Cutting Bamboo ( Archived) (6)

That's what I was doing today. I have a grove of Bamboo which is spreading too far so my project this summer is to cut it back to a reasonable area. The people who lived here before me use to keep it mowed down but I decided to let it grow because I thought it was cool and I figured I could find a use for it doing crafty stuff. I have found loads of uses for it including making pencil holders, incense burners, a roost for my chickens and even used it to build the top section of my chicken pen. I've also made broom handles out of it and my biggest project is a Bamboo shelf unit.
There's an outfit in Brooklyn NY that has a very successful business making Bamboo bicycles which sell for 100's of dollars.

Some of my Bamboo is 40 feet tall and almost 3 inches in diameter. Oh, and my chickens love the leaves esp in winter when there is no grass for them to eat. They especially love the new Bamboo shoots that sprout in the spring. I let them get about 8 feet tall then I lop them off with a butcher knife and chop them up and the chickens go nuts over it. Finally, I snap the twigs off the main stalk and tie them up in bundles with string and cut the bundles to about 1 foot lengths. This is the best fire starter on earth. Bamboo, being a grass burns extremely hot. So, no part of the plant goes to waste.
I guess you could say it's a hobby of mine.

Thanks. Does Bamboo grow up where you're at? I always thought of it as a tropical species so I'm surprised how it seems to be everywhere.