How to dig and repot (or pot) the bamboo compartment from an existing grove.
This is so often done on a bamboo farm that I no longer think about it, but people often connect me with the question of how they can plant bamboo.
One of the immediate obstacles is the size of some bamboo varieties. If you approached the Mozo grove, each cane could have been more than forty feet tall. “How can you get a small drinking plant from such a large species?” People ask. Well, the answer may be ... you can not, at least, not without the slightest persuasion.
The bamboo grove begins with one tiny plant, and over the years a large interconnected root system has been growing. If you tear apart pieces of the root system that underlines the grove, the rhizomes will react, creating small “emergency” shoots. (as a rule, right around the spot where you have wrapped the rhizome). These small shoots will usually be maximal in size from only a few inches to five or six feet, and as soon as they harden, you can dig up small plants and sweat them. I usually wait about a month after they let out the leaves.
How do you break the rhizome? I usually circle around a grove, in early March, with a sharp shovel and move it straight down. A large grove will have a huge amount of rhizome growth, so basically, when you decide to put a shovel, it is likely to strike a rhizome. When new spring shoots begin to appear, you will most likely get some small ones around the areas where you have isolated the rhizomes. As you begin to dig the plants out of the grove, this process will perpetuate itself in the sense that when next spring turns around you are likely to have small plants that grow around the area where you dug small plants the previous year.
Well, now that you have persuaded smaller plants from the grove, how do you dig them? Depending on the species, digging a bamboo can be very hard work, especially if you dig up the inside of a grove, and you need to cut through the crossed grid of rhizomes. I generally start by digging a circle around the plant (digging straight down and staying at least 5-6 inches from the base of the reed), you will dig the root of the ball, at least 10-12 inches in diameter (you can dig it much more if you want). This is achieved by placing the shovel where you want it, and jump onto the shovel as hard as you can with both feet. Sometimes you may need to do this step several times to cut through the roots. (Do not do this with soft plantar shoes and congratulate your legs, as I once did). After you cut right into 8 inches or so, pull out the shovel, move it and continue until you cut the circle around the plant you are digging. Bamboo roots grow very finely, so as soon as you cut through the surface roots / rhizomes, you can easily pick up the root ball very easily.
Next is either pouring, or transplanting bamboo into another hole. I use the same procedure for any situation. If you refuel bamboo, make sure that the root of the ball fits into the pot with a few inches of room on each side. I fill the pot two-thirds of the way filled with soil, and insert a water hose into it, mixing my hand until it becomes the consistency of a thick soup. To avoid the air pockets, I then twist the bamboo root ball into the dirt until the dirt thickens on the sides and fills the voids. If necessary, I sprinkle a little more soil on top (but keep the roots at about the same level that they naturally grow)
Bamboo is very hardy. Using this method, I have at least a 95 percent survival rate for transplantation or bamboo shoots. Remember that after you type it, the cold endurance rating will drop significantly, so you will want to protect your pots if you have cold winters.
