Bamboo

[Smithson]

P.S. If you fancy digging up some info and doing a post on bamboo and its role in sustainable living or something like that it would be a real help and I'll put one together on humanure (it's a shitty job but someone ought to do it !!) lets get these stories out there !!

 

Not difficult at all, just google bamboo facts. We've got a heap growing with four different species, besides looking great it has endless uses.

Regarding humanure, any links for a simple system suitable for Thailand? We're lucky here not to be 'bogged' down by regulations.

THE FACTS

Taken from here

BAMBOO IS:

The fastest growing woody plant on this planet. It grows one third faster than the fastest growing tree. Some species can grow up to 1 meter per day. One can almost "watch it grow". This growth pattern makes it easily accessible in a minimal amount of time. Size ranges from miniatures to towering culms of 60 meters.

A critical element in the balance of oxygen / carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Bamboo i s the fastest growing canopy for the regreening of degraded areas and generates more oxygen than equivalent stand of trees. It lowers light intensity and protects against ultraviolet rays and is an atmospheric and soil purifier.

A viable replacement for wood. Bamboo is one of the strongest building materials. Bamboo's tensile strength is 28,000 per square inch versus 23,000 for steel. In the tropics is it possible to plant and grow your own bamboo home. In a plot 20m x 20m2, in the course of 5 years, two 8m x 8m homes can be constructed from the harvest. Every year after that the yield is one additional house per plot.

An enduring natural resource. Bamboo can be selectively harvested annually. Bamboo provided the first re-greening in Hiroshima after the atomic blast in 1945. Thomas Edison successfully used a carbonized bamboo filament in his first experiment with the light bulb.

Versatile with a short growth cycle. There are over 1000 species of bamboo on the earth. The diversity makes bamboo adaptable to many environments. It can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 years for most softwoods. Bamboo tolerates extremes of precipitation, from 30-250 inches of annual rainfall.

A critical element of the economy. Bamboo and its related industries already provide income, food and housing to over 2.2 billion people worldwide. There is a 3-5 year return on investment for a new bamboo plantation versus 8-10 years for rattan. Governments such as India, China and Burma with 19,800,000 hectares of bamboo reserves collectively, have begun to focus attention on the economic factors of bamboo production.

An essential structural material in earthquake architecture. In Limon, Costa Rica, only the bamboo houses from the National Bamboo Project stood after their violent earthquake in 1992. Flexible and lightweight bamboo enables structures to ÒdanceÓ in earthquakes.

A renewable resource for agroforestry products. Bamboo is a high-yield renewable natural resource: ply bamboo is now being used for wall paneling, floor tiles; bamboo pulp, for paper making, briquettes for fuel, raw material for housing construction, and rebar for reinforced concrete beams.

A soil conservation tool. Bamboo is exquisite component of landscape design. It's anti-erosion properties create an effective watershed, stitching the soil together along fragile river banks, deforested areas, and in places prone to earthquakes and mud slides. The sum of stem flow rate and canopy intercept of bamboo is 25% which means that bamboo greatly reduces rain run-off, preventing massive soil erosion.

An ancient medicine. Bamboo has for centuries been used in Ayurveda and Chinese acupuncture. The powdered hardened secretion from bamboo is used internally to treat asthma, coughs and can be used a an aphrodisiac. In China, ingredients from the root of the black bamboo help treat kidney disease. Roots and leaves have also been used to treat venereal disease and cancer. Sap is said to reduce fever and ash will cure prickly heat. Current research point to bamboo's potential in a number of medicinal uses.

Integrally involved in culture and the arts. Bamboo is a mystical plant as a symbol of strength, flexibility, tenacity, endurance and compromise. Throughout Asia, bamboo has for centuries been integral to religions ceremonies, art, music and daily life. It is the paper, the brush and the inspiration of poems and paintings. Among the earliest historical records, 2nd century B.C. were written on green bamboo strips strung together in a bundle with silk thread. Instruments made of bamboo create unique resonance.

