Project Bambusa

Bamboo use in waste sites

2010-01-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

According to this article over at Science Daily, the US Department of Energy is experimenting with using bamboo to create a "closure cap vegetative cover" in waste sites. The benefit is that the bamboo would prevent rainwater from "seeping through the waste, potentially spreading contamination."
Another benefit of the bamboo is that it spreads quickly and can choke out unwanted vegetation such as pine trees.

Dr. Nelson said that a closure cap vegetative cover will require more study than this nursery. "Soils are important and moisture balance and nutrient cycles are also important. We also need to understand more fully the early growth and establishment of the bamboo and its performance in closure cap conditions. But it seems promising at this time, pending further research."

Bamboo also has shallow roots, so it can create this cap easily without getting into the deeper layers of soil.

Some Kind of Tech-Savvy

2008-07-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

FoB (Friend of Bambusa) @aphexddb suggested that we invest in one of these.

Essentially it would let us know when the soil gets dry and we need to do some watering. Using fantastic internet(s) technology, powered by teh tubes(!!1!) , a Twitter account would be updated with some kind of message. Possible messages could include things like "Hey! Getting a little dry over here!" or maybe "I'm reporting you for bambusa abuse!" We're limited to 140 characters, so you've gotta be brief

Project Bambusa doesn't have a Twitter account because we honestly can't even keep this stupid blog up-to-date. But I still think this is a cool idea. There a few things holding us back from this purchase - the price ($150), complexity of building the kit, and some secret stuff that we can't talk about yet...

*edit - fixed link*

Day 215: Covert Operations

2008-05-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a while, we know many of you are anxious to hear about the Project. We have gone underground, with some Black Ops missions. I am whispering as I type this, that is just how secretive this is.

They are watching us now...

We have begun planting new shoots, all around the region in hopes of creating a larger resource for the wall. You are probably thinking, "isn't that illegal". We don't have time to worry about that. This Project has many high expectations and we can only concern ourselves with completing the project and creating a wall of bamboo.

If you see bamboo randomly growing near a bus stop or under a billboard, sshhh, we have no idea what you are talking about. Back to the project now, we will be in touch.

Day 137: In Which We Resume Posting

2008-03-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

So we're back. We understand that our last post made it look like Project Bambusa had been canceled - sorry about that. We had to terminate the first plant because it looked like it had died. But the other bamboo plants continue to grow. This will be a long post - loads of pictures. Gotta get you all up to date with all of the happenings over the last few months.

If you look back at Day 36 - down at the bottom of the post there's a picture of the two stalks that we'd grabbed from Rufus - sitting in a trashbag-lined cardboard box. It's was a shameful situation and it needed to be fixed.

We posted about our new planter back on Day 19. Well we finally got our act together and prepared it for the bamboo. Travis water-proofed the box and it was ready to go.

Since this is all happening at work, we were concerned that there would come a day when the Powers That Be decided to put an end to Project Bambusa. So we got ourselves some wheels for the new planter. Not just some plastic junk - nope, we got us some aluminum wheels.

Day 84: The day we said goodbye

2008-01-17T12:02:00.001-08:00

Today we made a difficult decision. After weeks of struggling, it was determined that we had to cut down the first sprout. It was no longer growing and we needed to know why.

We cut the stalk at ground level and have layed it out to dry. We unearthed the root and found no recent growth. We are not sure what caused it, but the root itself is dead.

We may have sabateurs amongst us or we just don't know what the hell it is we are doing, but either way, this mustn't happen again.

The new box and the 4 new sprouts in it are thriving and have shown much more life in recent days. Our hopes for a bamboo wall took a big hit today, but unlike that first stalk will not die!

Bamboo Fiber

2007-12-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

Here's the first in our posts about other uses for bamboo. Let's start with bamboo fiber. Used in everything from t-shirts to robes to throws, bamboo fiber is an excellent textile material. Bamboo contains an anti-bacteria and bacteriostasis named "bamboo kun," which means that it can be grown without the aid or pesticides or other chemicals. The bamboo kun is also what makes the fabric naturally anti-bacterial, meaning that a bamboo fiber t-shirt can be worn multiple times without it getting smelly. The only downside being that because of the nature of the fabric, a shirt may stretch out a little if worn multiple times without washing. It will apparently snap back into shape after a wash.

