A customer writes:
My wife and I visited your farm and bought a stand of yin-yang bamboo back in mid-May. We planted it according to your directions and it seems to be doing well. We’ve just had 2 strong shoots pop up and they are growing phenomenally. In the last few days, though, one of the mature canes is falling over. As I said, it looks very healthy, maybe too full and healthy! Anyway, I tied the canes together-there are maybe 3 or 4 total mature ones-to keep the one from falling over, but I wonder if by doing that I am jeopardizing the others that have remained upright. The one leaning over is kind of heavy. Any advice?

My response:
I’m glad to hear about all the new shoots!  Concerning the leaning mature cane.  You have 3 options:  

1) you can tie that cane to a stake to help keep it upright 
2) you can do as you’ve done and loosely tie the top heavy cane to other mature canes to keep it from bending over or 
3) you can trim the top part of the leaning cane off, which will prevent it from being so top heavy.

If you continue with option 2, you are not hurting the bamboo as long as you don’t have the canes tied together too tightly.  Within a couple months when the new shoots now emerging grow tall, they (and other yet to emerge new shoots) will support the leaning cane.

If you opt for #3, you don’t have to worry that topping the tall shoot will do any damage.  That cane will not grow more once it is topped but all the new shoots will grow taller. 

YinYang has a “weepy” profile, which means that leaning over canes are part of the plant’s natural look.  With any bamboo you can modify the look of that clump by selective pruning.