permaculture

[Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>]

I have different types of bamboo.  One type is edible.  I can harvest almost 
half of all shoots (around 100) each year for eating.  It’s a matter of 
experience to know when exactly to harvest them.  If you let the shoots grow 
for too long they will get hard.  The non-edible types I use for poles and 
other things in the garden.  They grow new holms each year between March and 
June.  I always cut all the holms of the previous year when most of the new 
holms have started to appear.  If I cut before the new holms start to grow I 
would weaken the plant, if I cut after all the new holms have grown the old 
holms would impede the growth of the new holms.  Under normal conditions 
bamboo holms are supposed to reach their maximum size four years after 
planting, but I find that even after 10 years they still get a bit taller 
each year.  If you just cut a few holms, I guess you could cut anytime 
without weakening the plant too much.  On the other hand, I don’t
 find there is any point in not cutting all the holms of the previous year 
once the new once have started to appear because the new once are always more 
numerous and taller than the previous once.

Dieter Brand
Portugal

PS: I don’t use the clump-type bamboo.  I had one but gave it up.  Now I only 
have those that spread.


--- On Wed, 10/6/10, mIEKAL aND <qazingulaza@gmail.com> wrote:

> From: mIEKAL aND <qazingulaza@gmail.com>
> Subject: [permaculture] when to harvest bamboo
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 1:43 PM
> A small clump of bamboo
> (Phyllostachys aureosulcata) I planted on the
> south side of one of our buildings more than 15 years ago
> is finally
> putting out usable wood.  The first 10 years it was
> never more than 3
> feet high & the thickness of a pencil, but gradually
> spreading
> everywhere in a small courtyard.  3 years ago we got a
> stretch of 35
> below & I assumed it completely died back but after 2
> years with zero
> above ground activity this year it grew 10 - 15 feet high
> & a few
> pieces are almost an inch thick.  Is it best to
> harvest in the fall
> while it is still green or should I wait until the
> spring?  Also is
> there any problem with harvest all the growth or should a
> bit of it be
> left behind.
> 
> ~mIEKAL
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