izzy
Pro Member
Posts: 347
Joined: July 2011
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Post by izzy on Feb 15, 2012 21:50:13 GMT -5
While out curb raiding, some freshly cut bamboo jumped into the back of my truck. Long poles - 20ft and thick. Cleaned off all the branches and cut into 10' poles for pole beans and tomatoes. Never made a teepee before in my life - always used concrete wire trellis. These poles are smooth and hard as glass (still green). Will beans be able to climb and hang on to the poles as they get heavy? My old wire trellis is sunk deep in place, and this would give me an opportunity to easily rotate them. There's still time to get another wire trellis up before I begin planting - actually I've already got some beans started along a fence line - but more is more better!!
So - what's the best use of the bamboo poles? The "trimmings" were perfect to give my peas a little extra support. Curbside bamboo is a rare find around here. Ideas welcome!
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Post by coppice on Feb 16, 2012 14:57:01 GMT -5
Pole beans climbed my bamboo. Their climber tendrils don't need much to grip. Unless you sanded all the trimmings off smooth on your poles they'll do fine.
Over a foot or two the vine will spiral around the bamboo itself. It will find and tendril every knob or stump you left behind. I promise.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2012 15:02:40 GMT -5
Great scrounge !! Teepees can be made with 3 upright poles, lashes together near the top. You will need some cross-strings to keep the beans reaching upwards and not toppling over. Teepee type thing can also be made with only 2 upright poles, lashed together near top, and a second set placed a bit away form the first, so you can lay a horizpnal pole into the 'v' at the apex where the uprights are lashed together. Still gonna need some cross-strings. Or wire or nylon mesh lashed to the upright. You want the wire or mesh to have holes big enough to reach thru and pick, tho Deb
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bunkie
Junior Member
Posts: 44
Joined: December 2010
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Post by bunkie on Feb 17, 2012 11:32:21 GMT -5
hey izzy, terrific find! i tried a few of these last year with my bamboo poles. they worked great! if the tops are thin enough, one can slide the connectors on so part of the tip comes thru, making it more secure... www.leevalley.com/us/garden/page.aspx?p=64726&cat=2,43319,33282&ap=1
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izzy
Pro Member
Posts: 347
Joined: July 2011
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Post by izzy on Feb 17, 2012 13:43:05 GMT -5
Thanks, ya'll! Kicked my brain in gear, now that I know these poles aren't "too green". Thanks Coppice! A few that have dried out to a light tan are more porus and not so slick. That was what I was concerned about. No - I hadn't sanded them.
Now that you mention it, Deb, I've seen some of those trellises, with 2 poles and a horizontal cross beam - forgot about them til you mentioned it - I have a small section of wire w/ a large grid - also picked up curbside - that I could attach to the cross beam with some cheap wire shower curtain clips. WooHoo - ready to rock. Now I just gotta perfect my knot tying skills. -- you know what they say: if you can't tie a knot, then tie a lot!!
Hi Bunkie! Good to hear from you. I do like those connectors - but these poles are 2 and 3" diameter. I was admiring them as I cleaned them up, thinking they were large enough to make a "Gilligan's" privacy fence.
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