Re: Using bamboo poles -- how long to wait?

Nan,

I regularly harvest my bamboo for use as stakes, etc.  I've found that it's
not a matter of it re-sprouting, but of strength.  If you don't cure them
until they are dry and turn yellow/beige, they won't stand up to being
hammered into the ground; they'll bend and break.  When cured, bamboo has
an amazing amount of strength.  You also have to wait to cut the stems
until they have matured - too early in the season and they just go limp -
now should be fine.  Once cured, you need to use a saw to cut them into
lengths (anything over half an inch in diameter or so) - trying to cut
thick stems with clippers mashes the stems and they crack - if you've got
the strength to do it in the first place; sawing doesn't.

I cut mine, cut off the leaf branches and lay them out flat for a month or
so - or until I get around to doing something with them.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
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----------
> From: Nan Sterman <nsterman@mindsovermatter.com>
> Date: Tuesday, August 04, 1998 2:57 PM
> 
> Hi!  I have some great bamboo poles that I cut from a neighbors thicket
and
> I want to use them as plant supports in my garden, but I'm wondering how
> long I need to wait until they are certifiably dead?  I don't want  to
put
> the poles into the ground and find them sprouting....  Any suggestions??
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Nan Sterman, Master Composter in residency
> San Diego County, California
> Sunset zone 24, USDA zone 10b or 11
> 
> 
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