what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

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Eric
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what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by Eric »

I've wondered, for instance, if I could cut a few shallow saw kerfs in the side of the lowest internode to keep track of age (maybe hash marks of Roman numerals...) Would scars like that be visible years later? Would they do any significant damage to the culm? What other options are there?
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by Nicholas »

Eric wrote:I've wondered, for instance, if I could cut a few shallow saw kerfs in the side of the lowest internode to keep track of age (maybe hash marks of Roman numerals...) Would scars like that be visible years later? Would they do any significant damage to the culm? What other options are there?
If you scrape off the protective outer layer and remove the layer that contains chlorophyll the marks stay visible for a very long time.
If you have young culms it is really easy to mark them this way as they have not hardened. Basically any scratching will result in marks. (Try removing culm sheaths from an emerging shoot, the slightest damage to the culm will result in marks where no chlorophyll is present).

Water proof outdoor paint should also work.
Eric
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by Eric »

It sounds like a saw might be overkill then. And, in the meantime, I also saw the photos of the bamboo park in Korea where lots of tourists had carved their names in the culms much like people commonly do with beech trees. Would a pocket knife be the basic tool people would use?
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needmore
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by needmore »

Magic marker will last a looking time...
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Eric
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by Eric »

needmore wrote:Magic marker will last a looking time...
Really? Does it last that long on bamboo? I know it doesn't last for years on plant markers, especially not in the sun, but maybe that's because the markers are plastic. I've read that some culms are best harvested at 6-7 years, so I'd be looking for marking methods that could last that long. My goal would be to keep track of culm age for harvesting purposes.
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by needmore »

I hate the stupid spell check here, looooooonnng time, not looking time!

A friend used to mark species on the culms with a Sharpie, I have seen the marks last for a few years, I wanted them to fade but they stayed.
Brad Salmon, zone 12B Kea'au, HI
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by Eric »

I wouldn't have thought it. Thanks for mentioning it, Brad.
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by Mackel in DFW »

I'm considering letting the girls go to town with some paint; polka dots, barber stripes, witchdoctor figures, what have you on some backyard culms, put on their hippie diva hats and graffiti it up for fun (10, 11, and 12 year old).
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by zxylene »

I got a date stamp and archival ink. I stamp each one that year away from the Sun so it last longer. Seems to work well except very small culms. So far they have lasted several years and the date is still on the culms I cut and dried.
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David
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by David »

I have used a Brother label printer and their outdoor TZ tape with good success. Stays on until you pull it off and does not fade. But really a sharpie works just fine and is a lot cheaper. Mark the bases as low as you can and the marks will not be as visible to the casual observer. You will be on your hands and knees when you are harvesting mature culms anyway and it's a simple matter to pull the leaf litter away to confirm the age.
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by Johnkelsey »

I've had a grove of phylostachys since we bought this house a year ago, and am new to the forum. I too wanted to know the age of the culms so I put a band of red electrical tape around the base of each one that grew this year. next year, year two, for me and the bamboo, I'll use orange tape., following Rainbow color order / electrical resistor marking red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet...

Don't think the tape will harm the plant. Anybody know?
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Re: what are options for marking culms to keep track of age?

Post by zxylene »

On another similar thread someone posted about cable ties. UV cable ties of various colors would be Great quick ID and easy to remove. While my archival ink has worked the small culms are almost impossible to get a good date on. And if you don't crawl around they are marked years later on the dried culms.
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