Wait until your bamboo starts shooting and leafing. Sometimes bamboo leaves turn brown due to a cold winter but the cane drops it's leafs and grows new ones.

I wait till late May then take out the canes that did not sprout new leaves.

pcan,

Is your info on the black bamboo relevant to other types of bamboo? I have had healthy bamboo for about 20yrs and for the first time, most of it has gotten brown leaves, in addition to bending over due to snow in this frequently colder and snowier than typical winter here in NJ. It has generally been maintenance free as far as having to remove "dead"plants.

Thanks in advance for your (or anyone else's) response