River Cane arrows

[Weekend Warrior]

Any certain time of the year to cut? Ceritan dia ? How long does it take to dry out?  Its seems to be plentiful around here.
Information Please

[snuff]

i cut them anytime  i try to get them carbon size or a lttle bigger ,just finished a few up today ,i cut them and bundle them real good about a dozen together and just leave them in a dry spot ,or ya can leave them in your car/truck and in a week they will almost be ready

[CheapShot]

I prefer to cut them in the winter, just because of the ticks and chiggers. Any time is ok. As snuff says putting them in a car or in the sun will speed up the drying process.
I usually straighten them once after a couple of weeks, while they are still a little green. After another week or two they are usually ready to heat straighten, and reduce the nodes.

[Pat B]

You can cut cane at any time but you want to be sure you cut mature culms(canes). Native cane(Arundinaria) has a 3 year life cycle(each culm, that is) from what I can tell. The first year it grows to it's ultimate height. The second year it matures(walls thicken) and by the end of the 3rd growing season that cane begins to die. I find that the winter after the second year until it begins to show signs of dying(turning tan color) is the best time. You can tell if it is mature enough by the paper like sheath around each node. When that deteriorates, the cane should be ready to harvest. Sometimes when mature, the color becomes an olive green rather than bright green but that is not always the case.
   I usually cut canes with a base of about 3/8"(+/-) in diameter. As it dries the diameter will shrink some. If you have picked an immature cane you will notice longitudinal wrinkling along the cane when it dries. These immature canes can probably be used for light spine weight arrows but I haven't tried that.
   I usually make bundles of about 15 or so and place them in my utility room near the water heater. I have dried green canes under my wood stove but normally don't. Usually after a month they are ready to work. As you heat to straighten the canes you will also do some additional drying.