When to Harvest ? - temperate zone bamboos

[saxofoner]

I am all out of bamboo and I want to harvest some, but it seems impossible to get any old enough bamboo at the grove. Should I just wait till Ocotober or November? Or when?

[Henry Lee]

All my sources said to harvest them in the winter when they are dormant with the least amount of insect infestation. I harvested a few in June when I was in the DC area. I am hoping they won't lose too much water and shrink too much. I'll find out in a year and half.

Henry

[saxofoner]

Sounds good to me, what with ticks being out now and all, Winter should be tick free at the grove. Thanks for your input.

[Mark Meckes]

Our grove of Phyllostachys aurea is always in need of some harvesting and thinning, and, because Carole and I treat it as a casual affair, it's always an enjoyable task. Just as well, because it's `work' that's never done.

While true that during certain seasons the bamboo contains more liquids and sugars, it also depends on the age of the culm and it's ability to take up liquids and nutrients.

Though it makes sense, in temperate locations, to harvest during the winter dormancy, the other period of dormancy is a dry season, which we certainly do get here in Texas.
It is right about this time of year (August/September) that I like to spend short spells in the cool of the day, thinning out older culms in the grove.
The stress from dryness and drought provides good indication of which older culms are giving up the ghost, and thinning helps to pass on available energy to the existing culms.
Also I find air drying in the shade during the dry season has less problems with dampness and humidity.
This year has been different. We had a short dry season earlier on, and lately we've been getting buckets of rain every other day.

Mark

[Mark Meckes]

Moved - When to harvest bamboo? - Hawaiian Islands (http://www.bamboocraft.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2095) ...to new thread topic.

Henry Lee, if you're still around, what species of Phyllostachys is the pic in Post #2 that you harvested from the DC area?
How do they look now after a year+ of drying? Did you make them into flutes yet?

Mark

[Henry Lee]

Hi Mark,

Sorry I missed this thread for a whole year.

The DC boo was ph Pubescens (moso). The owner of the grove said they were 3 years old. After 2 and 1/2 years of drying there is only one survivor as show in the photo. The other 4 all split. However, the walls are way too thin although it did not shrink by much but do show some wrinkles on the skin. It will be made a flute in a few weeks. I 'll report and post a sound clip when I am finish with it.