A food source: Bamboo shoots provide nutrition for million of people worldwide. In Japan, the antioxidant properties of pulverized bamboo bark prevents bacterial growth and its used a natural food preservative. Bamboo ÒlitterÓ make fodder for animals and food for fish. Taiwan alone consumes 80,000 tons of bamboo shoots annually constituting at $50 million industry.

A landscape design element. Bamboo is an exquisite component of landscape design. For the human environment, bamboo provides shade, wind break, acoustical barriers and aesthetic beauty.

[loong]

Very interesting about bamboo - it's a shame that so many Thais actually look down on construction using bamboo.

I use bamboo as posts around my little plot and to support the shade net. I have to effectively fence in my plot or everything is destroyed by chickens, ducks and dogs.

I used to wonder why so many poor Thais didn't grow their own vegetables and it may be the necessity to fence it in and that's relatively expensive.

Anyway, I digress.....

It may be the type of bamboo, I don't know, but I find that when used as posts the underground section rots or gets eaten within months and so has to be replaced. Any suggestions for treating the bamboo so that it will last longer without leaching harmful substances into the soil?

I wouldn't mind growing some bamboo, would save buying it. Is it best to buy small plants or seeds and any suggestions which type are best for construction type uses?

Thanks

[Foreverford]

Very interesting about bamboo - it's a shame that so many Thais actually look down on construction using bamboo.

I use bamboo as posts around my little plot and to support the shade net. I have to effectively fence in my plot or everything is destroyed by chickens, ducks and dogs.

I used to wonder why so many poor Thais didn't grow their own vegetables and it may be the necessity to fence it in and that's relatively expensive.

Anyway, I digress.....

It may be the type of bamboo, I don't know, but I find that when used as posts the underground section rots or gets eaten within months and so has to be replaced. Any suggestions for treating the bamboo so that it will last longer without leaching harmful substances into the soil?

I wouldn't mind growing some bamboo, would save buying it. Is it best to buy small plants or seeds and any suggestions which type are best for construction type uses?

Thanks

I'm with you I'd like to get some in the ground soon as it must be the best time of year to transplant it. I'm sure it is extremely critical to get one of the best varieties for your purpose. I would assume that everyone might want to at least have some of the giant bamboo that is the best and fastest growing for use in construction. The variety that is extremely tall but is very small in diameter is an excellent source of long light-weight materiala nd i guess I should go0 on about all 1000 different types but unfortunately I've run out of knowledge so kind Smithson any help finding good varieties would be greatly appreciated. I would imagine the locals can go and whack at anybody's clump and you gave them a 100 or so baht it would be appreciated. I got dozens upon dozens of big and long pieces for 500 baht so it doesn't seem to be something that you will get rich growing but sure makes you feel awful self sufficient when you're building coops or frog condos and can just go off to the border areas and whack a bunch down and keep on keepin' on me

[jandtaa]

No bamboo yet the guy was passed out when I went round but the wifes on the case and the neighbours offered me some from her clump (don't know the species) so I'm gonna have to look into propagation methods, I'll report back on anything I turn up when I've had a coffee or two and the brains in gear !!

Loong I believe the organic way to preserve bamboo is to soak in a solution of borax for 3-4 days maybe Smithson knows more ? Yeah I agree with you about the canes rotting I used to use them in the UK for my toms and they wouldn't last a season with all the nitrogen and water available. Now I wrap twine around the plant stem and tie it to the cropping bars of the polytunnel.

