Bamboo is a grass, but its wood is strong enough to be used in flooring and furniture. In the garden, bamboo is usually grown for its ornamental aspect or as a privacy tree, as it grows quickly and mostly in clumps that can be dense enough to offer curtain-like foliage.

How to Grow Bamboo from Cuttings in Water?

  • To grow bamboo from cuttings in water, cut several 10 inches long cuttings from a new growth that has at least two nodes and two internodes. Cut it in a slight 45-degree angle with a sharp knife.
  • Dip the ends of cuttings in melted wax. Place the cuttings in the water and leave it in a well-lit location for several weeks.
  • Change the water every other day, as standing water will quickly run out of oxygen.
  • Move the cuttings in a pot as soon as it has 2 inches long roots. Fill the pot with a potting mix or a mixture with 1 part loam and 1 part sand to improve drainage. Make a hole in the pot and plant the cutting at 1-inch depth into the soil.
  • For support, tie it to a stick with string. This will stabilize the bamboo cutting until it establishes.

Growing Bamboo From Rhizomes

How to Grow Bamboo from Culm Cuttings?

  • Cut a few cuttings from three or four years old bamboo plant, in various sections, with a hacksaw. Each section must contain at least one node and one internode. Remove the existing leaves in between.
  • Fill a pot with potting mix or a mixture of equal parts of coarse sand and loam.
  • Seal the first ridges of bamboo cuttings with wax, to save them from rotting or drying. Melt the wax and dip it in about 1/8 inch.
  • Pour two tablespoons of rooting hormone in a plastic bag and immerse the bamboo cuttings in it. Shake off the excess rooting hormone and make several holes in the soil. Once done, plant the cuttings carefully in it.
  • Cover the cuttings with a clear plastic bag and set the pot in a warm area, out of direct sunlight. Water them to keep the soil moist.
  • When you see new shoots, it means cuttings are forming roots. Continue to grow the bamboo plants in containers or plant outside when the weather warms up.

Also Read: How to Propagate Bamboo

  • Take bamboo Rhizomes and cut them into portions using a gardening knife, leaving two or three growth buds on each one. Avoid using rhizomes with dark and patched appearance, as they might not grow well.

  • Lay the bamboo rhizomes horizontally on pots with the buds facing up. Spread a 3-inch layer of soil over them and water thoroughly until the soil looks deeply moist.

  • Place the container in a warm spot, under light shade. Keep the soil slightly moist consistently. Remember, not to overwater the rhizome cuttings; otherwise, they will rot.

  • Rhizomes will take about four to six weeks to grow. You can plant them outside once the nighttime temperature starts to stay around 55 F.

  • Adil

  • May 18, 2017 At 1:10 pm

  • Nice to know

  • I have a bunch of bamboo shoot all shoots joined to an end part that was the starting point there is no roots right now I placed in a glass vase and filled with water and little stones

  • Reply

  • Gautam h kamble

  • May 13, 2018 At 2:32 pm

  • Nice infarmation send videos like this

  • Reply

  • Gautam kamble

  • May 18, 2018 At 2:37 am

  • Nice Information

  • Reply

  • Stan

  • August 14, 2018 At 12:43 am

  • Fluorine is an element, a gas. Water is typically treated with fluoride, not fluorine.

  • Reply

  • Ramon Hamm

  • March 30, 2021 At 2:42 am

  • Do you mean to dip the top end in wax? Dipping the bottom end in wax would block the water getting into the plant, you should be clear about this.

  • Reply

  • Christopher B Sears

  • September 19, 2021 At 6:40 am

  • 1.2.3 daumb this was break apart as it grow so fast that it will always get water that would also be given to the plant in the water coming from below it is photolysis in one part of the whole thing,, xoxo

  • Reply

  • Paul

  • September 7, 2018 At 8:32 am

  • Thanks. I live in Japan. I just rode out into the countryside & took some cuttings from a wild bamboo that was growing at an abandoned marina. Some fire ants bit my ankles as I was trying to take cuttings – it really hurt! The local farmers were amused to see me riding back home with long shoots bamboo sticking up out of my backpack like some strange war banner of old times.

