Where can I find someone who wants to harvest my Bambusa oldhamii?

[MOTRV8D]

Hi there I'm new to this board.

I have a stand of bambusa Oldhamii that was planted April 1, 2001. By now they've gotten to be some 40' tall and the culms are starting to overwhelm the bed they were planted in, and some of the stalks are coming up in my neighbor's yard on the other side of the fence and he's mad about 'em and wants them removed.

Is there someone is the southern California area that will come and harvest some of the older, bigger culms?
I once had the phone number of a guy who would come and do that very thing but I lost the number. :mad:

He said he would pay $1.40 a foot and this was back in 2004

thanks in advance,
Steve

http://www.chidesigners.com/hosting/Bamboo_051406SM.jpg

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Steve, that sure is a nice background of oldhamii and a shame to have to remove it.
Bambusa oldhamii is technically a clumper though all clumpers will slowly expand outwards, some more so than others ...

Our oldhamii figured out that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence too ...
http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/505/thumbs/B-oldhamiiATX050807-881.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=1317) http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/data/505/thumbs/B-oldhamiiATX050807-879.jpg (http://www.bamboocraft.net/bamboo/showphoto.php?photo=1316)

... fortunately we own the other side of the fence so we just moved the fence. :)

In your situation, as water runs downhill, your bamboo is attracted to downward flowing source of water.
It would be possible, and easier than dealing with a running bamboo, to dig a trench on the upward side of the clump, removing the portion of bamboo root growth and install a dividing barrier to prevent the oldhamii from reaching the other side of the fence.
... but that's up to you ...

With regards to finding someone to actually harvest/purchase your poles ...
... well there's no knowing how long it'll take for an interested party to read this, and they can contact you by email if interested.
However as your bamboo is only just reaching the harvesting age, ie, whereas the best quality poles should be around 3+, preferably 5 years of age, most of the newer larger poles in your planting would need several more years before they would be considered prime quality.
Then there may be additional opinions by some that other species of bamboo produce higher quality poles than Bambusa oldhamii, but this really also has to do with the actual intended use of the poles, and also whether the 'price is right' for the intended project.

Mark

[MOTRV8D]

thanks for the reply Mark.

I guess Im going to have my gardener dig the root growth up that is growing against the fence and install a root barrier. For oldhamii, how deep do you think I need to go with that barrier? I'm going to have him go into the neighbor's back yard and remove the offending culms too.

This might be a lot of work as the bamboo is really starting to get thick in the bed.

BTW that pic was taken in May and it's even a lot thicker by now and taller too!

[Mark Meckes]

Whew you're right Steve, this might turn into a task of unknown dimensions, as in the photo there doesn't appear to be much elbow room to swing a pick.
Firstly I will plead ignorance as I've never had to contain a strolling giant clumper, but I'll toss around some thoughts.

I'll take a guess that the actual rhizome portion of the planting may be no more than around 16" / 40 cm deep though this will depend on the type of soil. It is the roots that grow deeply onto the soil which provides bamboo with a tenacious grip, though FYI these roots do not grow new rhizome offsets. That all happens from the eye-bud growth off of the rhizome portion.
I would suggest initially delineating a line in which a trench would need to be dug, ie, in which any rhizome growth would need to be severed and removed. This will be the toughest task.
If it is possible to begin digging the trench on each side of the clump, down to below the level of the rhizome portion, then this will make it easier to hack away and pry away portions of the rhizomes.
You may need to cut off some of the growing culms growing nearest to the fence in order to accommodate this trench.
I would be inclined to leave several feet of these culms intact so that they would serve as a handle/lever to help pry away the attached rhizomes below.
It will be necessary to initially cut into the rhizome portion using an axe, pick axe, chiselled prybar or whatever tools you have at your disposal to aid in this task.

With regard to the rhizome barrier material, there are several options available, one being a heavy polyproplyene type of barrier which is used for this purpose.
One suggestion is to place this barrier at an outward angle as such - / , rather than vertical - | , as this helps to guide the angle of new rhizome growth upward and relieve the pressure of a buildup of rhizomes pressing against the barrier over the years.

Mark

[MOTRV8D]

well we had our gardener go next door and he dealt with the plants coming up. We'll look into a rhizome barrier soon.
thanks for all the info!

[voodoolord]

Man I would love to take some out for you. Unfortunatly it wouldnt be worth the drive. good luck.