I've just found a nice way to stick my photos online ( the TV gallery is just to much hassle I'm afraid) so here's some of my recent earthworks which give you an idea of my little plot for anyone who's interested. I'll add more and try and update regularly so people can follow progress and see the theory put into practise.

jandtaas photos

cheers all Jandtaa 

[jandtaa]

OK folks the caffeine has kicked in and I've come up with the following; 

Bamboo is propagated by taking pieces from a bamboo plant and keeping them alive for long enough to for them to grow and form new plants. This can start almost immediately, though may take as long as a year or two, depending on the bamboo species, the method used and the environmental conditions. Some bamboo species are very easy to propagate, and others are difficult and require great attention to detail. It is important to select well-grown healthy material of the right age and state of development for the propagation method used. It should be free from pests and diseases and protected from drying during transport and storage. Careful balance of moisture and drainage in the propagation medium, and high humidity are essential for good results in all but the easiest to propagate of bamboo species. Warmth and good light levels are also required.

"Basic propagation techniques for bamboo plants include...

Growing bamboo from divisions. Bamboo plants growing in pots or in the ground can be divided to produce new plants. This is best done in spring or early summer. The idea is to divide the underground system of rhizomes and roots into 'offsets' of one or more culms. A sharp saw or spade can be used. Some bamboo species are very easy to do this with, and a single culm with healthy rhizome and buds is enough to generate a new clump. Generally, it is better to have two or more culms joined at the base, at the rhizome neck. This combination of 'mother' and 'daughter' culms can produce bigger plants faster than any other method of propagation for bamboo plants. However the removal of too many of these offsets from the plant can damage the remainder of the clump, because bamboo stores much of it's vital energy in it's rhizomes and lower culms. 

Growing bamboo from layerings. Bamboo culms can be pulled down to the ground and covered with soil and mulch and new plants will form at the nodes. This is the easiest and most reliable way to propagate bamboo plants from layerings. By leaving the culm attached to the parent plant, the minimum of maintenance care is required, but it can take one or two years to for some species to form plants strong enough to be transplanted. Alternatively the whole culm (with or without the rhizome attached), can be removed from the plant and layered in a nursery situation. This can produce new plants quickly but requires more skill and better aftercare.

Air-layering (or marcottage) can also be used to generate bamboo propagules. Instead of pulling the bamboo culm down to the propagating medium (the ground), the medium is applied to the culm at the nodes and is wrapped and tied in place. A soil-less medium such as coir or a potting mix can be used.

Growing bamboo from cuttings. Bamboo plants can be grown from cuttings, as are many other types of plants. This method is popular, perhaps because it is lighter work than the other methods described, but often produces lower numbers of smaller plants. Single node cuttings can be placed straight into pots , but this method of propagation requires both the highest level of skill and of aftercare for the more difficult species. This may involve the use of a controlled environment as in a greenhouse, though cuttings from some bamboo species are easy to strike even in a poor medium in a warm shady place.

Growing bamboo from seed. We get a surprising number of enquiries from people who are looking for bamboo seed. Bamboo is known for it's unusual flowering patterns. Some bamboos are said to never or almost never flower. Others flower almost constantly. But most seem to have developed long and regular flowering periods that vary considerably from species to species, though range typically from thirty to one hundred and twenty years. This makes growing bamboo from seed a rare opportunity to select new strains, varieties or even species of bamboo, and to clone them by the methods of vegetative propagation that are normally used by bamboo growers."

bamboo_Propagation_manual.pdf  well illustrated guide to the offset method

There's also a more in-depth manual (from India) with some more advanced techniques (including treating the propagation material with boric acid as an insecticide ) that I will upload to my PDF site later today.

As far as thai varieties go I've come across the following so far;

 Phai Tong (Dendrocalamus asper), Phai Ruak (Thyrsostachys saimensis), Phai Lu Chu (Bambusa oldhamii), Phai Ma Chu (Dendrocalamus latiflorus), Phai Hok (Gigantochloa apus)

Pai Ruak or umbrella bamboo is used for tool handles and edible shoots and Phai Hok for construction and edible shoots.

Anyone know any others and their uses ??

there's also this site which also covers rattan and has a good book section (I'll try and find some PDF's of them)International network for bamboo and rattan

cheers  Jandtaa

[jubby]

If your struggling to get the bamboo and need to get the project started before your return to the UK then I can let you have some. We've got plenty. Not sure of the species but I'm sure we've got at least 3 types.

