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Prune bamboo with a lot of missing tips? (feddit.org)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hello,

I recently bought two small bamboo plants and put them in two pots on my balcony. They're both doing well and have grown several new stalks that are already growing a lot. But I noticed that the existing stalks were not growing at all, and today I found out why: a lot of them are missing their tips.

To my understanding this means those stalks won't grow anymore. Should I cut the "broken" stalks off to make room for new ones? I'm worried that the plant won't have enough leaves to do photosynthesis, because I would have to cut away quite a bunch.

As to why the plants are missing the tips: I don't know. I assume the store I got them from did it to prevent them from outgrowing the tiny pots they came in

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Kill it before it can escape and consume everything that you hold dear. Fire helps. Dynamite is better.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

How do I prevent the dynamite from blowing off the healthy stalks?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

You don't. Bamboo is not your friend. Bamboo is not anyone's friend.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I can change him

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Nice response. It is so strange the conventional ‘wisdom’ around bamboo. And it’s usually people with no actual experience with the plant.

I mean, you clearly mentioned they are in containers (which incidentally may be the reason the culms aren’t expanding fully, few bamboos do well in containers and balcony conditions can be very harsh). I swear people think that it will crawl out and take over your town overnight.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I made sure to get them the best containers possible. Pretty large (compared to the size of the rhizome it started out with anyways), nice soil, shale at the bottom for better drainage, insulation around the edges.

It has already expanded a little bit, but I don't really expect much more this season

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Sounds about ideal! Even the clumpers like to have all the room they can get. I’ve been able to get phyllostachys nigra to grow well in larger containers, giving them ample room and excellent soil prep as you describe.

Good luck! I love bamboo

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

No need to cut the broken culms off, though you can cut away any dead portions as desired.

If it's a matter of aesthetics, then definitely let the new culms reach full size before you cut away the broken ones.

When the bamboo cluster gets too big for your pot, you can cut it into four pieces for repotting.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Thanks for the advice! I think I'll just leave them be for now. There are still other "large" culms that are still growing so it should all be fine. I might cut them back next spring