Q&A for How to Propagate Bamboo

The bamboo sold in stores as “lucky bamboo” isn’t actually a true bamboo. The bamboo growing outdoors likely isn’t the same type but may be able to be grown as a look-a-like. Cut a branch with at least 4 nodes. Put it into water or pebbles filled with water.

The cuttings will be fine for the 2 hour drive home. Don’t wait longer than 5 or so hours to prepare the cuttings. Wrap the fresh cuttings with a damp cloth to keep them moist.

Roots will start to grow and establish within 4 to 6 weeks, but bamboo should not be moved or transplanted until 4 months after you take a cutting.

Put wax on the end of the cutting that you've taken. the cutting will need to establish roots to pull water from, but the stalk you took from will already have an established root system.

The wax keeps the cut or open end of the stem from wicking moisture out of the cane and dehydrating it before roots have formed to take in water from the soil.

This depends on how large your stand of bamboo is and how productive it is. You want to thin it out, not over harvest it. Of course, if you plan to do a "complete" harvest, that depends on how much you have to harvest and how much you plant / grow, of course. It is a fast growing plant, but it's growth outdoors is seasonal.

No. Leave any healthy growth to give the cutting the energy to grow the roots.

Yes. According to the article, the soft wax can be candle wax or beeswax.

You may just be able to plant a piece of bamboo stem in the soil.

Typically, most store bought potting soils should be fine, or even the soil from your yard could work, as long as it's the loamy type. Stay away from anything rocky or gravely. Drainage is also important, most bamboo roots like to dry out before being watered again, so a container with decent drainage is beneficial. Heavy or repeated winters can be hard on certain types of bamboo, so if you live in a snowy/frosty area a thicker container could keep the Rhyzome and roots warm. Certain types of bamboo can also be susceptible to constant high heat. A good layer of mulch will help shield bamboo from the hot and cold.

It's a very informative article. Try reading Step 3 again, where it states to cut 10-inch sections of bamboo at 45 degree angles from existing plants. So you would just cut a 10-inch section from the end of a stalk.

Plant the culm section in the soil with one or two nodes covered. This will be deep enough that it will not topple over when it grows taller.

Assuming that it's a "running" or "creeping" bamboo that you are attempting to contain, the idea is to create a subterranean barrier that will prevent the runners from escaping the area in which you want your bamboo to remain. This is a relatively simple process in theory; while the rhizomes of a spreading bamboo are able to travel great distances if the conditions are favorable, they don't go very deep into the ground, 15 inches being a good rule of thumb. It's important to be aware of the potential for certain running bamboo varieties to become extremely invasive. If your bamboo is in a dense, clay-rich soil, it is often naturally contained until the soil is disturbed.

Yes, but since bamboo plants only flower once in its life, seeds are hard to get.

Yes, candle wax will work perfectly fine to contain the moisture in the cut.

Yes, it keeps the bamboo hydrated and healthy. If you do not, it will probably dry up more quickly, which will lead to the plant dying.

The water needs to be changed. Water contains dissolved minerals that the bamboo will use to grow. Oxygen is just one necessary nutrient, not the only one. Change the water every 5 to 7 days in the beginning; this prevents damage from chlorine in the water. After the roots seem more stable and hardy, switch to changing the water every 2 to 3 days. It's a good idea to let the replacement water sit in a separate container overnight before swapping it with the old water; this gives chlorine more time to evaporate. An added air pump won't hurt, but it also won't solve the problem of nutrient depletion in the water.