THE BEAUTY OF GATHERING YOUR OWN BAMBOO IS THE SATISFACTION GAINED FROM HANDLING A NATURAL MATERIAL AND CRAFTING IT FROM ITS RAW TO FINISHED STATE. OF COURSE, HARVESTING GIVES YOU A GOOD REASON TO EXPLORE A BAMBOO GROVE, WHICH IS A WONDERFUL ADVENTURE IN ITSELF. TIME REVERSES IN THE DARKENED INTERIOR OF THE GIANT GRASS FOREST, WHERE QUIET, SOLITUDE, AND THE GENTLE FLUTTERING OF LEAVES SURROUND THE HUMAN VISITOR.

Very few of the groves in the southeastern United States are properly maintained the majority run rampant.

The underlying principle of harvesting bamboo from a grove is the same as maintaining a healthy garden: prune out old growth to make way for the new. Generally the culms of temperate-climate, running bamboo grow old and die after five to eight years. It's best to harvest older, mature culms because their cellulose walls have developed strength. Also, much of the sugar in the walls has converted to starch, making them less attractive to boring insects. Older culms also contain less moisture, making them lighter to transport.

How do you distinguish old culms from new in a grove? Look closely. If a culm has a bright green, relatively clean surface and dried sheaths encircling its base as shown in the above photograph, it's probably a first- or second-year culm. If the culm is dark or dull green, perhaps with brown, yellow, or tan areas, chances are it's older and ready for harvest. Quantities of mildew and dirt on the culm are also a clue to older age.

Another technique is to look upward in the grove canopy for dying, leafless tops. They're not always easy to see, however, and it can be difficult to distinguish which top is connected to which culm. In this situation, it's very helpful to work with a friend. While you're inside the grove, have your spotter positioned outside to direct you to areas with dying tops. Then shake the culms until your friend confirms that you're shaking the one with the leafless top. You can also harvest standing, dead culms. Just check to make sure they're not cracked, split, or rotten.

Once you've located an appropriate culm to harvest, check to make sure that you have a viable "escape route," a straight path out of the grove starting from the base of the culm. Take into account that both you and the 12- to 40-foot-long (3.6 to 12 m) culm may have to squeeze and maneuver through a thick bamboo forest.

After selecting the culm and confirming that you have a way out, crouch down and clear away the duff, the dried and decaying bits of bamboo leaf, sheath, and stalk, from the base of the culm. Use the coarse-tooth pruning saw to cut the culm as close and even.

 Moving bamboo to your work space can be tricky. Unlike milled lumber, bamboo slides and rolls, making it a hazard on the highway if it's not snugly tied to your car. Once I was in a hurry to drive a short distance from grove to workshop, and I did a sloppy job of lashing 12 foot (3.6 m) lengths of bamboo onto my car's roof rack. As I drove downhill, the poles slid off, and I watched with horror as they went flying like torpedoes onto the street ahead of me. Lesson learned. Equally surprising is the weight of green bamboo, so be prepared for that too. On one expedition, the roof of my tiny station wagon caved in under the weight of my harvest, and I agonized every time my car roof thumped in and out for the 75 miles (120 km) home.

Bundling is an effective remedy for these challenges. Create bundles that you can lift and carry by yourself or with a friend's help. Tightly secure the bundles to your vehicle and to each other. Use lots of rope and double-check that the load won't shift.

If you don't have access to a grove, you can buy bamboo poles from a number of sources. For small projects, you can often find 4- to 5-foot (1.2 to 1.5 m) bamboo stakes, V2 inch (1.3 cm) in diameter, sold singly at import stores, garden centers, and home improvement stores. For larger projects, there are many sources for poles. See chapter 10 for suppliers.

Western companies import a variety of sizes of bamboo poles, for the nursery and decorative trades. Imported from China and South East Asia, the poles have been sorted, sized, bundled, and fumigated before they reach Western warehouses. Poles 1 inch (2.5 cm) or less in diameter are sold in bundles of 50 or more, while poles 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) in diameter are sold in bundles of 5 to 25. The largest poles, 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 cm) in diameter, are often sold singly. Many suppliers offer splitting and cutting services.

As non-native species of bamboo have established themselves in Western groves, a variety of mature culms are now being harvested annually, primarily running bamboo in the United States and Europe, and clumping bamboo in Australia. Poles grown, harvested, and shipped within domestic borders are not required to be fumigated. Some growers cut to order and ship green.

Although not made of bamboo, reed fencing is often carried by bamboo importers. Stalks of heavy grass are bound together with wire and are sold in 8-foot 2.4 m) rolls in widths of 4 and I feet (1.2 to 1.8 m).

If you buy by mail or on the "internet, be sure to factor incorporating costs when placing order. Delivery services will deliver bundles up to 8 feet.

Let it inspire you, freshly harvested bamboo shades of green and yellow with streaks of brown. Scarring, caused by culms falling across one another, or raised dark spots may be noticeable. These harmless sprinkles, known as "sesame," are caused by organisms that alter the surface of the outer wall.

After about six months of outdoor exposure, bamboo dries completely, turning a uniform light tan. As bamboo structures are exposed to the elements, they naturally become weathered. Sun and rain break down the outer layer of silicone, and the surface becomes pitted. Mildew settles in and dirt accumulates.

Annual cleaning and sealing greatly increases the life and appearance of bamboo structures; see chapter 5 for suggested annual maintenance. If, however, you choose to allow an outdoor bamboo structure to age naturally, it will no doubt become one with its surroundings, returning gracefully to the earth.

 Where there is food, there are bugs! The sugar in the walls of freshly cut bamboo may become a meal ticket for wood-boring insects. The mature insects deposit their eggs in the harvested culm. As the eggs hatch, the larvae chew through the inner walls and finally emerge through the outer wall.

Fumigation, best done in industrial settings, is the only sure way to prevent and eliminate bugs. The risk of infestation can be lessened however, if you harvest in late winter, harvest mature or dying culms, and store harvested poles upright with their base ends down until drying is complete. All three practices help keep the sugar in the poles at their lowest level while curing. Sweating the poles will also reduce the risk of insect damage; see chapter 5 for this technique.

If your stored bamboo becomes infested, discard the worst. Poles or other pieces that are slightly infested can be used for supports, markers, and simple temporary structures lasting only one or two seasons. If borers are present in poles or projects you've already completed, you can kill the larvae with chemicals or by freezing them. Put short lengths in plastic bags and place them in the freezer overnight. This kills the chewing larvae but not the eggs, so you'll need to repeat the process several weeks later after any eggs have hatched. For long poles or large, finished projects, chemical insecticides for boring insects are effective and widely available in garden store.

COMMON NAME/GENUS & SPECIES

Phyllostachys aurea

 Phyllostachys Vivax

Phyllostachys rubromarginata

Phyllostachys nigra

Phyllostachys viridis
 

Article written by Carol Strangler