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Repotting Repotting is one of the most critical aspects of the cultivation
of bamboos in containers. Other than dwarf and very slow-growing species, most
bamboos will fill their pots with roots within two years, and if not repotted
the lack of available water and nutrients will cause the plant to deteriorate.
The toughness of bamboo culms also extends to their rhizomes, and division is
not for the faint-hearted. Tearing a clump apart is not only difficult, it can
cause the plant extensive damage. If the root system is relatively open,
secateurs may be used, however Paul has found sawing or chopping with an axe the
least damaging method of dividing congested rootballs.
The aim of the repotting process is to rejuvenate the plant, by
removing some of the root system and replacing it with fresh compost. The most
vigorous, healthiest, part of the rootball is around the edge of running
bamboos, and this can be replaced nearer the centre of the pot if the plant is
also divided. At the same time the top growth is thinned.
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