Outdoor Bamboo

Question

Should I trim my outdoor bamboo down to the spot where last summer’s stalks are green? I live in the Black Hills of SD, so they succumbed to the cold weather this past winter.

Answer 1

Pruning can be performed anytime during the year, with exception to the shooting season because of possible damage to new shoots. You can remove all the brown canes with no foliage without any damage. However, removing more the 1/3 of good canes (green) will affect the bamboo's health and ability to produce larger canes.