[jandtaa]

If your struggling to get the bamboo and need to get the project started before your return to the UK then I can let you have some. We've got plenty. Not sure of the species but I'm sure we've got at least 3 types.

Cheers Jubby 

I've got to go up to Chiang Rai for a couple of days but will definitely be in touch when I get back and meet up for a beer before I go back to the UK !!

 cheers Jandtaa.   

[Smithson]

Regarding bamboo, the downside is it isn't durable. Borax treatment is effective if used indoors away from moisture and sun, but it's water based so won't last outdoors. There is no friendly treatment for outdoors, I use concrete posts in the ground with bamboo wired on and running horizontal. This can last about 12 months, which is fine because the garden is always evolving. A single clump of can provide a lot of poles each year.

The other downside when used for construction is connection, bamboo is round and hollow. No two poles are exactly the same and no pole is perfectly straight. Nevertheless, really beautiful and sustainable structures can still be built

For varieties, I recommend Pai Trong (D. Asper) for food and construction and Pai Liang for tool handles, fencing etc. Both are available for about 15B a piece.

[jandtaa]

Hi folks 

Yeah TT it's sometimes hard to remember that before the capitalists and their chems (a relatively mordern evil) we grew food in a sustainable way and didn't starve !!

Great photo Smithson !! Not your front room by any chance ??

OK here's some more of the 80 odd species of bamboo growing in Thailand you can find some more here English translation of Thai bamboo names

1. Bamboos for shoot production (for food) such as Dendrocalamus asper (Pai Tong), D. brandisii (Pai Bongyai), D. strictus (Pai Sangdoi), Bambusa blumeana (Pai Seesuk), Thyrsostachys siamensis (Pai Ruak), T. oliverii (Pai Ruakdum) and Gigantochloa albociliata (Pai Rai).

2. Bamboos for stem production (for construction and supporting poles) such as B. bambos (Pai Pha), B. blumeana, B. nana (multiplex) (Pai Liang), D. asper, D. strictus, D. membranaceus (Pai Sangnuan), T. oliverii and G. hasskarliana (Pai Phaak).

3. Bamboos for stem production (for basketing and handicraft) such as B. blumeana, B. nana, T. siamensis, T. oliverii, G. hasskarliana, Schizostachyum humilis (Pai Griab) and Cephalostachyum virgatum (Pai Hiae) 

your right about  the lack of organic preservatives although I did come across this

Traditional (Non-Chemical) Methods of Protection

Controlling starch content in felled bamboos

In bamboos, soluble sugars are the principal nutrients for parasites. Thus, bamboos with depleted carbohydrates become reasonably resistant to the attack of borers and staining fungi. Methods adopted for lowering the sugar content in bamboos are:

(i) Felling of bamboo during low-sugar content season:-Sugar content in almost all plants varies with seasons. In India, for example, it is higher in spring than in winter (Joseph, 1958). Therefore, it is advisable to harvest bamboos between August and December.

(ii) Felling of bamboo at maturity when sugar content is low:- Sugar content in bamboos varies with age. It is lowest during the first year but felling of one-year-old bamboo is not desirable because of very low strength and yield. Normally, bamboo matures at 3-4 years.

(iii) Post-harvesting transpiration of bamboo culm:- Sugar content in bamboos can also be reduced by keeping , culms upright or leaning them against trees for a few days. Parenchyma cells in plants continue to live for some time, even after felling. During this period, the stored food materials are utilised and, thus, the sugar/ starch content in bamboos is lowered.

