The Hawaii Chapter of the American Bamboo Society is meeting on Saturday, Jan. 18. The program is on bamboo propagation. The meeting is open to members and potential members and will be held at Hilo’s Wailoa State Park pavilion 13.
The Hawaii Chapter of the American Bamboo Society is meeting on Saturday, Jan. 18. The program is on bamboo propagation. The meeting is open to members and potential members and will be held at Hilo’s Wailoa State Park pavilion 13. The meeting will start at noon with a potluck lunch, so bring your culinary creation to share. For West Hawaii folks, it is a great opportunity to visit the Hilo farmers market in the morning as well. If you are interested in car pooling, contact Jacqui Marlin at goddessofchaos1@icloud.com or call 966-5080 for further information.
Folks coming to the event will have an opportunity to win free bamboos and those who join will get a 15 percent discount on any plants purchased from Quindembo Bamboo nursery Jan. 18 through the end of February. According to Susan Ruskin and Peter Berg, some of the bamboos available include Timor Black, New Guinea Sweet Shoot, Mexican Weeping, Panjang, Philippine Sweet Shoot, Dendrocalamus peculiaris and Guadua angustifolia, just to mention a few. Check out their website, www.bamboonursery.com for detailed descriptions, or call 987-6452. Not all the bamboos shown are available at this time, but arrangements can be made for future purchases.
The old saying that “Rain follows the forest and desert follows man” is becoming more apparent all the time. We just returned from a reforestation and ecotourism project in the Peruvian Amazon. It was sad to see the destruction of the forest due to logging and gold mining, but on returning to the Big Island, it always makes me feel good that we can make a positive difference here at home.
Seeing firsthand the mass deforestation was very depressing. Areas of the Amazon that I visited many times over the last four decades are in worse condition than ever before. There are some who disagree, but global warming continues to be in the news with ice caps melting. Increased carbon dioxide is one issue, but the other side of the coin is decreased oxygen. Extremes of droughts, floods and extreme temperatures further exacerbate this global crisis. Most folks recognize this and yet you can turn on the radio or television and find there are loud voices denying that we have a problem or that humans have any blame for it.
Some political groups deny that global warming is occurring and are calling this issue is a conspiracy of left wing extremists headed by Al Gore. However, Dr. Richard Muller of UC Berkley, who headed research mostly supported by coal and oil interests, has made public his views about our warming planet. In the past, he was vocal and very skeptical of global warming concerns. He now says that based on the research, it is happening and humans are responsible for much of the problem.
What can we do about it? First, we must be willing to admit to ourselves that we are making a big mess of things and second, make some changes. It might mean going so far as to become a vegetarian. It might be something relatively small like planting another tree or saving one from being destroyed.
Some folks are reversing the trend by planting vegetation in areas that have become deforested. Reforestation on the windward side of the Big Island is one example. This includes the reforestation that occurs even in our urban and suburban gardens. Organizations like the Outdoor Circles, Garden Clubs, Commercial Landscape and forestry Associations as well as societies like the Bamboo Society and Hawaii Island Palm Society are all doing their part to make a positive difference.
With the closing of our sugar companies and available land for diversified agriculture, it is an exciting time for Hawaii. In the years to come, we will have many new opportunities to focus on sustainable tree crops and forestry.
Joining and participating in organizations like the American Bamboo Society, is a big opportunity to get the scoop on this ancient oxygen producing crop of Asia and networking with people that want to make this world a greener and thus better place.
Now, let’s look at some of the outstanding bamboos that are being considered for multiple uses in Hawaii’s sustainable agriculture picture.
There are more than 1,200 species of bamboo found from sea level to 10,000 feet in elevation. Most come from Asia, but some outstanding species come from Africa and the Americas. One of the best for construction is the South American genus of Guadua. Culms used in Colombian houses over 100 years old have stood up better than many hardwoods. Some clumping types from the Himalayas are cold hardy and are grown as far north British Columbia.
There are many hardy running types mostly of the genus Phyllostachys that are used for erosion control in steep road cuts. A good example is the steep mountainside above Naalehu that caused devastating floods in the early 20th century. Today it is a Phyllostachys bamboo forest. Some folks do not like running bamboos since many species travel where you may not want them. However some of the best bamboos for eating, crafts, cloth and construction happen to be the running types. There is no such thing as a bad plant, but it is important to grow them in the right place.
Clumping bamboos are those that stay where you put them and, thus, they are usually more popular. The genera Gigantichloa, Bambusa and Dendrocalamus are some examples. Dendrocalamus contains some of the biggest bamboos of all. Some grow to l20 feet in height with a culm diameter up to 12 inches. Growth has been recorded at over three feet in one day, with the majority of height reached in three months. These are the favorite bamboos in Southeast Asia for construction, crafts and edible shoots. Many will grow from sea level to at least 4,000 feet in elevation when given sufficient water and nutrients.
Dendrocalamus peculiaris is a beautiful one, and does very well in the Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary at 3,000 feet elevation as well as other moist areas of the island. Another large bamboo that is beautiful and edible is Nastus elatus or New Guinea Sweet Shoot from New Guinea. The plant may reach 50 feet or more and has the look of a weeping willow in its growth habit. It is one of my favorites.
Of course, big isn’t the only thing bamboos do. The smallest ones are less than 6 inches tall, and there are many delicate species of moderate growth that are ideal for the small garden. These include Mexican weeping bamboo, Chinese hedge bamboo, Malay Dwarf, and Singapore Hedge Bamboo.
Don’t forget, when you join the Bamboo Society you will enjoy monthly meetings held at different bamboo planting sites in both East and West Hawaii.