The fabric is soft and has the feel of a synthetic, although it will not dry as quickly as a synthetic. It breathes well and is also biodegradable.

You can buy products made from bamboo fabric at Shirts of Bamboo. They've also got a blog.

We're considering buying at least one shirt from these people - just to try it out.

Some notes and such

2007-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

Your blog editor has been away on vacation, so we're sorry for the lack of posts. We've decided to include in our blog more information about bamboo, bamboo products and bamboo news. We want to let everybody in on all the information we're learning about this amazing plant. So watch for some new content to show on the sidebar and here in the main body of the blog. All actual Project Bambusa growth updates will still feature our patented "Day XX: In Which..." format. Everything else will look like a normal blog post.

That's it for now - expect some updates on the growth of our bamboo beginning Tuesday or Wednesday!

Day 40: In Which We Proudly Display Our Logo

2007-12-04T06:14:00.000-08:00

Day 38: In Which We Realize That Spelling Isn't A Strength

2007-12-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

Henceforth, "Chute 1," "Chute 2" and "Chute 3" will be renamed "Shoot 1," "Shoot 2" and "Shoot 3."

Because it turns out that "chute" is definitely not the same thing as a "shoot." Whoops.

Signs, etc. will be remade as time allows.

Day 36: In Which We Are Shocked And Awed

2007-11-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

So here's this morning's picture. We've dubbed our first growth "Chute 1." Two other chutes have popped up (Chute 2 and 3, respectively) and while they're still tiny, we're expecting great things.

Chute 1 is totally huge. We've calculated that it's grown an average of four inches/day. The picture below is from this morning:

This one is from Wednesday:

And compare it to this one from this morning (using the trowel as a unit of measurement).

Another thing to note is that the grayish "skin" that's been covering the bamboo is starting to come away - as evidenced in the following picture:

And here's a long-shot, just for kicks.

Finally, we promised a web cam and a new logo: check it out here for now until we get the blog template updated. We're still having some issues with the web cam, but you can see what we've got going so far.

Day 34: In Which We Go Dot-Com And Show Major Growth

2007-11-28T16:33:00.001-08:00

We're all dot-com in this place. Welcome to the new projectbambusa.com (http://www.projectbambusa.com)!

So last week was pretty exciting. We had our first chute sprout our lone root (dubbed "Root A"). Everybody was in shock. We all stood around the box, looking at this tiny sprout with our collective mouths agape. Egads!

One week later we return from the Thanksgiving Holiday and this is what we see:

So awesome.

The very next day we come in and we see this:

Seriously, y'all. That's, like, two inches in one night. Fantastic.

So now we're working on a webcam. That should be live tomorrow. Here are some more pics - the first is Travis trying to make the software work and the second is a pic of the webcam itself.

Tomorrow we're going to get the webcam up and on this site. Also, the Project Bambusa! logo will make it's first high-res debut.

Day 25: In Which A Sprout Is Sprung!

2007-11-19T17:43:00.000-08:00

OMG OMG OMG OMG....

LIFE!!!

Day 19: In Which Nothing Happens

2007-11-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to get a picture of our future planter online. It's still sitting on the loading dock, waiting to be opened and emptied so that we can convert it into a bamboo-growing container.

Here it is!

Day 18: In Which We Create A Better Home

2007-11-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

Since our last update the bamboo has been growing all together in a single garbage bag-lined cardboard box. Two stalks with root-balls and a giant hunk of root. The planter that we've been building was completed today and is ready for its first resident.

We've decided that the giant hunk of root will be moved to the new planter and the stalks will remain in the cardboard box for now.

We ventured forth to the Home Depot to get more potting soil. It was raining and, needless to say, these Little Dudes got wet. When we arrived back at the office we got the new soil to our location on the second floor and went to work. With little mess, we got the giant hunk of root transplanted to the new box. See it here:

We've been discussing that it might be a while before we see any growth. In fact, it could be months before we know if this hunk of root pans out. It could die and we'd never know. Rufus indicated that they generally sprout in the spring, but we think it might be sooner since we're growing indoors.

Day 14: In Which We Get Bamboo

2007-11-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

We got a late start from the office to Rufus' place. It was dark by the time we arrived and I'm sure we made quite the sight, walking down a dark street with flashlights and shovels.

