I understand there was an old post about a similar topic, but does anyone have experience shredding fresh cut bamboo? I saw some youtube video but most are shredding dry bamboo. A tree company guy told me that shredding bamboo can damage the shredder because it is so hard so he suggests to dump it at waste station instead. Is that true? Does this mean one has to wait till the bamboo is dry before shredding? Is the phyllostachys type more difficult to shred? it is very tall and about 2 inches in diameter.

It seems that bamboo is such a great thing but practically few people can use it in the city. The next best thing before going to the dump would be to make mulch from it if possible. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

It tends to wear the chipper blades due to all the silica in it. But it will chip up in commercial tree chipper. The chips are very sharp and splintery however.

I had an old Sears wood chipper, it looked like this

http://ultimatetech.co/wp-content/uploa ... outlet.jpg

I used it to shred Vivax Auerocaulis and Moso. The Vivax it shredded very easily. The Moso, it would only shred maybe 1" diameter without slowing down / stalling.

It was basically a heavy lawnmower blade that spun inside and you fed the stuff into the top of it. Sort of wish I had kept it but I figured it was old and dangerous etc.

No pros around me (St. Louis area) will chip bamboo, as it tends to shred and clog the machinery. They all suggested hauling to the local composter (and would charge me over $300 to do it). Instead I opted to slowly cut the canes and put them into the weekly yard waste collection. Many of the canes are quite thin and wouldn't be good for anything -- even garden stakes.

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My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

I have a cheapass chippler that would get clogged way to easy with bamboo as well. It's not the hard wood that causes problems, it just encircles the blades somehow and makes the whole thing stop. I could hardly remove the stuff last time.
I use all the culms that are large enough as stakes for various plants and toss everything smaller, twigs and leaves onto compost heap. It gets quite large and produces the best compost. I cover the wood chips, oak leaves and cut bamboo parts with 1 year old half done compost from compost bins. Then I just cover the heap with some garden soil and start covering it with leftover grass clippings I don't use as mulch. The thing is filled with all kinds of organisms, especially earthworms. In a year, I get excellent humus rich compost. The wood chips and bamboo residues that usually need longer to break down tend to rot faster this way. Bamboo traps quite some air inside as well, which is great for the composting process. No issues whatsoever if I compost walnut leaves this way as well. In a year the leaves turn into rich humus and all the jugolone breaks down. Tomatoes juat trive in that compost.
I need moore bamboo to make more compost

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Another thing to consider is dust. When I was chipping bamboo it created a lot of bamboo dust. I'm not sure how bad it is to breath that stuff.

You are correct that I also wonder what bamboo dust would affect health. What I heard is that bamboo contains cyanide which is why most animals wouldn't touch. Does anyone know what happens to the cyanide when either shredding or composting bamboo?

I didn't know it had cyanide in it. I was worried about it getting in my lungs and being stuck there. I wore a mask the whole time I was chipping.

It is only present in young shoots, I doubt it remains in the wood or in foliage. Dust (any kind) is an issue though, so use the mask.

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There is a youtube video showing chipping bamboo using Sun Joe CJ603E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YggrbmAhrSY). Looks like it works, but it seems the bamboo he is shredding are new shoots. Not sure how well it works for older bamboo. "Uncle goat" seems like it, being able to shred bamboo.

Finally I bought a Sun Joe CJ603E to chip/shred bamboo. It works for both fresh and dry bamboo although dry ones work better. At least I don't have to cut it into pieces if it is within 1.5 inch in diameter. It turns bamboo into mulch. So far so good.
I made a youtube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNh8Tev61uQ

Thanks for the video. I've gone round and round about this chipper topic. Just when I think I've made a decision, I read a bad review about the product.

I would love to use the mulch for the bamboo that I have in my yard instead of having to buy it every year at $44/yard. From what I have researched, regular wood chips will drain 20% of surrounding Nitrogen to rot and Bamboo as a grass does not and can be immediately used.

I found this video using bamboo for mulch and it illustrates that Bamboo is the Best Mulch you can't find to buy anywhere. At least around me. LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjoPKcxN_Q&t=2s

I'm leaning towards a PTO driven chipper once I've acquired a tractor. Are there any folks out there that have used this method?

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