Need Help With Curing Bamboo Please

[angelix7766]

I have recently started doing some amatuer bamboo martial art staffs. I have used a few different types and have used a propane torch to cure the bamboo. 2 of the staves have turned out good. The other staffs have shrivled up into non-usable pieces and have to be thrown out.
I'm here to see what the heck I'm doing wrong.

I have attached some pictures below to give you an idea of what happened.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/angelix7766/DSC03426.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/angelix7766/DSC03427.jpg

[CaroleMeckes]

Did you harvest the bamboo yourself?
It seems like the bamboo that shriveled up was just a first year cane and not ready to be harvested for crafts.
Carole

[angelix7766]

yeah I saw a local advertisement of someone that was about to get rid of their large amount of bamboo and let people come over and cut down as much as they wanted.

How do you tell which bamboo is ready to harvest and which is not? what I harvested was green so its hard to tell what is what.

[CaroleMeckes]

Once you get used to seeing bamboo growing - it is easy to tell.
The first year canes are usually brighter green and their branches and leaves may not be fully formed.

If you let those cut canes lie down on the ground horizontally for a few days - you will be able to tell pretty quick which one will start to shrivel and fall apart. They are good for creating mulch by chopping them up.

Often when someone wants to get rid of their bamboo it is the part of the bamboo that just grew this season that bothers them the most because it has taken over new ground in their environment. These are the new canes that are not good for crafts.

It is best to do "selective harvesting" which is not always possible.

Carole