Thanks to you both - I will water well and split it at the weekend.

Mike

"Justin Thyme" wrote in message
...
I tried this with a similarly sized P.nigra at this time last year. I took
it out of the pot and cut it into two with a serrated breadknife. I
potted
the odd pieces that came loose too and I now have 5 strong specimens. Do
water the plant well a few days before you split it and keep the daughter
plants sheltered from winds. The ideal place is in a cool greenhouse.
Just
make sure that the roots have already filled the pot before you split
them.
If they haven't, wait until next year. Try for some root, rhizome and
shoot
on each part of the loose pieces.


"Mike Hunter" wrote in message
...
Have just bought a Phylostachys Nigra with the aim of creating a screen
between parts of the garden. It is in a shallow pot about 10" diameter
and
clearly had some big canes before it was cut back.
Question is - can I divide it now, before planting or should I wait
until
it
has grown a bit first?

Thanks
Mike