(iv) Water soaking of bamboo:- In Indonesia, Vietnam and Africa, an easy and widely followed practice for increasing the durability of bamboo is soaking bamboo in water (Sulthoni, 1987). During soaking in water, most of the sap present in bamboo is leached out. Some workers have suggested that a soaking period of 4 to 12 weeks is sufficient.

cheers all Jandtaa

[jandtaa]

Hi Folks 

here's a nice illustrated PDF with all the methods of connecting poles for construction with bamboo should help around the farm Bamboo_Connections.pdf

cheers Jandtaa

[stevehaigh]

i'm building a garden fence using bamboo for the balusters (fill in between the posts)

does anyone have a good ideas about cheap or free preservatives? i've heard painting with used motor oil helps and its free (besides labour). i could paint with chaindrite but that's fairy expensive. would painting with a latex or oil paint help?

any ideas please?

thx steve

[wescue]

Bamboo

The bamboo genus that can be used in the ground and outlasts many hardwoods is Guadua. Its from Colombia but once its here it can easily be propagated, from cuttings. Its thorny

It would be really helpful for Thais if Guadua augustifolia were in the country and available

Nothing much on propagation here but lots on bamboo care mrbamboo website just add a . and a com

wescue

[David006]

Hi Folks 

here's a nice illustrated PDF with all the methods of connecting poles for construction with bamboo should help around the farm Bamboo_Connections.pdf

cheers Jandtaa

Jandtaa: Excellent post thanks for the .pdf link.

Have just cut some bamboo to use as balustrade between concrete posts on our house veranda ( before I fall the twelve odd feet in a drunken stupor). will post pics whenever I get it done..

Does anyone know to what extent bambo shrinks when drying (longitudinal, circumferential) as drying is taking a while in the wet and want to begin installation..if its minimal I will use it green. I was going to just cut holes in the pots and insert and re cement maybe put a lateral pin as a key across the end inside concrete post.... will add vertical bamboo spindles too ( on the "advice" of "the boss") Any comments advice welcome helpful or otherwise...

Meantime will sit and watch the poles dry....Archa in hand

thx & rgds

david

[oodii]

As far as thai varieties go I've come across the following so far;

Phai Tong (Dendrocalamus asper), Phai Ruak (Thyrsostachys saimensis), Phai Lu Chu (Bambusa oldhamii), Phai Ma Chu (Dendrocalamus latiflorus), Phai Hok (Gigantochloa apus)

Pai Ruak or umbrella bamboo is used for tool handles and edible shoots and Phai Hok for construction and edible shoots.

Anyone know any others and their uses ??

Google for "Chiang Mai Bamboo Nursery" and you will find a source of information (text + photos) on available bamboo species in Thailand and their uses. Follow their links and you will find even more details.

[jandtaa]

Cheers for the link Oodii looks like a good nursery, will definitely be paying him a visit or have some culms sent up on the bus to Chiang Rai !

J

[Smithson]

I'd appreciate some advice on looking after clumping bamboo, specifically D. Asper (Pai Tong). We have several large clumps on our property that hadn't been looked after at all. In the past they've had large culms, however the first year we bought the land, the shoots were quite small, which didn't surprise me.

I fertilized, watered and added mulch, however this year the shoots were few and still quite small. There were a few nice large shoots, but they stopped growing and rotted (it was very wet at the time).

I've added some pics below, but they're not very clear. The clumps have a lot of aerial roots and seem to be growing above the ground, so I'm guessing they're not getting enough nutrients. It's been suggested that I build up the area around them with soil and organic matter.

[Smithson]

This is some other bamboo growing close to where we live.

[troycombat]

This is some other bamboo growing close to where we live.

Hi Smithson, do you know what types of bamboo is that? Thanks in advance.

[IsaanAussie]

This is some other bamboo growing close to where we live.

Hi Smithson, do you know what types of bamboo is that? Thanks in advance.

The Thais call it Mai Pai Troong

IA

[canopy]

when used as posts the underground section rots or gets eaten within months and so has to be replaced. Any suggestions for treating the bamboo so that it will last longer without leaching harmful substances into the soil?

