Share your DIY Bamboo projects

[socalgardengal]

I have a patch of bamboo in the backyard and would love to see some bamboo projects you have done yourselves. I'm in need of some ideas of what I can use the poles for. Do I have to let the poles cure first or can I use them right after cutting? Thanks ~Christine

[kurt]

I used to have some stands.They got to be to large and invasive.I managed to harvest some nice 1 inch by10 ft,some 1 1/2 inch by 15 foot and some 3 inch by 25 footers.I have been using them for my yearly tomato season as stakes,horizontal supports for the arbors that I make for the cherry mater vines since they get too long to go straight up.Trick is to select the same sizes,strip the growth at the knuckles while green(when dried they are really hard to remove)Cut lengths at the knuckles(open ends where it is hollow split back and are a good harbor for diseases,pests)Wrap 10-15 real tight in bundles when green so they dry straight(alternate the thicker ends to thinner part of length when stack wrapping).When good and dry remove the wraps and coat heavily with some tung oil,linseed oil or if not organically inclined Thompsons water seal.Two or three applications of oil is recommended(use the painters glove you can smear the oil with).Rewrap, let cure some.After that when nice and coated(cured) I took a bucket and got some liquid roofing asphalt and candle dipped up one foot for the part of of pole that goes into container or ground.Every three or four years I might recoat the poles.I have been using the same poles for at least 10 years now.They are expensive to buy.Lengths over six foot are hard to come buy in smaller quantitys,The big box stores have some but are coated with some green chemical treated poison.For furnitures,crafts etc. you can use stains,sealers after drying.They will not take stains when green.Have Fun.

[socalgardengal]

Thank you for the info Kurt. Have you had any problems with the liquid asphalt leeching chemicals into the soil? I'm trying to be as organic as possible.

[meadowyck]

Bamboo strips are the best for just about anything you want to create in the garden. I have used them for stakes, supports, brackets, lattice for sweet peas, beans. You are only limited by your own needs. Yes, cut and trim when green. Key is to have tools that are for working with bamboo. A great saw for bamboo is essential, at least for me. This makes splitting so easy. Mallet to hit on one end of the knife will make quick work of splitting down to smaller strips.

[kurt]

http://www.astecinc.com/images/file/..._Neighbors.pdf According to this article ashalt is insoluable to water.

[Worth1]

This is something I always wanted to do.
The type of bamboo used grows wild here.

Worth

[socalgardengal]

Now that's what I'm talking about Worth! I LOVE to fish!
Thank you for the article Kurt. Explains everything very well. I will use it as well.
Thank you Jan for the great ideas. I'll search online for some good plans.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by Worth1

This is something I always wanted to do.
The type of bamboo used grows wild here.

Worth http://www.thomaspenrose.com/tonkin02.htm I have some from a uncle who gave them to me after his dad got them years ago.They are classics and command a high price from both antique and new pole fly fishing sportsman.

[Worth1]

Kurt I had one my father gave me growing up someone made.
One of the rings for the reel was busted so it was considered scrap.

I used it to catch goggle eye, bluegill and perch.

Here is another odd thing you can do with bamboo.


I read on a website that if you plant timber bamboo on an area the size of your houses foot print.
In about 10 years you will have enough material to build the house.

Of course here in the US they dont have building codes for bamboo yet.

As for my project for the future I plan on going hunting for it and making blinds for the front porch.

Plus I need to go out and gather some Mescal Beans for a very good friend of mine, K Silverhorn.
He is of the Kiowa tribe and uses them for ceremonial necklaces.


Worth

[socalgardengal]

Wow, that bike is very cool too Worth. Not sure about building a house either Way over my head though lol.

[kurt]

Worth,

During my younger years my father was in the old OAS and we got to travel around as me and my siblings were "dependent brats"I got interested in bamboo since we got to live and travel in Southeast Asia before the Viet Nam war and the communist "dominoe theory scare"He had a lot to do with being a advisor for the government.I remember watching contruction crews using bamboo for scaffolding on multistory buildings and at one time watched them using stacked,rolled back and forth bamboo to lift a massive boiler tank a almost 6-7 storied building to the roof.I understand bamboo can be engineered to be as strong as steel.I love the stuff but as discussed before it is a pain in the butt for smaller pieces of land.

[TexasAngel]

I don't have any bamboo projects but I just want to say that every year several Austin residents put ads on Craigslist to come take some bamboo from their bamboo stands for free. Most of them are fifteen to twenty feet tall. Stuff grows like weeds here, so it's a win-win. People get their bamboo kept in check and people get free bamboo. So if you live in Central Texas keep that in mind as a good source.

[Alpinejs]

For any that may not know, there are two types of bamboo. Clumping and
running. There are more websites on how to get rid of bamboo than there is on
how to grow it. If you grow running bamboo, it is mandatory to "cage' or your
neighbors will hold you responsible for removing all the bamboo in their yards.
I have a large grove of running bamboo but it is fenced to a depth of 3 ft.
Elsewhere, I only use clumping like Old Hameii which grows to about 70' tall.
The flowering habits of some bamboo are extremely fascinating.

I, too, would like to find a good use for my bamboo as I burn heaps of it
yearly. When you burn it, it sounds like gun fire going off. If you like the size
of bamboo used for tomato stakes, virtually every drainage ditch around here
has an abundance of the stuff and the county uses inmates to clear them
out. I think it all goes to the dump. My giant timber bamboo has a diameter of
about 3 inches, so I save it thinking I will find a good use for it. It is like a big
log pile. They say that in the Phillipines there is some bamboo that you can
actually see growing and hear it growing. I have about 15 varieties in my yard
as most of my yard is tropical with about 250 palms and cycads. There are a few
varieties that are even cold hardy enough for the Northern tier of states.

[Alpinejs]

Two more thoughts.

Many people make the mistake of thinking they can put running bamboo in
containers. Wrong! The roots run right out the drain holes and even Round-up
won't solve your new problem.

Many of the big box stores sell a plant that they call "heavenly bamboo". It is
a misnomer and isn't bamboo at all even though it does look a lot like bamboo.
Sort of like the Sago palm which is not a palm at all, but is a cycad. Also, sort
of the that round red cardboard stuff the produce dept. sells labelled as tomatoes.

[Alpinejs]

Trying to attach a pic. Hope it works.

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