The Bamboo Pruning Routine Followed By A Grower With 15 Years’ Experience
Elizabeth is a Permaculture Garden Designer, Sustainability Consultant and Professional Writer, working as an advocate for positive change. She graduated from the University of St. Andrews with an MA in English and Philosophy and obtained a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design from the Permaculture Association.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
Contributions From KERRI DALL
IN THIS GUIDE
Bamboo can be an extremely valuable foliage plant to grow in your garden.
As long as you choose the right bamboo and place it in your garden appropriately, it can be an excellent low-maintenance option.
One element of bamboo care to think about is pruning.
According to Kerri Dall, owner of Scottish Bamboo with over 15 years of experience caring specifically for these plants:
“Bamboo doesn’t require much pruning. However, we recommend pruning or thinning out old & thin canes at the base, including any culms which have died in the centre of the clump.
“You can also top prune the height if it becomes too tall in the Autumn once they have completed their full growth for the season”.
As Kerri says, pruning bamboo is not always essential, but there are several reasons why you might carry out this task.
Bamboo is usually best pruned in spring to:
- Remove any damaged, weedy or dead canes.
- Thin canes to reduce congestion on dense clumps.
- Curtail the height of the canes and produce lusher foliage.
- Clear lower foliage to show the canes off to their best advantage.
Below, we’ll take a look at each of these types of pruning in a little more depth.
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Equipment Required | Secateurs or pruning saw |
| When To Prune | April or May |
When To Prune Bamboo
Bamboo is typically pruned in the spring so that the plants are able to grow strongly over the growing season.
1) Prune Damaged Or Dead Canes
Check over your bamboo in spring and cut back any canes which are below par or dead right to the base with a pair of clean, sharp secateurs or garden shears.
2) Thin Canes If Required
On large, mature bamboo, you may find that the clump has become very dense and congested.
Where this is the case, it can be a good idea to further thin out the canes, cutting out canes at the base as required to allow light and air into the heart of the plant.
3) Reduce Height
If your bamboo is growing very tall, you can, if you wish, prune off the tops of the canes to contain their height.
Pruning off the growing tips of the canes will encourage them to produce more abundant and dense foliage.
4) Thin Lower Foliage
Another option, which is recommended for many bamboos, is to prune out lower foliage to reveal the attractive canes and to show these off to the best advantage.
According to Kerri: “One other reason you may choose to prune a bamboo is to trim the lower branches or limbs to show off the culms for their wonderful colour.
This is best done throughout the growing season, as the new branches form when the growth is soft and easy to remove from the main culm”.
To achieve this, cut off the lower foliage where you wish to do so, making sure that you cut as close to the main canes as possible.
“In large clumps of bamboo, it is possible to cut paths through the clump making for an immersive experience that children love,” shares Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
“Just be careful to make sure that the bamboo stumps are cut flush with ground level to reduce the potential for trips or injury if fallen upon.
“Adding bark chips to the path will also accentuate the intention of the path and make it safer to walk on.”
While it may be the case that none of the above steps are necessary, regular pruning can help keep bamboo in check, and keep plants looking their best.
