permaculture

[<permed@nor.com.au>]

to have well cured durable bamboo here's a few tried & tested practical 
tips:

Harvest
Important to harvest bamboo at the right time of year during dry weather 
and at the end of the growing season or just before the onset of the new 
growing season (whichever is drier)
AND during the waning moon when the sap flow and stem moisture level is 
at it's lowest. 
For running (temperate) bamboo this is best done late Autumn or early 
spring before the new shoots emerge.
Clumping bamboo (tropical) during the peak of the dry season before the 
onset of the wet.

Treatment
The easiest and most effective way to treat bamboo against insect and 
fungal attack is to stand the freshly harvested bamboo (with leaves still 
intact) in a container with COPPER SULPHATE solution 1:10 (1 part copper 
sulphate to 10 parts water) The leaves continue to photosynthesise and 
draw the solution up through the stem as they transpire. I've found they 
need about 24 hours. You take them out, trim the branches then store them 
to dry/cure
Copper Sulphate is an approved substance for organic certification as a 
fungicide so there's no big toxicity problems.

Drying/curing
Bamboo will last longer if slowly dried (cured) in the shade and storing 
them horizontally is preferable and more effective (though takes longer) 
than standing them vertically.

The above is not anecdotal - it's tried and tested by local bamboo 
enthusiasts and I use and have found these processes work best for my own 
bamboo harvest. Before I used the copper sulphate solution my bamboo was 
eaten out by powder borers within 12 months and needed replacement. My 
first batch of treated bamboo is hale and standing strong after 2 years 
and I'm confident it will last for many more.
Robyn Francis


Djanbung Gardens Permaculture Education Centre
home to: 
Permaculture Education
ERDA Institute Trust
Nimbin Eco-Village Project Office
Robyn Francis - permaculture designer & educator
PO Box 379, Nimbin NSW 2480 Australia
permed@nor.com.au  www.earthwise.org.au