How to Cut Bamboo: 7 Tips for Cutting Bamboo Outdoors

Bamboo is technically a member of the grass family, although plenty of people use its thick shoots as a wood substitute. Bamboo rhizomes begin their growing season in summer, building ornate root systems underground before emerging above ground in late spring. Their tendency to grow quickly makes bamboo a suitable candidate for an ample ground cover plant, and they provide an adequate privacy screen for your yard once they reach their full height. Bamboo does best in the climates of USDA Hardiness Zones 5–12, although you can keep smaller species as indoor houseplants anywhere.

There are many different species of bamboo, each of which has unique characteristics. Here are just three types to consider for your own garden:

1. 1. Black bamboo: This bamboo plant (also known as Phyllostachys nigra) has dark stalks and spreads quickly. Running bamboo varieties such as black bamboo can be invasive if you do not control them properly.
2. 2. Golden bamboo: Despite its name, golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) can produce either green or yellow stalks when it sprouts during its shooting season. Other names include fishpole bamboo and fairyland bamboo.
3. 3. Lucky bamboo: This diminutive species stays below two feet at its full height, which makes lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana) a more likely indoor plant candidate than some of its relatives.

Bamboo grows relatively fast and spreads quickly. Unless you trim or get rid of bamboo, it can overtake a garden once it reaches its full height. Different bamboo culms (or groupings) might require more or less regular pruning. For instance, you might only need to cut a dwarf bamboo plant sporadically, whereas a giant bamboo plant will require routine upkeep. Decide on your desired height for your bamboo plants and cut them repeatedly throughout the year, or prune them down to the ground at wintertime before allowing them to sprout afresh each year.

Trimming your bamboo stalks is a straightforward process. Here are several tips to make the process go smoothly:

1. 1. Mow in advance. Bamboo spreads very fast, so it can sometimes be easier to stop a clumping bamboo hedge from appearing at ground level than to wait for it to grow to its full height. Take your lawn mower over the base of the plant just as the stalks begin to sprout. Mowing these small stubs grants you more power over the ultimate shape of your bamboo plants.
2. 2. Use the right cutting tools. Different bamboo stalks call for different cutting tools. Particularly dense clumping types might even call for a chainsaw, although a hacksaw or handsaw will usually do just fine. You can use a less intense but still sharp pruner for smaller, more delicate bamboo. Pruning shears, sharp knives, and secateurs should all get the job done.
3. 3. Sanitize your shears. Bamboo shoots might be relatively low-maintenance, but you want to give them the best chance they have to fight against diseases. This means cleaning off your trimmers to avoid accidentally spreading any harmful bacteria from one plant to the next while you’re cutting the plants.
4. 4. Find a spot between nodes. Bamboo canes have individual notched cylinders—these notches are the nodes. Cutting between these spots is one of the easiest ways to divide your bamboo stalks. If you’re trying to propagate new plants, you can cut between the nodes in several different sections and start a new growth with each new portion.
5. 5. Wrap with tape before cutting. Bamboo cutting can be a messy business, so wrap the area you’ll cut through with masking tape or painter’s tape. Otherwise, it’s likely to splinter. The tape should keep the stalks more intact as you work.
6. 6. Cut diagonally. It’s much easier to cut diagonally rather than horizontally through bamboo poles. Their exteriors can be very tough, but cutting on a downward-sloping diagonal angle can help you overcome their innate durability.
7. 7. Propagate new growth after pruning. Bamboo plants have dense root balls, so it’s much easier to propagate new shoots through pruning rather than upending an entire plant. All you need is one stalk to get started—cut between the nodes toward the top and move your way down to the lower branches. Each divided section can become a new plant. Rake up any dead leaves and add new mulch to help the new bamboo grow.

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