Downsizing a Bamboo
BenDover
Posts: 488
I've got a bamboo (Fargesia Robusta) in a trough (about 1m by 0.5m) which has grown to around 12/15 feet tall. The bamboo is really packing the trough out and has got quite a lot of dead growth in it, and also the top 2/3 feet of some of the tallest stalks have died, from when I went on holiday last year and it dried out a bit too much. Its up against a fence so not really easy to get around the back to clear the dead stuff out. I'd like to try (I say try! 
) to get the bamboo out of the trough where by I reckon I could break (or saw!!) the roots/rhizomes to 4 or potentially 6 separate pieces, and replant into another 2/3 new troughs (or give away to somebody unsuspecting! 
). Part of that also make me think I want to try and make it easier to take out of the trough by removing all the current top growth by cutting it right back to ground level, although not sure what effect that would have on the success of whole plan. Would removing all current top growth limit the chances of success or will it be OK as long as I have recovered good roots/rhizome. Obviously replanting it I would replant in loads of well rotted manure and good fresh compost and give it plenty of feed and water until re-estalished.
Posts
I'm afraid I was in the same position and I hacked away at the roots and thought it would die as I had really damaged the roots. They are tough bug@ers to split. Anyway I have done mine and they are great and whilst they will take time to recover they are doing well. You aren't from Southampton are you???
You'll definitely need a saw
I did ours last week, it's the best time of year to do it and you can absolutely cut it down to ground level (I did it with one last year and it's grown back fine).
Thanks guys. I am planning to make it a bank holiday weekend job, so now feel well prepared. Thanks for the information And Emma Lou, not in Southampton!
It's hard work and think I came off worse than the bamboo. I too had to use a saw and took all my strength to split them. I had 7 to do!!!
i did mine last year and also added lots of well rotted manure, my leaves all started to yellow and die, i rang my local garden centre who said it's roots were being burned by the manure, so i had to take it all back out again, remove all the soil/manure and rinse the roots, i put it all back in with john innes no.3 and it recovered in no time.