Rufus wasn't home yet when we got there, so we surveyed the bamboo and decided where to start digging. I don't think either of us realized how tall the stuff would be. It was easily twenty-five feet tall. We picked a few good looking specimens, lopped off the tops, and started digging.

Anyone ever tried to dig up bamboo before? It's a bitch. I think we'd intended to get 4 stalks, but we ended up with only two and a giant hunk of root. A big thanks to Rufus for the bamboo.

The next problem was what to do with our newly acquired bamboo. When we got to the office the next morning it was clear that the plants would die if we didn't get them into soil soon. We went to the mail room and got a big cardboard box and a thick plastic bag, to line the box. We filled our creation with leftover potting soil from our previous planting and added the bamboo. It's going to have to live like this for a few days while the real planting box is completed.

The long shot:

The tight shot:

In the background you can see the corner of the new planter - not yet ready for prime time.

Day 12: In Which Background Is Provided

2007-11-06T00:43:00.000-08:00

It just occurred to me that it may be unclear why we'd want to build a Wall of Bamboo. Especially at work. Obviously this is a distraction from our jobs and our employer would probably prefer that we do work that will help the "bottom line" and all that stuff. So let's go over a few things.

We work in a LEED-Certified Platinum building. So this is a really "Green" place. Part of working in a place like this is that there are lots of tour groups going through building in the middle of the day. One of the stopping points in the tour is right in front of our desks.

It's not to point out the two funny Little Dudes, so you can cut the jokes right there.

So these people, kids, senior-citizens, etc. like to stare and watch us work while the person leading the tour talks about green-stuff. This is, as you might imagine, a little unsettling.

We discussed various ways of "entertaining" the tour groups. Mock fights, throwing things, various obscene gestures, that sort of thing. But we finally realized that we needed to be shielded from these strangers. And so the idea of the Wall of Living Bamboo was born. The Green Wall. Project Bambusa.

It's going to literally be green and we're in a green building... so we think it kind of works. It goes along with the theme, right?

So that's where we are now. We'll meet Rufus on Wednesday to dig some bamboo out of his backyard. Pictures and more will be posted.

Day 11: In Which The Seeds of Greatness Are Planted

2007-11-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

Today we planted a small bamboo stalk in a custom-built box. Measuring 2.5ft long and caulked to make it water-tight, this vessel will be the symbolic mascot for the entire project. Check out some pictures below:

We filled the box with potting soil, loosely packed. Then we added the small bamboo plant that inspired this entire endeavor. We don't expect this plant to grow to become part of our Wall of Wonderous Bamboo. No, we expect this little grower to be the symbol of excellence. The face of Project Bambusa!, if you will.

The Implementation Team of Little Dudes: Travis and Brooks.

The final product:

In other news, while filling the box with dirt on the loading dock, we noticed that two very large wooden boxes had been delivered. We realized that these awesome boxes would be perfect for planting our Rufus-provided bamboo. After a discussion with the Dude In The Mailroom, we made a deal to get the smaller box after it had been opened and relieved of its contents. So this thing is, like, 6ft long, 3ft wide and 6in deep. In other words, perfect. We're going to have to go to Home Depot to get more soil. More pictures will be provided once we have the new planter in our possession. It's going to take a little elbow grease before it's ready for planting, but I think it's going to work out okay.

Day 8: In Which Support for the Movement Grows

2007-11-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

This week we learned that our boss, Frank, is in support of Project Bambusa. We have also learned that our biggest opponent to the project, the building's Facility Manager, has decided to move on instead of fighting the inevitable. There will be a wall of living bamboo and nobody can stop us.

We are hoping to acquire the first stalks of bamboo next week. We will keep you posted.

Day 1: In Which We Meet Rufus

2007-10-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day. It was the first on our quest to create a wall of living bamboo. We have dubbed this quest, Project Bambusa!

We met the operative for lunch. He goes by the name of Rufus. He claims that bamboo grows in his backyard and that he'd be willing to let us come and dig some up. We settle on next week. Rufus, by the way, is a Little Dude.

Back at the office, more questions arise regarding how we will house the bamboo once it comes into our possession. We settle on building a 24x24 box, complete with drainage. Rufus told us that we should expect new shoots to pop up in early spring, so we're thinking that this box will be big enough.