Can living Phyllostachys edulis (pubescens) be bent?

[samantha brooks]

I wonder if phyllostachys edulis with a diameter of 4-6" diameter could be trained to bend to desired angles while keeping them alive? How could this be done usually?

and does putting a small hole through culms at a height of perhaps 10 ft above ground kill the plant??

thanks

s

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Samantha,
It happens naturally, so yes it can be done in a more controlled manner.

When culms are in closely spaced clusters, some of culms will curve as they lean towards an open space or as the shoot tip is deflected away from branches of other culms growing in the way.

Also there may be more curved culms at the periphery of a grove if there is more open space there, enabling a greater density of culms to grow at the edge of the grove.

And also a shoot may veer off to an angle if it encounters an underground obstacle during it's emergence, or any naturally occurring or manually placed above ground obstacle as the shoot rises skyward.

Curved culms can be put to great use in building construction as arches and curved bracing. And they are attractive as a design element.

One needs to have a good selection of curved pieces to pick through to find the matching bends needed for a project.

Bent pieces are easier to bend further, than trying to bend a straight culm.

Bent pieces are more of a hassle to dry and store then straight pieces


Phyllostachys edulis (P. pubescens), 2005, Avery Island LA USA

These new P. edulis culms in the middle of this grove have grown straight and tall.


Phyllostachys edulis - March 2006 - Jungle Gardens, Avery Island LA USA

This portion of this grove was recently groomed from a wild state
The curved culm in the middle is evidence of the path the shoot needed to travel through the now removed underbrush to reach open passage ...

Mark

[samantha brooks]

So, Are there any conventional methods or tools used for manually bending living bamboos?

[Mark Meckes]

Hi Samantha,
Can you explain more what it is you would like to do?
Here's a thread showing a pic of bending live bamboo technique and also discussion of Oscar Hidalgo's book which addresses some applications using bent bamboo.

I have my doubts if there are many people actually bending live bamboo on a production scale, but rather are doing it more for experimental purposes.
From what I can gather, one must also expect a percentage of failure or shortened life of the culm if undue pressure is exerted on the growing culm.
As many bamboo species naturally grow in a curved manner, as mentioned in an above post, most people either have the challenge of trying to straighten them after harvest, or find applications which they can use the bent pieces to their advantage.

With Moso, the base of the shoot will occasionally emerge at a slight angle, then straighten up after the first yd/m of growth.

.. does putting a small hole through culms at a height of perhaps 10 ft above ground kill the plant??

No

Mark