Cleaning the Canebrake

   Most folks do not realize the work involved in growing bamboo.  While it looks nice when it is healthy and green, it can become quite unsightly if a freeze or storm damages the canes.  Our "canebrake" is actually bamboo.  Thankfully, we have the clumping sort and not the runners.  The clumpers simply expand outward in a larger clump each year.  There are no shoots coming up twenty or thirty feet from the original source.  Still, that clump can become a mess if not cleaned.

  Our canebrake is a good twenty feet across with the bamboo reaching upwards of 40 feet.  Over the past few years, we have had numerous storms in the fall and a few (very few) good freezes.  All of that was just enough to kill a good many of the original canes in the middle of the clump.  The new shoots were being forced to grow at odd angles since the old dead canes were falling atop them.  It was a MESS!

  Yesterday, Son decided it was time to "clean" the canebrake.  I was cutting grass when I saw him pulling out the dead canes.  The mower was stopped and I lent a hand with the chore.  He and I worked for several hours and pulled over 250 dead canes from the back section of the canebrake.  We finally had to stop.  Both of us were itching from the fibers being sifted down on us from the dead bamboo.  We are only about half finished.  Tomorrow, we will start again and hopefully get the chore completed.  It is not something for the squeamish as we have already found some pretty huge spiders, a couple of snakes, a rat nest, fire ants and some unidentified critters.  The canebrake will look mighty fine once cleared, though!

Loving the Canebrake

  Back when I was a kid just about every home place had a canebrake.  Since most places around here were small farms, the canes were of high value to the owners.  Not only were the canes used as fishing poles, the wood was strong enough and limber enough to be used for many different purposes on the farm.  In the springtime, hundreds of canes were cut to be used as tomato stakes.  The stakes would last one season and then could be tossed next to the fence line to rot.  There was no need to retrieve the stakes for future use.  An easy fence could be constructed using the readily available canes.  Canes were cut to length and laid along the fence site.  Two wires were attached to a stable post then each cane was wrapped (top and bottom) to create a fence row.  This was a dense fence that kept even the smallest animals contained.   The canes were also split and used as slats in gates, temporary roofs and floors.  There is a fine canebrake on our property that I was able to start from a single cane years ago.  I find many uses for the canes from gardening aids to crafts. The canebrake is well tended so it can supply many strong canes.

  I remember two distinct uses of the bamboo on our farm.  One of the funnest uses (for the kids anyway) was to use the canes as bean poles.  Posts were erected about every ten feet between two rows of beans and a strong wire attached about eight feet from the ground.  Then canes were wrapped with heavy cording along the wire.  This gave a sort of teepee look to the bean rows and allowed for great imaginary play once the beans covered the "tent".  Cowboys and Indians was a favorite playtime event and the bean rows were the perfect teepees.  Besides!  For those of you who do not know, bean leaves stick nicely to clothing!  A leaf badge was chosen for the "sheriff and his deputies".  No fancy store bought stuff for us!  We did not need it...we had imaginations.  (Something that is lacking today with all of the current toys that simply numb the brain.)  Hours of fun could be found romping in the fields.

  Another interesting use for the canes was carving.  Each year, Pop would carve a netting needle out of a prime piece of cane.  Again, for those who do not know, cast nets are knitted with strange looking needles.  These needles used to be carved from wood. Pop either use bamboo or cedar.  I remember that Pop's shuttles would be a good ten inches in length, as flat as a coin and were tapered at the top to a point. Along about half way up from the bottom, an "eye" was carved into the slat.  This eye had a inner sharp point that held the line.  The bottom of the needle had a U shaped groove for the cord to be held in place.  After the needle was carved, it was sanded to silky smoothness then oiled. Pop made all of his own nets and some for the neighbors so a good needle was in constant demand.  The trick to carving that needle was not so much the outside but cutting the inside of the eye so the thin shaft was not cracked.  If that broke, the shuttle had to be discarded and carving began again on a new slice of cane.

  These days, when you mention a canebrake to folks, they stare at you with confusion in their eyes. Most have never heard of such and surely did not realize that the bamboo was a useful tool.  Of course, nowadays, folks rush down to the nearest store to purchase everything instead of using their brains to create.  Gone are the days when folks actually worked.  It seems now that people sit around trying to tell everyone else what they should do instead of actually doing something themselves.

Peaceful Bay

Today was supposed to be storming. Tropical Storm Bonnie was expected to come ashore sometime today as mainly a "rainmaker" with minimal winds. Instead it was a very calm, quiet day on the Bayou. We were blessed that another storm diminished at sea causing no damage. We did have occasional light showers but nothing that was storm worthy. I had gone out early to prepare for this weather event..picked the tomatoes from the garden, took down the hummingbird feeders, washed the dog..you know, the usual pre-hurricane things. And I jest here..normally when faced with a hurricane, things are a lot more serious-there is a lot more work. To ride out a hurricane, quite a bit of preparation is required. We, today, are fortunate to have Hurricane Hunters to give us days of advanced notice of incoming storms. But TS Bonnie was not a threat and could definitely be a blessing in some areas that desperately need rain.

Speaking of hurricanes, five years ago after Hurricane Katrina I planted some bamboo in the back yard. Now it is about forty feet tall and a good twelve feet in diameter. Yes, I planted "clumping" bamboo not the "running" type. Bamboo can make an excellent screen to block views

of neighbors, barriers between the yard and street or just as an ornamental attraction. I do advise most people to plant the clumping type versus the running unless you have the time and energy to keep the cane in check. Bamboo can grow several feet each day and the running type can send shoots up almost as rapidly as you can dig them. How can you tell the difference? This is easier than it may seem. The clumping bamboo has canes that are smooth and round

whereas the running bamboo has canes that have a groove on one side. It is an obvious groove that can be seen at a distance on the canes and can be easily felt by running your fingers around the cane. Regardless of the type, cane or bamboo grows extremely fast and flourishes in warmer climates. Most of the bamboo grown in home gardens is a slight bit smaller than that grown commercially as lumber.

As one of the fastest growing plants in the world, it makes sense that it is becoming the building material of choice for those wanting to be a bit "greener". It is strong, resilient and finishes to a beautiful, warm color. Bamboo lumber is used mainly in flooring currently but is being examined as potentially a new all around building material. A renewable resource that is also very beautiful!