If you want a perfect bamboo screen or trellis, pruning and trimming should be part of your regular gardening routine. This way your bamboo will thrive and create a beautiful hedge.
Just think about it this way:Bamboo is grassand acts like your lawn. To have a lush and thriving lawn, you need to mow it and take care of it. The same goes for bamboo.You have to take care of them by pruning and cutting your bamboo plants.
Before explaining the tasks, we would like to clarify the reasons.Pruning and pruning are often used interchangeably.When we talk aboutpruning bamboowe mean removing unwanted or dead branches and trunks, and shaping the entire plant (as you would with hedges).Garnish, on the other hand, causes overgrowth. So it limits the height and spread.
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Why should you prune and cut your bamboo plants?
Bamboo is classified as an ornamental plant because of its foliage, stems and habit. The lush green foliage provides shade and aesthetic privacy. The stems come in a wide variety of colors: green, black, yellow, striped or mottled. Both together make bamboo an ornamental plant.
Bamboo can grow very tall, but some species can even take the form of a ground cover. So don't think that all bamboo is huge. There are more than a thousandfriendly.
If left alone, bamboo tends to grow unevenly and it will not be pleasant to see all the stems. A little maintenance rejuvenates the bamboo and promotes branching. This is where pruning and trimming your bamboo plant would come in handy.
Pruning is very important with bamboo plants because of the speed at which they grow. If you do this task infrequently, it can overflow and exceed any limit. The clumping bamboo becomes very compact and the walking bamboo can grow in places where you would not want it. Regular trimming will save you a lot of headaches in the future.
Bundled bamboo, in particular, grows very densely in a circular shape. Regular pruning or pruning of dead trunks can lighten the clump and make it more attractive.
Walking bamboo should be cut down regularly so that it does not grow on the neighbour's property. Of course you doyou have to install barriers but for a healthy bamboo you have to give it some space. If you leave one side open for new growth, you'll need to cut the roots.
One of the benefits of pruning and pruning your bamboo plants is that it can greatly improve its beauty and aesthetics. In addition, it improves their health.
Trimming and pruning bamboo is useful if you want to enhance the decorative look by emphasizing the stems and preserving the most beautiful frames.
A big advantage of bamboo when pruning is that it is a very hardy plant. So even if you make a mistake, you can make it look really good.
4 methods of pruning and cutting bamboo
First of all, keep in mind that its durability makes it excellent for pruning as it regrows in a short time. Obviously, make sure you don't prune so much that you damage your plant. Be sure to read our additional tips on pruning and pruning bamboo at the end of this article. That way you won't damage your plants.
1. Maintenance pruning
To begin pruning bamboo, you need to cut off dead bamboo roots that are easy to distinguish. They may have turned brown, may not have leaves, or may have fallen off. Removing these will give the plant energy for new shoots and growth.
Thinning involves cutting away the oldest stem that is drying out or likely to cause crowding. You can also cut off any stem that causes crowds, but if you have to decide, choose the least attractive or the oldest. You will notice that you will feel that you have to cut back.
Also remove the deformed and unsightly stem, so that only the most beautiful remains.
You need to make an incision close to the groundor near the root. This way you will not see an unwanted brown trunk.
2. Dilution
New bamboo shoots come up every year to make the furrow thicker and thicker. Thinning out this cluster creates more airflow and sunlight. It also significantly enhances its beauty. Some people may even want a certain density to show off the decorative stems.
Thinning should be done when your bamboo is fully grown. Once your bamboo plant is established, thin out aggressively.
The purpose of thinning is to preserve the beauty and special elegance of bamboo. It is practiced every year and consists primarily of removing, by cutting them as close as possible to the ground, the dead stems of the old bamboos and all the stems that would suffer from the cold of winter .
If you remove an entire stem, cut it at ground level or just below. This way you avoid the unattractive stump.
Thinning out the bamboo will make room for the new and youthful, beautifully green buds at the base, which will shape the tuft.
3. Raise or raise legs
Do you want to reveal the interesting colors of your bamboo? Pruning is the best method for this.
Cut off the bottom branches (points) of the bamboo stems (legs). This will expose the stem. This enhances the beauty of your bamboo plant and gives it a unique look. It will also prevent the "edge" from growing back.
How much you want to reveal is up to you and maybe your fence. Many nature lovers have realized the beauty of bamboo. So they plant it right in front of their fence to maximize privacy while facing a green hedge instead of a picket fence. You can use this fence as a level to lift your bamboo. Thus, the foliage covers all of the above.
4. Overlapping
Cut the stems to the desired height. Topping is done to eliminate an uneven appearance and limit upward growth.
It's also a great way to make bent bamboo bend less. As you cut off the tops of the limbs and branches, you also eliminate the weight of the foliage so they stand straighter.
1. Step: Select the desired height
It is better to look at it from a distance and choose a certain height. Bamboo fences in particular may require a certain height and width.
Note: the stem will not grow anymore, only the branches.
Once you have determined the height, you can start mowing. If you are a perfectionist, you can set a guideline. Just tie it to the stems. This way you have a reference. However, this will only work if you can snap them into place. Another way is to mark the height. Measure the height (e.g. 12 ft / 4 m) and add a mark for the cut. Then you can bend and cut each collar.
