Bamboo All Dead: Gregarious Blooming

Q: When I moved to Georgia four years ago, I had a beautiful stand of bamboo in my backyard. This spring they started to die off, and the stand is now completely dead. What caused this? Is there a chance for new growth?

A: The most likely explanation is that your bamboo is all the same age and only one species. One of the characteristics of many species of bamboo is that after most members of a species flower, the plants die. This is called gregarious blooming. One theory is that this die-off gives a good environment for new seedlings.  

Here’s what you should do: Chop all of the dead bamboo to the ground, then take a pair of long handled loppers to cut the shallow rhizomes, which you see running along the ground, into 12-inch lengths. Cover them with soil. Hopefully, the rhizomes will make roots and sprout new bamboo for you. More details: bit.ly/GAbambooflowers