  • I followed your instructions, so hopefully it will grow :-) I like the idea of my cuttings having a story to them, rather than buying from a garden supply centre.

  • Reply

  • Dave parsons

  • November 17, 2020 At 5:15 pm

  • Good story, good luck.

  • Reply

  • Ryan

  • February 13, 2021 At 10:30 am

  • Yeah! Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply

  • Brenda Jones

  • October 22, 2022 At 7:09 am

  • So interesting. Japan. I got my starters in Kansas City Missouri from a friend. They had roots but we’re separated from their mother land. I want it to grow in my apartment. Some day a few acres for revenue.

  • Reply

  • Michelle

  • April 17, 2019 At 12:29 am

  • Do I have to dip both ends of cuttings into wax?

  • Reply

  • Lori

  • July 2, 2021 At 5:07 am

  • You only dip the top opening!

  • Reply

  • Sylvia Gollan

  • July 26, 2021 At 11:26 am

  • thanks I was wondering about that too’

  • Reply

  • Sylvia Gollan

  • July 26, 2021 At 11:51 am

  • thanks I was wondering about that too’

  • Reply

  • Amberlyn

  • September 20, 2021 At 2:14 am

  • Why dip the top

  • Reply

  • Kawemba Barnabas

  • February 12, 2022 At 2:23 pm

  • Thank for all that information let me also begin with my quest it has been of importance to me

  • Reply

Nice to know I have a bunch of bamboo shoot all shoots joined to an end part that was the starting point there is no roots right now I placed in a glass vase and filled with water and little stones

Nice infarmation send videos like this

Nice Information

  • Ramon Hamm
  • March 30, 2021 At 2:42 am
  • Do you mean to dip the top end in wax? Dipping the bottom end in wax would block the water getting into the plant, you should be clear about this.
  • Reply
  • Christopher B Sears
  • September 19, 2021 At 6:40 am
  • 1.2.3 daumb this was break apart as it grow so fast that it will always get water that would also be given to the plant in the water coming from below it is photolysis in one part of the whole thing,, xoxo
  • Reply

Fluorine is an element, a gas. Water is typically treated with fluoride, not fluorine.

  • Christopher B Sears
  • September 19, 2021 At 6:40 am
  • 1.2.3 daumb this was break apart as it grow so fast that it will always get water that would also be given to the plant in the water coming from below it is photolysis in one part of the whole thing,, xoxo
  • Reply

Do you mean to dip the top end in wax? Dipping the bottom end in wax would block the water getting into the plant, you should be clear about this.

1.2.3 daumb this was break apart as it grow so fast that it will always get water that would also be given to the plant in the water coming from below it is photolysis in one part of the whole thing,, xoxo

  • Dave parsons
  • November 17, 2020 At 5:15 pm
  • Good story, good luck.
  • Reply
  • Ryan
  • February 13, 2021 At 10:30 am
  • Yeah! Thanks for sharing!
  • Reply
  • Brenda Jones
  • October 22, 2022 At 7:09 am
  • So interesting. Japan. I got my starters in Kansas City Missouri from a friend. They had roots but we’re separated from their mother land. I want it to grow in my apartment. Some day a few acres for revenue.
  • Reply

Thanks. I live in Japan. I just rode out into the countryside & took some cuttings from a wild bamboo that was growing at an abandoned marina. Some fire ants bit my ankles as I was trying to take cuttings – it really hurt! The local farmers were amused to see me riding back home with long shoots bamboo sticking up out of my backpack like some strange war banner of old times. I followed your instructions, so hopefully it will grow :-) I like the idea of my cuttings having a story to them, rather than buying from a garden supply centre.

Good story, good luck.

Yeah! Thanks for sharing!

So interesting. Japan. I got my starters in Kansas City Missouri from a friend. They had roots but we’re separated from their mother land. I want it to grow in my apartment. Some day a few acres for revenue.

Do I have to dip both ends of cuttings into wax?

  • Sylvia Gollan
  • July 26, 2021 At 11:26 am
  • thanks I was wondering about that too’
  • Reply

You only dip the top opening!

thanks I was wondering about that too’

Why dip the top

Thank for all that information let me also begin with my quest it has been of importance to me

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