Arundo Donax from the banks of the Boyne

[Chris Bayley]

Not quite Irish grown cane. Am away with family for a short break in a cottage on the banks of a small river in the South of France which have just discovered is called the 'Boyne' From a previous visit last Easter (Boulegan festival) found the banks are lined with forests of Arundo Donax so will be taking the opportunity to harvest as much as I can, especially the smaller drone reed sizes which always seem to be in short supply.

Chris

[Steve Turner]

I've harvested stuff growing on river banks in Hampshire. Got wet and muddy in the process, but got some small diameter can suitable for drones.

Have a good holiday

[djm]

Aren't you supposed to harvest in winter when the canes die back? Will it be any good if you harvest it now?

djm

[stew]

Chris, if I'm not mistaken you will probably have to let the cane dry out and condition for year or two, is that right?. all the best.

[Mike Hulme]

We picked a lot of the dead standing stuff, which had lost its green colour, at Easter. Sort of pre-seasoned

[tansy]

We picked a lot of the dead standing stuff, which had lost its green colour, at Easter. Sort of pre-seasoned

Yep, standing dead is the way to go.

[stew]

So you probably have some cane ready for work then Mike?
hope you let us know how you get on with the cane.

[Mike Hulme]

It has had six months air drying and is in the UV cabinet at the moment. I will make some test reeds up over the next few weeks and if those prove OK then it will be ready for sale.

[Joseph E. Smith]

We picked a lot of the dead standing stuff, which had lost its green colour, at Easter. Sort of pre-seasoned

Yep, standing dead is the way to go.

Agreed. But If you harvest cane that still has a greenish tinge to it, sun drying (out of the wet) will do nicely. It will take longer to cure, but will work nicely when ready. The key to it is patience.

[Ted]

For cane used for double reeds, I harvest the dead-standing stuff. For drone reeds, I prefer to cut them green in July-August, which gives more strength and springiness to the tongues. I sun cure these for a couple months then let them lay in my attic for the rest of a year, which seems to work for drone reeds. I prefer the drone cane to be of the required diameters comming directly from the ground, instead of branches from large diameter cane, although they will work. These are much rarer, but you may find an area of small canes if you search for it. Dead branches or dead-standing drone size tubes may be fine, if the cane is hard to begin with. You can try to make reeds from the harvested dead drone cane at the time of harvest to see if the tongues will be springy (good), or brittle, in which the tongue will break off when snapping the tongues open while making them.

[stew]

All being well, and with a barrowful of luck, I might a quire a bit of this cane, I hope it turns out to be a good bit of gear, two or three tubes would be very nice. all the best.

[Joseph E. Smith]

In reference to Ted's post, dead standing cane is best for double reeds.

Where I have harvested, in central Florida, by the time it becomes dead standing, chances are it is much degraded by mold and fast munching parasites.

The environment where cane is harvested plays an important role in how one might go about curing it or allowing it to dry.

[stew]

Don't say that Joseph, your breaking my heart here.

[Joseph E. Smith]

Don't say that Joseph, your breaking my heart here.

Ooops, sorry.

[tansy]

That's interesting Ted, I'll go and look for some young skinny tomorrow as my tenor droan reed is 5 years old. I have trouble finding large enough diameter for chanter reeds. I've only found 2 so far but that is a lot in a way. I try to cut after New Years day. I've thought of "ringing" the stalk at the bass to kill it and rush along the standing dead status .
I use small thick walled river cane, not arundo for the baritone and bass droan reeds. I find it with too small an internal diameter and then bore it to the correct diameter and lash on styrene tongues. Totaly stable, mellow tone and not effected by the weather. I don't know of anyone else that does this.
Tansy