mr bamboo

Shaping a tidy, privacy screen/hedge

Bamboo needs a minimum of trimming to maintain your preferred shape.

Bamboo should suit you. If it leans out too far, cut off the untidy bits. Or mow the bamboo with hedge trimmers, for that 'hard edge'.

New growth is trimmed back once a year. Once cut off, a culm will not grow any higher.

Before

Not very tidy. Some shoots actually leaning out. YIIIKES!!

After

Neat

 

The best time to trim is in winter

By winter growth has stopped. New shoots that have grown late in the autumn will wait until spring warmth comes to grow leaves.
It's best not to trim these bare stems until the culm sheaths fall away, exposing the green culm beneath. Trim too early, when the culm is still expanding and you can cause temination, terminal, er death of culm. But its not the end...indeed no!

 

Pruning screen to height

Sometime in winter trim to height, the weight of foliage drops away and the culm remaining will bounce back more upright than before. Once trimmed a bamboo culm will not grow any taller.

Cut with secateurs just above a node.

just above a node

Pruned

When does bamboo shoot?

Each bamboo species depends on particular seasonal stimuli to send up new shoots. In general, Running Bamboo species shoot during spring to early summer - and Clumping species shoot mid to late summer.

Side trimming to expose culm

This can be done at a very early stage of the culms development.

Once the culm has finished its vertical growth the side branches will push out at the nodes.  At this time they can be soft and may just need a rub to detach them from the culm.

Once the branches have hardened up you'll need secateurs. Cut off close to the culm leaving no  buds. This can be done at any time of year.

Without buds any remaining side pieces will die and can be cleaned up. Later.

Be careful not to damage the main culm. You'll make an open wound that wont heal. An entry point for pests.

The more foliage is removed the less energy to the plant. Next years shoots will be smaller and the culm smaller. Leave at least 1/3 of the branch complements.

Thinning out Clumping Bamboo

a job for winter or spring

New culms emerge from the outside of the clump every summer. The older culms are in the centre of the clump and need to be removed.

Using lopers or a saw, access the centre of the clump via the path causing the least damage to newer growth. Or aproach from around the back. Cull culms older than 2-3 years also anything looking weak or misshapen. This is a good time to trim culms to height promoting new foliage.

After trimming apply food and water. A bit of warm growing weather and your bamboo will soon be looking young and vigorous again.