Do you have to cure bamboo before you use it?

John3 · May 10, 2011

Do you have to cure bamboo before you use it? Or can you just go ahead and put in the ground for trellis once you cut it? And about how long does bamboo last outside in a trellis?

I'm asking as a person bought a farm that I think some bamboo was growing on for fishing poles (not sure) - anyway the new owner cut it all down and wants to give it way to get it off the property . Some of the canes are turning a brownish yellow - is that good or bad. I think she piled it up in stacks laying down about 7 to 8 ft high. So I am not sure it's getting air dried or not. They are about 1/2 inch to 3 inch round.

ireilly · May 10, 2011

This isn't much direct help,but look at the size of these bamboo plants.

http://www.guaduabamboo.com/harvest-bamboo.html

They do state there's a preferred time and method for harvesting though.

But all the piddley bamboo canes I have gotten in the past look nothing like that picture. Probably just little immature saplings I guess.

John3 · May 10, 2011

Thanks ireilly for the link to the read

ireilly · May 11, 2011

Sorry, I was in a hurry earlier. This has been interesting to read, although I don't think bamboo cultivation is something I would do where I am now. An amazing plant (grass), growing sometimes 1-4 feet per day, and some varieties to 70-80 feet!

The first link below is more all-encompassing, the second is the American Bamboo Society's FAQ page, and has some details in it on curing and preserving bamboo. Looks like it should be over 4 years old or it will contain lots of starches and not be rigid as you hope - although some people raise it solely for the shoots for food purposes.

There's two kinds of cane here in the US, one is switchcane, smaller, which tends to grow in the east and southeast, and rivercane, larger, which grows in river bottoms, etc. and in the midwest and south central areas. My neighbor planted some and you could see it because it grew to about 15 feet tall. They say though it spreads vegetatively through rhizomes, so I'll bet he is having a devil of a time getting rid of it. I have vinca and that's enough for me.

Interesting, thanks for the idea.

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/bamboo.html

http://www.bamboo.org/bamboo-uses-faqs.php

t-ham · May 11, 2011

As I drive around the Hudson Valley I always see patches of some form of bamboo or another that someone thought would look good in a corner of their yard. Every patch I see is spreading across property lines. I understand bamboo has 2 root forms, rhizome and crown, crown types be smaller-growth types(species usually <6') and rhizome-spreaders being the taller and grander types. I think you practically need to plant rhizome-type bamboo in a metal drum to keep it from spreading. I would love to grow some for stakes, etc, but visions of my little backyard disappearing in the time it takes for me to go inside to make lunch keep me settling for scrounging stems resulting from other peoples battles to win back their yards.

I just saw that what I call crown-types are called "clumping" types and the spreaders are called "running". Live and learn.

tuk50 · May 13, 2011

I have two types of running ... one that is seen all around this area is about 15ft 20ft max and is very light and is what I use in the garden and I just cut it and use it... it does get harder after curing, but has been strong enough to do what I want. For the kids fishing poles we harvest in winter and let dry loosely stacked till summer and it is stronger. My other type was a gift from a friend in New Mexico and she got it in the South Pacific and has been at her home for about 30years and is 4in to 6in diam and some 40ft tall.. this stuff is like steel .. very very dense and hard to cut even with long handled pruners... mine is 5yr old and just now starting to grow to 10ft... it takes a very long time for the dense building varieties to get established...

frankkj · May 15, 2011

You do not need to cure bamboo before you use it. However, as the canes age, they get harder and stronger. After a couple of years down here, they get so dry they become brittle and are subject to breaking.

Hope this helps,

Frank

t-ham · May 16, 2011

Found a supply of bamboo yesterday. It grows on a gas company ROW between 2 houses that quite literally makes up the NY/NJ border for a bit. As usual, it is bamboo that has spread from the backyard of one of the houses. I hit paydirt when I found a PILE of canes where it looks like someone had an anti-bamboo fit and tried to wipe out the encroaching plants. This is the common "local" species, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches at the base and 20 to 25 feet tall, maybe one cane in 10 shows some "zig-zagging" of the nodes.

My question is this:

Is there any reason not to use the bamboo leaves for mulch? They seem fairly tough and I figure they would last a while. They don't contain any compounds that would interfere with growth do they? Just wondering.

tuk50 · May 16, 2011

Good question! I've always used mine like any other leaves in the compost pile and then stuck the canes into the soil and grown beans and tomatoes on them like a lot of folks do and have not seen any problems..

t-ham · May 16, 2011

Thanks for the reply,

It's raining here right now and I'm running in and out between bursts to try and use my new STUFF. A pile of new scrounged material and a urge to MAKE something. Let it rain, I will not be denied!

I'm rigging some of the 8 footers into a trellis for a 18gal rubbermaid-type container that I'm going to try growing Kentucky Wonder beans in. All the dirt in my little back yard is spoken for so I'm starting to encroach on the patio areas. I set the canes pointed upwards and slightly outwards, sort of a rough vase shape so that light and air will be able to get into the middle once they get a bit taller. Some thinner cross struts to keep the shape. Time will tell.

The main reason I'm posting back is that I was wondering how much bamboo you grow. Just a few clumps or a larger scale and, subsequently, how much leaf matter are you dealing with. Are they just a portion of your compost material or a major chunk. Basically I was wondering if a mostly bamboo leaf(as opposed to other veg matter, I understand you would still need the other components) compost is viable/feasible.

