Sorry that I cannot speak to propagating bamboo. The one thing I do know about this plant is that it will grow well in our climate, and if you get the spreading type,you will likely regret planting it in your landscape. Perhaps consider buying a plant from a reputable nursery unless you can tell the difference between the clumping varieties and the spreaders.

Most bamboo may only be propagated from seeds or division of the rootstock, which is often backbreaking labor to get a viable root system. I agree, buy it.

It's worth a shot trying though. Do any of you know of good bamboo nurseries in southwest Florida?

I find it quite easy to propagate my bamboo. Just cut off the small side shoots and stick them in moist soil. I have an un-named clumping bamboo. It was given to me at the size of a pencil and now it is 90 feet tall. I get an unending supply of bamboo stakes for my plants. One time I used a stake that I thought was dry and it rooted right in the center of my big pot of hoya. There is a bamboo farm in Charlotte County on Zemel Road. --Linda Leaf

I've been growing bamboo for over 20 years and have experience with dozens of varieties. Propagation from aboveground cuttings does not work with running varieties of bamboo. For propagation of runners you either need a chunk of viable rhizome or to take a division. You can propagate from cuttings with many kinds of clumping bamboo, such as are often grown in southeastern climates like Florida's. The best way to try this is to make a shallow trench in fertile soil and then take a several foot section of bamboo culm, trim off the branches, bury it in the trench, and keep it watered. Once you see new shoots popping up you can cut out the pieces that have the best root system forming and pot them or plant them in the ground. You should be able to find a video or two about this on YouTube.

Alternatively, you could take a division by removing part of the root ball with a couple of attached culms and plant this; it's a bit of work and you typically need a sharp shovel and root pruning saws to get out a big enough root ball without mangling it. This method works with any kind of bamboo, although some are more sensitive to the shock and your success rate may be lower.

I no longer do much propagation simply from rhizomes of either running or clumping bamboo, as I want a plant that will size up quickly. Some bamboo that I started from a section of rhizome took 5 years before they got as tall as I am. So, these days, if I can't find someone who will let me take a division from an established plant, I just go to the nursery and buy what I want that's potted up.

Yes, I bought a clumping fargesia as a tiny seedling, very much looking like 3 inch grass about 5 years ago. It's finally as tall as me now and looking like a fair specimen.
It pays to buy a well established plant, though it may be fun to grow from cuttings or seedlings or small divisions.