Just good drainage can allow posts to last for years. Here is some tips I have learned along the way:

1. Instead of being at grade, make the ground at the posts higher than the surrounding area to minimize water making them soggy.

2. Instead of packing the posts with dirt, use rock. Smooth rock rather than coarse is ideal for drainage. This helps keep the posts dry and strong.

3. For dramaticially good results, have a good cover like a roof over the posts so they don't get wet or sun weathering.

4. Select more mature hard bamboo rather than new, young stuff which is softer and favored by termites

5. Cure the bamboo before use. I have yet to do this as the process can take a year so plan in advance. The more curing the better. To cure, keep them in a totally dry, shaded area off the ground.

6. The base of the bamboo is the strongest and most durable part so use this for posts.

[canopy]

Let me try to drive home the relationship between exposure to elements and longevity. Below are both ends of my 2 year old chin up bar. These photos were taken on the same day. Even though it is just one piece of bamboo that has been in the same place the difference between the ends is nothing short of astonishing. One end has been shaded under an eave. It is as good as new. The other end is exposed to rain and sun. It has molded, rotted, split in many places, decayed, and has mushrooms growing on it.

[keo]

There is an interesting .pdf called "Bamboo and Building Culture" by Darrel DeBoer and Karl Bareis which looks at the work of Columbian architects Simon Velez and Marcelo Villegas (authors of "Tropical Bamboo"). It's available on scribd.com. Some of the structures they have built are incredible. They talk about Guadua being their favoured species to work with, apparently you can drive nails into it without it splitting.

There are another couple of other useful .pdf files called "Joining Bamboo, Basic Principles" and "A Long -Term Survival Guide - How to Make Bamboo Joints" at the same website.

cheers

[keo]

http://permacoletivo.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/bamboo-building.pdf

[canopy]

They talk about Guadua being their favoured species to work with, apparently you can drive nails into it without it splitting.

Maybe of interest only for lazy people who don't care that after a few years the ground gets littered with rusty nails. Pegs and other natural joinery should be preferred as they can work better than nails and are well documented in the resources present in this thread including those which you posted. Thanks for that: I've read every bit of them and learned a lot.

[keo]

They talk about Guadua being their favoured species to work with, apparently you can drive nails into it without it splitting.

Maybe of interest only for lazy people who don't care that after a few years the ground gets littered with rusty nails. Pegs and other natural joinery should be preferred as they can work better than nails and are well documented in the resources present in this thread including those which you posted. Thanks for that: I've read every bit of them and learned a lot.

I think the fact that you can drive nails into Guadua without it splitting is more a demonstration of the strength of the species, rather than a reason to use it.

Although it could be useful for holding a pole in place while it's lashed.

Interesting that Velez & co fill the ends of the poles with mortar and then bolt them together.

No problem, glad you enjoyed them. I'm thinking about buying "Tropical Bamboo" as I can't find it anywhere on the internet.

cheers

[canopy]

While a lot of information from Velez is superb, several things I really didn't care for. I see him as a rogue builder making impressive structures to bring interest to bamboo. So yes to achieve showcase architectural marvels with enormous spans he uses cement and steel that are totally unnecessary for small designs. He only uses guadua bamboo (even importing it to countries he does work in!) because his knowledge is limited by trial and error to its particular performance. Based on past failures and successes he makes new designs scribbled on a piece of paper out of his head rather than following sound engineering calculations to prove designs in advance. If someone could teach him autocad or similar he might leave a greater legacy. Instead we are told that for big projects, he must be personally involved and is adverse towards engineers and building code considerations. He will probably go down as the Goddard of bamboo which is not very flattering compared to the Von Braun we need in the 21st century to go further than that to advance the usage of bamboo. I would also like to see a healthy dose of skepticism on bamboo too rather than the prevalent sugar coating of it being the miracle material. That might all sound a bit negative, but to me bamboo is a fascinating material that I enjoy working with it having done numerous interesting projects with it.