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permaculture - RE: [permaculture] planting bamboo over septic field

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  • From: "Harold Waldock" <haroldw@alternatives.com>
  • To: "vanpermaculture" <vanpermaculture@yahoogroups.com>, "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [permaculture] planting bamboo over septic field
  • Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2003 16:19:12 -0800

Hello Steve Gorby:

Are we nearly neighbours?

Locally, Chilliwack, it can get to -20C for a week or two say historical
records. You had better get your pipes under 18" - 24" to be sure you don't
get them frozen.

Bill Mollison in his manual suggests a "un cloggable" system. Dig a ditch
fill bottom with gravel flatten. Place pvc pipe cut in 1/2 length ways.
Cover with fabric and or more gravel then fabric (used carpet) and soil.
Plant fruit trees on either side of the trench. Thus when the roots grow
toward the pipe it merely lifts it up and lets the water flow out to the
soil. Yet still lets the flow move through out the pipe.

In your case the bamboo rarely has roots below 18in. The minus side about
bamboo is that the root/rhizome area becomes thick with root - a bundle of
mass.

Kim Rink of Ecotek and Alan Carpenter (with help from me) put in a grey
water system on Glen Valley Organic Farm Coop in Langley. We branched the
full pipe outflow streams and then terminated them in upside down 2 litre
garden plant pots on top of wire mesh boxes of gravel. The piped water went
right to the pot then dropped 2 inches to the gravel. It was hoped the
roots could not grow up air thus it could not get plugged. We terminated
around red cedar trees with wood chip soak beds. The water was from food
and veg. farm wash water.

Did you know there is a listserv called vanpermaculture at Yahoo Groups that
is focussed on BC Canada Permaculture? Our site is
http://www.alternatives.com/vpn

You can see some of the members activities from there and hear about others
on the listserv. Join by going to Yahoo.

Cheers,


Harold Waldock
Vancouver Permaculture Network
Yarrow Ecovillage Society Coop
Edible Landscape Creations - Permaculture design and instruction.


-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Steve Gorby
Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 2:28 PM
To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [permaculture] planting bamboo over septic field


I'd like to plant bamboo over the drain field of our septic system . In
"Gaia's Garden", Toby Hemenway mentions that roots clogging the pipes in the
leach field shouldn't be a problem because bamboo roots don't grow larger
over time like tree roots do.The bamboos I have are "phyllostachys vivax
huanwhenzhu" and "phyllostachys angusta (stone bamboo)", both running
bamboos that would be difficult to remove if there is a problem. The
drainfield is located in a pasture, perhaps 30 meters into pasture before
the drainfield starts.I'd fence the bamboo off so that grazing cattle would
keep these plants from becoming uncontrollable invaders.Any warnings or
comments regarding this idea would be appreciated. I live in southern
BC,Canada, about 100 km fom the ocean.
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