Transporting Bamboo
2006.07.29
At last, bamboo planting day arrives. Nate came over with his truck around 8:30 this morning, and we drove out to Bamboo Garden Nursery. Our guide for the adventure was Amber, whom I had emailed with a few times as I had questions about bamboo options, barrier installation, etc.
I had decided on Yellow Groove bamboo (phyllostachys aureosulcata), so we drove around in a golf cart and looked at the different size options. My general plan was to get one large one around fifteen feet tall, and then some smaller ones. I figured three or four in the ten-foot range would be good. However, Amber kept encouraging me to go with smaller (and less expensive) ones, assuring me they would grow pretty fast. Yeah but how fast is fast? In the end, I got one 15-gallon (about fifteen feet tall), four 5-gallon (about ten feet tall) and two 1-gallon (about six feet tall). It’s worth noting that the culms in the largest container are at least twice the diameter of any of the others, so height is not the only factor.
The 1-gallon plants were only $15 each. The 5-gallon ones were $45 each. Amber wasn’t sure what the 15-gallon should cost, so she got on the radio to ask Ned, the owner. From discussions during my last visit, I was figuring on the 15-gallon bamboo costing about $150. I got the impression today that Ned sometimes makes up the prices as he goes along.
“Ohhh… that one’s $90.” He said.
“That’s a good deal.” Amber said emphatically, with a look that said ‘take it, quick, before he changes his mind’.
Ned wandered off, and we loaded up the cart with bamboo, and then headed back up to the office area. We transferred the bamboo to Nate’s truck, putting the containers up against the back of the cab, and letting the culms hang off the back end.
Amber began wrapping heavy string around the culms in a spiral fashion. Nate and I stood around and watched her wrangle the bamboo until she good-naturedly chided us about not helping.
The next step was to get a big roll of clear plastic, basically industrial-size Saran Wrap, and wrap that around the bamboo, starting near the base and working out towards the end.
Then Amber pulled the tapered end around in a big loop, and tied it all off with some red ribbon. She couldn’t find a red rag or anything, but we figured the ribbon would be good enough as “long load” flag.
I laid down the plastic money, and then we headed back to Portland. Despite about three miles on the highway, and lots of curves on Germantown Road, we reached my house with the bamboo intact. We unwrapped the plastic and the string, and set the bamboo together near the garage.
After giving them a good watering, we went to Nicola’s for lunch.
Filling the Trench