How to Cut Bamboo for Planting in Texas

Overview

‭Bamboo is a fast-growing member of the grass family and can vary in height from a few inches to over 100 feet. Bamboo is a versatile plant, adapting to mountain or tropical climates and will thrive in Texas. Of the two types of bamboo, runners and clumpers, the latter is the type generally grown from cuttings, according to the Texas Bamboo Society. Cut your bamboo from healthy plants, from April to June. Each of the rings on the trunk of the bamboo is called a node, and the spaces between nodes are called internodes.

Step 1

Prepare a planting pot for the cutting by layering equal parts (2 inches of each) of gravel, on the bottom, then medium-sized sand and fine sand at the top. Create a planting hole for the bamboo cutting using your hands or a small gardening trowel.

Step 2

Locate a bamboo stalk, less than 3 years old, from within the bamboo stand.

Step 3

Allow the branch to warm to room temperature if the weather is cold.

Step 4

Lay the bamboo stalk on the table and locate, in the middle of the stalk, a section of bamboo that is the healthiest.

Step 5

Position the stalk so that the portion you will be cutting is hanging off the end of the table. Make your first cut exactly in the middle of an internode. Count up two full internodes and make the next cut in the middle of the next internode. Your stalk should have a half internode at either end and two full internodes in the middle.

Step 6

Dip one end of the bamboo in a rooting hormone containing IBA (indole-3-butyric acid), covering at least the bottom 1 inch of the cutting.

Step 7

Stick the hormone-coated end of the cutting into the prepared hole in the planting medium, making sure that one node is completely buried, and pack the soil around it.

Step 8

Pour two cups of water into the top of the cutting.