Reviving Bamboo

[Linniepops]

I have a bamboo in a pot. I didn't water it at the beginning of the year and now the leaves have gone brown. It looks dead, but the canes are still green.
It hasn't started shooting from the bottom, but there seems to be new shoots forming next to the brown leaves.
Should I leave it as it is, and let it recover, should I cut it right down to the ground and wait for new shoots, or should I cut off the dead leaves and hope that the new shoots come to something ?

[WendyS]

I'm never grown bamboo but based on my experience of rescuing other dead looking plants, I would think that if the canes are still green you might have a chance of reviving it. The plant is obviously very stressed, so I suspect the best thing to do is to cut the canes hard back virtually to the ground and be patient. I'd also ensure that the compost is kept moist at all times and if possible move your pot to a sheltered place where it's not exposed to too much sun or wind to reduce any further environmental stress on it. Sometimes a plant can look pretty dead for quite a while and then suddenly surprise you with signs of new growth just as you're preparing to toss it onto the scrap heap. Longer term, if the plant does recover, it might welcome a dose of liquid fertiliser to help it on its way.

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Linniepops, If the canes are still green then theres a good chance you can revive it.
One way of reviving totally dried out potted plants, that I have found successful is to totally submerge the pot in water for an hour or so, or until the air bubbles have stopped rising, then let it drain and from then on keep it well supplied with water.
Anything thats obviously dead, leaves etc may as well be removed now . hopefully you will see some fresh growth soon. Good Luck Tbird+