2006 Puyallup Grove Cleanups

[bambooweb]

Daphne Lewis (dogscooter.com) of the PNW chapter of the ABS and Craig Cogger and Andy Bary of WSU will head up a couple of grove cleanups this year at the WSU research groves in Puyallup, WA.

From Last years announcement:

We come each year to thin the groves of bambusoides, henon, nuda, rubro, golden, vivax, and yellow groove. This is a unique planting in that it is replicated trial plots. Each species is replicated four times. Some plots were planted 30 Aug 1999 and the rest 16 May 2001. We see the value of these plots in that crop scientists Craig Cogger and Andy Bary of WSU are in charge. No other university in the States has bamboo planted like this.

The 2006 dates are July 8 and 22 from 9 to 3.
Bring your own tools. Tools that work well for thinning the bamboo are loppers, clippers, prunning saws, and battery powered sawzalls.

Also remember to bring your lunch and water.

The address of the groves is:
Washington State University Research & Extension Center
612 Pioneer Way East , Puyallup 98371

Directions:
From Seattle, go south to Puyallup on SR 167.
From South of Puyallup, go east to Puyallup on SR 512.
Pioneer Way is the main east west street through Puyallup.
Go west towards Tacoma on Pioneer Way. It becomes W. Pioneer Way.
When you reach WSU, the buildings will be on your left (south of the road) and
the fields on your right (north of the road). Go into the fields and drive on dirt road
northerly until you see the bamboo.

Please RSVP to me or Daphne.

See you there,
Bill

[bambooweb]

Here is a letter from Daphne about the cleanup.

Bill

__________________________________________________
Hello Bambuseros,

Once again we are scheduling two summer work parties to thin the groves at Washington State University in Puyallop. This year is the first time since planting the groves in 2001 that shoots were harvested. Craig Cogger and Andy Bary crop and soil scientists will join us for a few hours and will tell us how the harvest went and what sort of results were obtained.

Bring pruning tools. Be prepared to be outside all day. Bring your lunch. We will eat in the groves.

July 8 and 22 from 9 am to 3 pm.
RSVP Daphne Lewis daphne@dogscooter.com 253.839.1502 cell 206.854.3938

New to Bamboo? Come learn how to prune and clean bamboo groves.
Old Time bambusero? Come learn from scientists Cogger and Bary the results of the first ever harvest of bamboo shoots by Washington State University. Visit other bambuseros. Teach the newcomers.
Care about farming bamboo? Come support Cogger and Bary in their work to add bamboo to the list of crops farmed in Washington state. Our chapter supports this project with financial grants and volunteer labor. Wade Bennet, a bamboo farmer in King County, donated the plants in 2001 and harvested shoots in 2006.

What: Thin, prune the groves. Support on farm research. Learn from scientists and bambuseros.
Where: Washington State University Research & Extension Center, 612 Pioneer Way, Puyallop.
Who: Dr. Craig Cogger, Extension Soil Scientist and Research Soil Scientist
Andy Bary, Senior Scientific Assistant Dept of Crop & Soil Sciences
Driving: From Seattle go south to Puyallop on SR 167. From south of Puyallop go east on SR 512. Pioneer Way is the main east west stret through Puyallop. Go west towards Tacoma on Pioneer WAy. When you reach WSU, the buildings are south of you up on the hillside. The research fields are north on the flat land. Go into the fields and drive on a dirt road northerly until you see the bamboo.


Daphne Lewis
Phil Wood Garden Design
http://www.dogscooter.com
http://www.dogsacrossamerica.org
http://www.K9ScootersNW.com
Federal Way, Washington USA

[bambooweb]

The first grove cleanup went well. Here are some photos.

After you pass the WSU aviary you see the groves.


They are laid out as 4 rows of 7 species in each row as in the following map:


Daphne was great as usual. Here is a photo of her posing for the camera.


The groves were thinned so the culms were about a foot apart and the lower branches were removed so you could walk through the groves and they can water the groves. (Note that the groves have not had any supplemental water the last two years.)
Here is a photo of the Nuda after it was thinned.


Here is a photo of the P.vivax after 5 years. The culm is about 3 inches across. This is also from a grove that has never been thinned until this year.


I hope that I will see some of you at the next cleanup.

Bill