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Black Bamboo

Author	Comment
Yardbird	Black Bamboo	Lead	[-]
Posts: 3 (05/20/09 8:08 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : bamboo, flute winter before last , a guy gave me a small black bamboo plant. Last summer it just semed to barely survive , but this spring it is shooting like crazy. Its not black yet. I wonder how long it takes for the color to come in? I planted punting pole in my backyard 4 yrs ago and it grew well. But I found out the walls were too thick for flutes. Do you have any idea how many yrs of growth are needed before black bamboo can be used to make a flute? sorry for so many questions at once , I just found this place yesterday, and see you folks are knowing in these things.
PaleoAleo		#1	[-]
Posts: 12731 (05/20/09 9:47 AM) Founder Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Wish I could help, but I don't have any experience growing the stuff. A neighbor of mine has a lot of black bamboo growing. N never noticed whether the shoots start off "black" (in quotes because even the darkest stuff isn't quite black...sort of a mottled eggplant color). I'll take a look on my way home today and report back. Welcome to the forum. It's a bit slow here from time to time and then there will be a rush of activity! Thanks for joining us.... Tom
Yardbird		#2	[-]
Posts: 8 (05/20/09 10:10 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks , It seems like a fun place. I dont know anybody personally who likes this kinda stuff. So it will be neat to visit with yall
Mastershandflutes		#3	[-]
Posts: 31 (05/20/09 7:40 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Yardbird, i would let it go 8 to 10 years...untill it is 100% mature. only then with the segments stretch proparly and become thin enough for a great flute. the thinner the walls the better the sound will be! Andrew (flutemaker)
MikeJones	Black bamboo	#4	[-]
Posts: 1 (07/16/09 8:27 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Once planted in the ground, the bamboo should start growing faster and bigger, potted boo does not grow as large and will soon become rootbound. Bamboo is rather strange in that when a culm emerges from the ground it is already the diameter that it will always be so you need to get it in the ground and let it grow so that you can get some 1-1/2" culms popping up. You should let any culm grow and mature for 3-5 years after it shoots. As it is shooting a culm is mostly water and not much else so it is useless for anything other than feeding animals. As it matures, the water is replaced by fibers/wood and after 5 years or so, it starts to decline in strength as it slowly dies. The strongest bamboo therefore is 3-5 years old from the time it emerged from the ground. I use Black bamboo for Native American style flutes. It has nice characteristics for flute making and when proerly heat treated after harvesting, does not crack easily. It also looks good. Black bamboo starts off green but will turn darker as it matures. The more sunlight that it is exposed to, the darker it will be. The mottled tan and brown coloration pattern makes some nice looking flutes, better, I think, than the dark black. I'm happy to help anyone learn to make Native American style flutes. I live in the Houston Area. I also make ocarinas from bamboo.
MoonCat		#5	[-]
Posts: 62 (09/17/09 2:08 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	It is very important that the bamboo gets enough sunlight. It is in the grass family (as you probably already know) and doesn't like too much shade. I made the mistake of letting a nearby ficus in my yard get out of hand and grow over it. Now I need to cut it back and weed out the not-so-happy shoots that are dying from lack of sunlight. I intended on using it for a number of things such as but not limited to simple whistles, flutes, knife handles, ect. One day, I'd like to try making a native American style flute out of this stuff. Once it's happy again and of the proper thickness, there's a blacksmith that lives somewhat nearby that I want to give some of this stuff.
pointsonashirtguy		#6	[-]
Posts: 340 (09/17/09 9:40 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	And, unless you have a LOT of room, you should put in a 6" or so barrier around your bamboo growing area to stop the root system from spreading all over your yard (and your neighbors). It probably spreads faster than sumac. Lee PaleoPlanet tee shirts - see "vendors" section Custom Tees Obsidian slabs and preforms
MikeJones	root barrier	#7	[-]
Posts: 6 (09/17/09 9:50 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	6" root barrier won't cut it, you would need 30" or it may escape.
MoonCat		#8	[-]
Posts: 63 (09/17/09 11:27 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Yeah, the stuff has broken a brick planter we've had it in, pushing it outward and deforming it slightly. Seems to be pretty well contained, despite this though. Just what I've experienced. We've had it for as long as I can remember. It really doesn't seem to grow very fast... erm... not as fast as we'd all like at times, I'm sure. Oh well, the longer the wait, the more sought after the results are, right? I'm sure you can find a source of black bamboo to bide your time with 'till it's ready though. (although I have heard that it's considered rare and may be expensive)

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