Bamboo for Homestead Use

[frustratedearthmother]

I read something a while back that I can't get out of my head. Bamboo. I've always been dead set against it because certain varieties are so invasive. However, the new clumping, non-spreading bamboo cultivars are intriguing to me. My first thought is that what gardener wouldn't love a home-grown source of poles for garden use? For small scale building? But, what really caught my eye is that apparently in some parts of the world it is used as animal feed. Who knew?

Bamboo: Alternative Source of Livestock Feed

For about a year now we have been getting nice big bundles of bamboo trimmings from a friend who grows lots of this wonderful plant in ...

soulflowerfarm.blogspot.com

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232018248_Nutritive_value_of_bamboo_as_browse_for_livestock

 

[frustratedearthmother]

The more I read on it the better it sounds. I assume there's a negative somewhere, but I think it bears some investigation.

Fodder - Bamboo Farming USA

Bamboo is a Grass… A farmer who plants bamboo waits eight years to harvest shoots in marketable size and quantity. A farmer planting pecan trees waits seven years for his first harvest of nuts — or he waits longer depending on the variety of pecan and the level of management. During the eight...

www.bamboofarmingusa.com

 

[Daisy]

I know very little about it but the rate of growth seems quite an appealing feature. There would be so many uses for it outside of feed too.

I found this link in the wake of the great loo roll shortage hitting australia right now

15+ Amazing Things You Can Do with Bamboo

Bamboo is the perfect sustainable building material, it's fast-growing and has a specific tensile strength that rivals steel.

interestingengineering.com

I'd use it here for duck fencing.

 

[Hinotori]

Bamboo is grass. No reason some of it can't be eaten. Even humans eat it. Most clumping bamboos are thin and only good for stakes or wattling. The ones with the nice thick stalks for building, or eating, are the running kind.

I've thought about trying some in a high spot on the property. It doesn't like constant flooding like we get so many months of the year. There is a nice clumping variety that's popular here as it's a bit more tolerant.

 

[CrealCritter]

I read something a while back that I can't get out of my head. Bamboo. I've always been dead set against it because certain varieties are so invasive. However, the new clumping, non-spreading bamboo cultivars are intriguing to me. My first thought is that what gardener wouldn't love a home-grown source of poles for garden use? For small scale building? But, what really caught my eye is that apparently in some parts of the world it is used as animal feed. Who knew?

Bamboo: Alternative Source of Livestock Feed

For about a year now we have been getting nice big bundles of bamboo trimmings from a friend who grows lots of this wonderful plant in ...

soulflowerfarm.blogspot.com

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232018248_Nutritive_value_of_bamboo_as_browse_for_livestock

We had stands of bamboo when I lived in NC. It's really quite usefully stuff. I made my wife cutting board out of some of the larger old pieces. I made a pole bean house, that dubbed as a playhouse for my youngest daughter and her friends. I also used a lot of it in the garden to support plants. My next door neighbor made flutes out of it. My son's made bows and arrows out of some. I've used it as switches occasionally when my son's needed a reminder. Bamboo flooring was quite the rage for a while, but I never messed with it as flooring.

I had no idea it could be used as livestock food. I can see the tender young shoots might be tasty to live stock though now that you mention it. Your right, It is invasive but not so much that it easily gets out of hand quickly.

I say go for it, you won't know unless you try a little.

 

[Britesea]

Delicious in stir fries....

 

[the_whingnut]

Bamboo is also great alternative to wood fuel. just remember to split it before you put in the fire (its explodes if not done)

 

[frustratedearthmother]

just remember to split it before you put in the fire (its explodes if not done)

Great safety tip!

 

[Nifty]

I've always had high-hopes for bamboo as a cheap / strong building material. I mean, it grows CRAZY fast and is SUPER strong. It just seems like it could be perfect if used properly.

I LOVE this guy's videos and the stuff he makes / does with bamboo:

Primitive Skills

primitive Skills

www.youtube.com

Example:

(I also love watching these guys too)

 

[baymule]

Very interesting!