Bamboo.? Harvest?

[crossstickspro]

I hav access to some bamboo, I live in east texas and was woundering if there is a certain type I need to look for or if there is a type. What I have is anywhere from short shoots to 3in in diameter. I was thinking arrows and backing.

What should I look for here?

[Pat B]

No matter what you are using boo for, bow backings or arrows you only want to use mature culms(canes).

[psychmonky]

Ok pat, not to hijack the thread, but how do we tell if they are mature? I have a similar situation. My dad's neighbor planted some a couple years ago and now its spread into dad's yard. I want to harvest some for arrows, but I don't know the first thing (other than approximate diameter) about it.

[Pat B]

Scott, it depends on the kind of bamboo it is. With the native canes, switch cane, river cane and hill cane, the life cycle of each culm(cane) is 3 years. The first year the culm grows to its ultimate height. The second year the culm matures(walls thicken)and after the third growing season the culm dies. You want to harvest the cane after the second growing season but before it dies after the third season.
 The native canes have a paperlike sheath that surrounds the node to protect the bud that grows from it. When the cane is mature that sheath begins to deteriorate and then it disappears altogether. Any time after the sheath begins to deteriorate is the time to harvest that culm.
  A 3/8" open end wrench is a good guage for cutting cane for arrows. My finished hill cane arrows are 30" long and are about 3/8" or a little less at the point and 5/16" at the self nock.

[psychmonky]

That's good info! Thanks Pat!

[Pat B]

Here are a few pics showing the 3 stages of hill cane. You can see the intack sheath(first year), one that has started deteriorating(2nd year) and a few culms with no sheath on them at all(3rd and last year).
 

and another pic...
 

[wapiti1997]

The only time my cane, Arundinaria gigantea, dies is when it goes to seed.  I have stems that are 15 or so years old without dying.  When it flowers and seeds ( maybe every 20-25 years) it dies.

[Pat B]

The hill cane plant does not die but the individual culms seem to have a 3 year life cycle. I have hill cane growing on my property and over the past 10 or so years I have been studying and harvesting it for arrow shafting. River cane(A. gigantia) does not grow at the altitude I live at(2600') so I don't know much about its life cycle.