Thanks,

Tom

tuk50 · May 16, 2011

We just built a home two years ago and I planted three clumps of my imported bamboo and the largest is only about a 2ft x 6ft bed now and I only have one start of the native type and it has grown from a 5gal pot to about 10ft diameter area.. this spring I harvested all the native type for the garden and it is already grown back to 10ft tall.. I do put a wheelbarrow of horse manure on each clump each spring ...

My compost pile is mainly horse manure and the hay they pull off the feeder and stomp in... we have two horses and my grandson mucks the stalls each weekend and gets about a very full wheelbarrow to go into the compost along with the occasional load from the chicken coup so things like bamboo trimmings never dominate the pile.

John3 · May 22, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankkj

You do not need to cure bamboo before you use it. However, as the canes age, they get harder and stronger. After a couple of years down here, they get so dry they become brittle and are subject to breaking.

Hope this helps,

Frank

Thanks Frank, it does.

Worth1 · May 22, 2011

I grow 2 kinds of bamboo, golden goddess and Oldhamii, bothe are clumping.

The Oldhamii will get to be 60 feet tall and around 4 inches in diameter.

May 10, 2011	#1
John3 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alabama 7.5 or 8 depends on who you ask Posts: 727	Do you have to cure bamboo before you use it? Do you have to cure bamboo before you use it? Or can you just go ahead and put in the ground for trellis once you cut it? And about how long does bamboo last outside in a trellis? I'm asking as a person bought a farm that I think some bamboo was growing on for fishing poles (not sure) - anyway the new owner cut it all down and wants to give it way to get it off the property . Some of the canes are turning a brownish yellow - is that good or bad. I think she piled it up in stacks laying down about 7 to 8 ft high. So I am not sure it's getting air dried or not. They are about 1/2 inch to 3 inch round. Last edited by John3; May 10, 2011 at 05:26 PM.

May 13, 2011	#6
tuk50 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tucson, Arizona (catalina) Posts: 413	I have two types of running ... one that is seen all around this area is about 15ft 20ft max and is very light and is what I use in the garden and I just cut it and use it... it does get harder after curing, but has been strong enough to do what I want. For the kids fishing poles we harvest in winter and let dry loosely stacked till summer and it is stronger. My other type was a gift from a friend in New Mexico and she got it in the South Pacific and has been at her home for about 30years and is 4in to 6in diam and some 40ft tall.. this stuff is like steel .. very very dense and hard to cut even with long handled pruners... mine is 5yr old and just now starting to grow to 10ft... it takes a very long time for the dense building varieties to get established... __________________ Hangin on for dear life!

May 15, 2011	#7
frankkj Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Louisiana Posts: 90	You do not need to cure bamboo before you use it. However, as the canes age, they get harder and stronger. After a couple of years down here, they get so dry they become brittle and are subject to breaking. Hope this helps, Frank __________________ Old and Wise? Or maybe just getting old?

May 16, 2011	#9
tuk50 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tucson, Arizona (catalina) Posts: 413	Good question! I've always used mine like any other leaves in the compost pile and then stuck the canes into the soil and grown beans and tomatoes on them like a lot of folks do and have not seen any problems.. __________________ Hangin on for dear life!

May 16, 2011	#10
t-ham Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: rockland county, ny, usa Posts: 36	tuk50, Thanks for the reply, It's raining here right now and I'm running in and out between bursts to try and use my new STUFF. A pile of new scrounged material and a urge to MAKE something. Let it rain, I will not be denied! I'm rigging some of the 8 footers into a trellis for a 18gal rubbermaid-type container that I'm going to try growing Kentucky Wonder beans in. All the dirt in my little back yard is spoken for so I'm starting to encroach on the patio areas. I set the canes pointed upwards and slightly outwards, sort of a rough vase shape so that light and air will be able to get into the middle once they get a bit taller. Some thinner cross struts to keep the shape. Time will tell. The main reason I'm posting back is that I was wondering how much bamboo you grow. Just a few clumps or a larger scale and, subsequently, how much leaf matter are you dealing with. Are they just a portion of your compost material or a major chunk. Basically I was wondering if a mostly bamboo leaf(as opposed to other veg matter, I understand you would still need the other components) compost is viable/feasible. Thanks, Tom

May 10, 2011	#2
ireilly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 344	This isn't much direct help,but look at the size of these bamboo plants. http://www.guaduabamboo.com/harvest-bamboo.html They do state there's a preferred time and method for harvesting though. But all the piddley bamboo canes I have gotten in the past look nothing like that picture. Probably just little immature saplings I guess.

May 11, 2011	#4
ireilly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 344	Sorry, I was in a hurry earlier. This has been interesting to read, although I don't think bamboo cultivation is something I would do where I am now. An amazing plant (grass), growing sometimes 1-4 feet per day, and some varieties to 70-80 feet! The first link below is more all-encompassing, the second is the American Bamboo Society's FAQ page, and has some details in it on curing and preserving bamboo. Looks like it should be over 4 years old or it will contain lots of starches and not be rigid as you hope - although some people raise it solely for the shoots for food purposes. There's two kinds of cane here in the US, one is switchcane, smaller, which tends to grow in the east and southeast, and rivercane, larger, which grows in river bottoms, etc. and in the midwest and south central areas. My neighbor planted some and you could see it because it grew to about 15 feet tall. They say though it spreads vegetatively through rhizomes, so I'll bet he is having a devil of a time getting rid of it. I have vinca and that's enough for me. Interesting, thanks for the idea. http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/bamboo.html http://www.bamboo.org/bamboo-uses-faqs.php

May 22, 2011	#13
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I grow 2 kinds of bamboo, golden goddess and Oldhamii, bothe are clumping. The Oldhamii will get to be 60 feet tall and around 4 inches in diameter.