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arundo donax source?
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:32 pm
by crofter
For you pipers who are growing your own arundo donax, where did you get it? I have looked around on the net, but all that I have found so far are variegated varieties, and I'm not sure that's what I want. I think it would grow where I live if I could find some.
So where did you get the arundo donax that you planted??
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:02 pm
by PJ
I don’t know anyone who grows their own cane. The stuff grows wild in Spain, Florida, South of France, California, etc. Mostly people just harvest and dry wild cane. Arondo donax is often considered an invasive species and can be removed without permit (but you should check locally).
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 5:25 am
by jon1908
It depends where in the world you are.
It does grow wild in warmer climates and I could never see anyone complaining if you harvest some for your own use. But, it does need to be dried correctly to achieve the correct hardness.
I bought some a couple of years ago, and it’s struggled to produce anything larger than drone sized canes. But it does seem to increase in size as each year goes by. Hopefully next year I’ll have enough for a couple of flat chanter reeds.
I’m in the soggy cool U.K. by the way.
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 3:55 pm
by crofter
jon1908 wrote:It depends where in the world you are.
It does grow wild in warmer climates and I could never see anyone complaining if you harvest some for your own use. But, it does need to be dried correctly to achieve the correct hardness.
I bought some a couple of years ago, and it’s struggled to produce anything larger than drone sized canes. But it does seem to increase in size as each year goes by. Hopefully next year I’ll have enough for a couple of flat chanter reeds.
I’m in the soggy cool U.K. by the way.
I'm in the southern United States. I have read on the network that arundo donax has been naturalized as far north as Virginia and Missouri and generally does well in the Southeastern U.S., so if I can find some, I'm going to try it.
I have read that it can be invasive in some places, so I will likely try growing it in an area that it will be difficult for it to escape from. We'll see what happens.
Thanks for the replies...
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2018 10:02 pm
by an seanduine
For pipers in northern climes, phragmites would be available, and maybe cultivable. It's fragility can be problematic, but good reeds have been reported as possible.
Bob
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 12:52 pm
by reedmasters
I have successfully used phragmites for drone reeds. You can find thicker walled quills if you have the quantity of available canethat I did. Even the thinner stuff made decent reeds as long as you didn't squeeze them too hard. Never found any large enough for chanter reeds.
Rich
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:10 pm
by pudinka
Where in the southern US do you live, Crofter? I live in Texas, where it is quite common and oddly known as Georgia cane - I'm pretty sure the Spanish introduced it here. You'll need to cut a bit of the root stock and plant it, if you can find it.
Send me a PM is you need to know more (top secret).
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2019 1:16 pm
by crofter
OK. This isn't really about piping. That won't come for several years, I guess, but I just saw today that my Arundo donax has survived the Winter so far and is sprouting. Yea! But I guess it will be a long time before it's big enough to get reeds from.
Now to find a decent used half-set for a reasonable price...
Preparing cane for reedmaking?
Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 5:09 pm
by crofter
[Thread revival. - Mod]
Well, I got my half set and my Arundo donax is now about 12' tall, so I got to wondering how to prepare the raw canes for reedmaking. Most of the cane that I have seen for sale is tan, not green, so I assume that it has been dried or processed in some way.
Does anyone know what needs to happen to raw cane to prepare it for reedmaking? Do I cut it now while it is still green and growing and then dry it or do I wait until the frost has put an end to the growing season?
Anyone out there done this??
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:03 am
by nwhitmer
There's an article in an old
An Piobaire which briefly describes how Medir, in Spain, harvested & prepared its cane. Vol. 1 # 7 page 57 (1971)
Online at NPU's Website:
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?gallery ... iaId=25883
Other articles about Medir & cane are in
An Piobaire vol. 2 # 1 p. 2; vol. 2 #17 p. 6 (photos); vol. 3 #15 p. 25
Also my account of a visit to Medir in 2013,
The Pipers' Review, vol. 32 #3 p. 5
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?gallery ... iaId=26430
I grew donax when I lived in Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. It was a bit too cold there for it to really thrive. If I'm remembering right, I cut it in the fall, stripped it, & let it rest lying flat in the rafters for a year or more. Not as good as lying in the sun, but it got some incidental light that way.
Did get a few tubes of chanter reed size. They turned out to be quite hard, grainy, with lots of silicon. I have the impression that growing cane for reeds is like growing grapes for wine: the best cane has something to do with the terroir, the specific soil conditions & climate where it was grown, as well as, I suppose, the particular sub-variety that is planted.
Good luck with it!
Nick Whitmer
Ithaca NY
Re: arundo donax source?
Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:58 pm
by crofter
nwhitmer wrote: ↑Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:03 am
There's an article in an old
An Piobaire which briefly describes how Medir, in Spain, harvested & prepared its cane. Vol. 1 # 7 page 57 (1971)
Online at NPU's Website:
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?gallery ... iaId=25883
Other articles about Medir & cane are in
An Piobaire vol. 2 # 1 p. 2; vol. 2 #17 p. 6 (photos); vol. 3 #15 p. 25
Also my account of a visit to Medir in 2013,
The Pipers' Review, vol. 32 #3 p. 5
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?gallery ... iaId=26430
I grew donax when I lived in Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. It was a bit too cold there for it to really thrive. If I'm remembering right, I cut it in the fall, stripped it, & let it rest lying flat in the rafters for a year or more. Not as good as lying in the sun, but it got some incidental light that way.
Did get a few tubes of chanter reed size. They turned out to be quite hard, grainy, with lots of silicon. I have the impression that growing cane for reeds is like growing grapes for wine: the best cane has something to do with the terroir, the specific soil conditions & climate where it was grown, as well as, I suppose, the particular sub-variety that is planted.
Good luck with it!
Nick Whitmer
Ithaca NY
Nick,
Many thanks for the information! I did find another source on the network which I will list in case someone else comes across this thread and wants to try reedmaking:
http://www.daye1.com/bagpage/arundo.html
It looks like Mr. Daye dries his for several years before attempting to use the cane. I guess I have to wait awhile....
Crofter