumble weeds.
STR8

 

[Og Gong]

This is black bamboo in this pic. Looks like the bricks around the base is containing it. Kinda cool setup.