Growing like a bad weed!

  When something or someone had a growth spurt back in the day, Pop would always use the phrase "growing like a bad weed!".  I often wondered about that.  Did bad weeds actually grow faster than good weeds?   Was there such things as bad weeds and good weeds when it came to the garden?  I never found out the answer and well, I suppose that is a good thing since that phrase was attached to my growth spurts as a child.  Then, again, perhaps I was a bad weed?  Oh, my!

Day one..the bamboo shoot was about eight inches tall.

   I was out back behind the compost pile, I noticed that the canebrake had lots of new growth.  The new shoots were sprouting up everywhere!  I snapped a few pictures every day for about a week just to compare the growth spurts of the bamboo shoots.  It is remarkable just how fast those things grow!  Granted we have been having ideal weather for the canes to flourish..hot and moist..but I promise..you could almost see them getting taller!  Under prime conditions, bamboo can actually grow up to two inches an hour!  Mine does not seem to be going at that rate but still a good six to eight inches seems to be added to the height each day.

Day two..the shoot grew to almost two feet tall!

  As a kid growing up on the farm, we used cane poles for just about everything.  Each year, Pop and the boys would cut hundreds from the canebrake at the edge of the field to use for tomato stakes and also as supports for the pole beans. Cut canes were used as props for the clothes lines and, of course, as fishing poles!  On that thought, I think I caught more fish using a cane pole than I have ever caught using a rod and reel!  I know for a fact that I had less tangles in the line! I can also remember my Granddad making me a toy slide flute from a section of cane.  Sometimes it seems as if the simple ways are the best!

Day four..the cane was over four feet tall!

  With the bamboo growing so remarkably fast, I am tempted to start finding more uses for the canes.  Besides the usual windchimes and planters made from cane, I like the idea of using the cut canes to form fencing. Another thought would be to plant some as a windbreak.  The rapid growth combined with the resiliency of the canes could provide an impenetrable block in just a few years!  Yep, this stuff is growing like a bad weed..I really need to start harvesting it and putting it to good use!