2. Step: Prepare the tool
Depending on the width of the trunk, you will need sharp pruning shears, loppers or a handsaw. Be sure to clean (sanitize) the tool before starting.
3. Step: Cover or trim the top
When overlapping bamboo, you want to make the cut just above a node (the horizontal line). You may feel the urge to cut branches to gain better access, butdo not do it! These provide the luscious foliage, so you want to keep them. Cut only about 1/4 inch above the knot.
If you cut below the knot, you will get a brown top (up to the next knot).
What tools do I need to prune and trim my bamboo plants?
You may want to keep itsharp secateursand a knife scraper handy will come in handy when pruning your bamboo plant. For ease of use and for the highest branches, you can choose long stems.
If your bamboo has very large mouthpieces, you will need a sturdy handsaw or miter saw.
you will needglovesIneye protectionAlso.
If you want to shape your bamboo plants beautifully, don't forget thispruning shears. It is very useful for creating a small hedge and maintaining a bamboo ground cover.
Astairwellonly necessary if you want to trim the tops and if you have very thick frames.Andersyou can easily grab and bend the stems to cut them off.
For cleanly cutting large diameter bamboo and cutting dry bamboo stems, work withhacksaw.
When should you prune or cut bamboo?
The best time to prune bamboo varies by species and is late winter or late spring.
- February-March: before the resumption of vegetation to clean dry and damaged stems during the winter.
- Late Spring: Run from June to July for trimming, training and thinning.
However, all bamboo can be pruned once a year, except during the period of new stem growth from mid-April to the end of July. Meanwhile, mature frames can be clipped at any time of the year.
Dwarf bamboos can be pruned in late winter to give them a nicer, denser and more regular shape.
Tips for pruning bamboo plants
Pruning the plant from time to time will keep your bamboo looking its best. When doing this, you should not just focus on maintaining attractiveness. Removing weak sprouts that drain the plant's energy will also improve health and promote new growth.
What needs to be pruned?
The first pruning should consist of removing weak or dead stems or branches. They usually turn brown or yellow, wilt or look wrinkled. You need to know what your healthy strains look like. So make sure you remove all the unhealthy ones first.
You can remove dead roots without harming the plant. Cut them straight to the ground with a sharp knife.
For the best appearance, it is recommended to cut all branches to the bottom third of the stem and prune the branches to the middle third of the branch.
Prune any mullein branches that appear wilted or dead. However, never cut all the branches of a paddock. This is fatal to the plant. You must leave at least 3 branches (absolute minimum).
Tips for pruning your bamboo plant
Pruning serves to limit the size of the plant. Without occasional pruning, bamboo will continue to grow both upwards and outwards. If you aregrowing your bamboo indoors, you may have to cut it off before it gets too tall.
Where to cut a bamboo bamboo?
To maintain the aesthetics of your bamboo plant, it is important to consider the exact point at the end. Just tie a knot at the end. This way you keep the branches for beautiful leaves and you don't have a brown stump. You see, a damaged mediastinum will die. So if you cut below the node, the area between the node and the cut will be ugly.
You don't have to worry about choosing a cutoff point if you plan to completely eliminate the peak. You can then cut the stems very close to the ground or closer to the root (about 30 cm deep).
Do you need to prune young bamboo?
suggesteddo not cut it off until the bamboo is at least 3 years old. However, this is more aimed at commercial plantations where it must yield economic benefits and where the wood must have specific properties.
Still, the plant's growth can be affected if pruned early, and this is not desirable in almost any scenario, even bamboo being planted in the garden.
How much should I cut?
To maintain the strength and health of the plant,no more than 3/4 of the peaksit needs to be cut, better not more than half of it.
Conversely, it also makes no sense to leave all stems uncut indefinitely, as this also slows down the production of new leaves and bamboo renewal.
It should beNever cut all branches. The plant needs it, so you just kill the stem by removing the branches.
Does bamboo grow when cut?
If you cut off the top, the top will stop growing. Only the branches will continue to grow. Cutting off the top of your bamboo plant does not mean that the entire bunch/plant will stop growing.
The bamboo plant is great, it doesn't grow back exactly where you cut it. New shoots came up very close to the spot.
However, it is best not to cut all the stems. If you cut them all off, the forest will produce more shoots. You will get different sizes of frames if you just cut a few of them during shooting season.
Please note, your bamboo will not grow back if you completely remove the top part of your bamboo (including all branches). The tips actually grow from the energy provided by the leaves. Without them, your plant will suffer and eventually die. Branches are thus essential for new growth.
Basically, cutting bamboo will not stop it from growing. However, the frames grow from the base and not from the cut cutting.
What to do with cut stems?
Do not throw away the cut seeds. You can use them as stakes for potted plants or in the garden. Bamboo shoots can also be used to make fencing, privacy screens, pergolas or arbors. There are so many possibilities for crafts!
Pruning and trimming bamboo plants is a magical touch to beauty, health and rejuvenation. With a little of your time and effort each year, you can achieve this. We hope this guide will make the whole experience easier for you.