Kitchen Garden Forum

Having just bought a new batch of Bamboo Canes I wondered if anybody does anything special to prolong their life. I just dry them, bundle them up and put them on slings in the roof of the garage.

I just pull 'em up and stuff them in a corner of the garden. Down the allotment I've planted a bamboo plant so, hopefully soon I'll have my own supply. Cheers, Tony.

I have soaked them in wood preservative to prolong life and useage, can be any colour available at the end of season sales .

Bamboos have their own sustaining life..so you do not have to do much. You can use preservatives to kill insects but that just satisfies your instincts i guess. Bamboo is a beauty and it doesn't require much of care.

Dad always used to stand the ends that had been in the soil in a bucket of diluted Jeyes fluid to kill any moulds or anything lurking inside them and they lasted ages, in fact I've still got some so they must be about 25 years old.

I do the same Plumpudding but like you only 'cos my Dad did.
I do have to replace some every few years.

Beryl.

We just bring them inside the greenhouse over winter.

I have to replace the ones that have been used as weapons and not survived

Hi Geoff

In an old book I have it tells you to soak your canes/stakes in a copper-based preservative and to leave the ends to soak for a week. Painting with a brush does not achieve sufficient penetration.

A saturated solution of Copper Sulphate (Bluestone) is a cheap preservative but a metallic container must never be used. Soak for Ten Days

Hope this is of some help


Kevin

Arnie wrote:Hi Geoff

In an old book I have it tells you to soak your canes/stakes in a copper-based preservative and to leave the ends to soak for a week. Painting with a brush does not achieve sufficient penetration.

A saturated solution of Copper Sulphate (Bluestone) is a cheap preservative but a metallic container must never be used. Soak for Ten Days

Hope this is of some help


Kevin

Thank you...

Keep them indoors and dry when not in use.

Tap out the crud from the ends before storage.

If you want 3 or 4 ft canes buy 6 or 8 ft canes and cut them in half. This will save a few pence per bundle (a consideration if you want a lot). They will also be thicker and sturdier than the 3/4 ft canes you can buy as is and because of that they will last much longer . Do not cut them in half with loppers though; use a fine toothed saw as the canes split when loppers are used.

Regards Sally Wright.

About cutting bamboo canes: I found that laying them on a soft ground (like the lawn) and then giving the cane a hard thwack with a sharp spade makes a very clean cut. Just make sure that there is nobody else about because one or two of the pieces tend to fly off!