Can I cut Bamboo in half and it actually live?

I'm getting a Bamboo plant from a friend. It grows naturally along creeks. The Bamboo itself is 7 feet tall, which is too large for me. I was wondering if I could cut it in half and put it in a pot inside my home without killing it. I have a couple Lucky Bamboo's already and are doing great, but I don't really have to do anything with them besides water. I don't really know that much about Bamboo. I know that I will have to put the new Bamboo in soil, but how do I know what kind of soil? Are there any sites that would explain to me how to care for wild Bamboo in my home? I am concerned that by cutting the Bamboo in half it will kill it, but I don't know for sure. I don't want to kill it, would like for it to stay alive :)

Can I cut Bamboo in half and it actually live?
Hey Misty,





There are thousands of varieties of Bamboo. You can cut bamboo, and it will continue to grow. Perhaps you should select a variety and order it. Check out the American Bamboo Society and the other web sites below.





The only thing I have seen that actually kills healthy bamboo is Too much water, not enough drainage. (aside from herbicides which are not too effective on running bamboos).





There are 2 general types of bamboos, running and clumping. Clumping will stay in their proximity. Running will take over an area and keep going, via rhizomes or roots just under the surface of the ground.





Lucky Bamboo is actually not a real bamboo... from Wiki:


Dracaena sanderiana, known as Ribbon Dracaena, lucky bamboo or sometimes Ribbon Plant, is a species of Dracaena, native to Cameroon in tropical west Africa. It is one of a group of small, shrubby species with slender stems and flexible strap-shaped leaves that grow as understory plants in rainforests. It is an upright shrub growing to 1.5 m tall, with leaves 15-25 cm long and 1.5-4 cm broad at the base.





You might like Arrow Bamboo, it is naturally smaller and produces straight culms (like arrows).
Reply:Yes, you can cut it in half and plant the free piece. Just make sure that one of the nubs on the side is below the soil level. That's what will sprout the roots. Keep the soil moist at all times (don't let it dry out) until shoots start growing from the nubs above the soil. Don't be surprised, though, if it takes several months for the bamboo to grow shoots.





Last year, my neighbor had his bamboo trimmed. The tree guy cut off 10-foot sections and cut them into about 3-foot sections. I asked him what he was going to do with them and he said he plants them in pots to grow new bamboo plants. The process described above is what he told me works for him.
Reply:Cut it and put it in water until it sprouts roots. Change the water every two days. Should take about two weeks to develope enough roots to transplant in soil.
Reply:When you cut it, let the end dry so it doesn't start to rot when you pot it up in a good potting soil. It can get very large so be prepared to move it out of doors or repot it often.





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