I’m preparing to build an arbor for two or three fuzzy kiwi vines. My question is if I build one large rectangular frame out of wood and then lay bamboo poles across it every 15" or so, and if the kiwi vines then grow all across the bamboo, what’s going to happen and what are my options going to be when the bamboo rots and falls apart? Will I be able to slide new poles underneath the vine to replace the old ones? Will the kiwi vine become relatively more self-supporting as it matures, being able to span significantly greater distances (i.e. several feet instead of 15" between poles) without support? Is using bamboo a stupid idea, and should I just use wood for the entire thing?
1 Like
[quote=“cousinfloyd, post:1, topic:19420”]
("Is using bamboo a stupid idea ")
Well,I’dont think is a good idea, 
Kiwi needs a very strong long lasting support.
The vines are heavy . The fruit is heavy ( if you get a good crop?)
The vines are rampant growers, and very hard to put back up when the support fails.
Build it strong and for the long term .
3 Likes
I grow bamboo. Depending on the type you use, the bamboo could weaken and collapse within a year or two.
I’m building an arbor for muscadine vines and am using a half cattle panel for the roof. No worries about it eventually falling apart.
2 Likes
I opted for minimal future repair interventions by using EMT. It’s not that expensive where I live.
2 Likes
Some years left, wanted to ask if someone tried a bamboo-trellis?
I am thinking about the same thing but for hardy kiwi. I think if the bamboo breaks i could just replace it. If the grown kiwi minds it, i could just cut it back. Thoughts?
2 Likes
Attached question: Which bamboo variety is best for construction (especially durable outdoors). I think for varieties without the need of a rhizome barrier it is fargesia robusta ‘Campbell’. But i think they won’t get really strong enough for a trellis.
How about the sprawling bamboo varieties?
2 Likes
@Starter
Are planning on farming bamboo, then curing and selling it for profit, or instead for personal use? For the latter you can buy it wholesale from lumber distributors (not retail hardware stores).
1 Like
Ty for ur answer.
I only want bamboo for personal use. Building a trellis for hardy kiwi and maybe an arbor. I think just buying it is a good idea, though i live in europe (germany) so it is harder to get bamboo for construction - but not impossible.
Anyway the main reason for me wanting to use bamboo is that i read untreated bamboo lasts longer than untreated wood.
The main reason of thinking about growing it myself is that i read the imported bamboo we can buy here is typically preserved with boron salt. And i think a little less chemicals is worth a little more work.
1 Like
Hope some experienced folks weigh in.
We scored a big haul of bamboo sticks about five years ago. We use them for various purposes, usually as stakes for plants. Those not in use are in an exposed pile. They are still operational, but I’ve noticed they have now become significantly more brittle, and we’ve started losing stakes to snaps in the last year or so. Usually because I step on one at a forced angle. They still work tho, as long as we are careful. I imagine heavy/focused weight could be an issue at this point in its life. I don’t know what variety it is.
I can post photos later (healing on bed rest currently)
3 Likes
@Starter
Boron salts used for wood preservation are naturally occurring substances. Yes, they can be described by chemistry but the same is true of water. I’d check on the concentration of Borics before over-reacting to their presence.
2 Likes
Five years does sound great for planting stakes. Sounds neither great nor bad fort a hardy-kiwi trellis-lifetime though and maybe i should not sit under the arbor after that time 
I hope you get well soon. Thank you for sharing your experience 
2 Likes
I admit i do not know much about preservation chemicals and should have a look into them before excluding them. Thank you for pointing that out 
1 Like
I’ve been using my own bamboo for over 30 years to support fuzzy and hardy kiwi and grape vines. Initially, I had Pseudosasa japonica, a spreading variety that came with the property. It was replaced with Phyllostachys aurea, another spreading variety, and in 2016 I added a clump of Fargesia robusta “Green Screen”. All of these types have been useful as vine supports, both vertical and horizontal. And some of the culms have lasted at least 10 years, maybe 20., but have gotten weaker with age.
I would not use bamboo as a structural member of the arbor, but it works well for secondary supports to keep the trunk and main arms straight and aligned properly. My vines are growing on the south wall of our house and are attached either directly to the wall or to wood frame members.
Kiwi vines definitely become stronger (and thicker) with age. The main trunk of my female fuzzy kiwi is about 5 inches in diameter and as strong as a tree trunk of that size. The typical span between supports for the bamboo is about 2 feet, and that seems to work well.
One thing to keep in mind for using bamboo is that the culms should be at least 3 years old before harvesting them, and they should be dried properly before applying them. And, of course, they need to be thick enough to have sufficient strength. A new clump will take several years before it produces large enough culms.
5 Likes
My dad grows bamboo and a bamboo-ish looking reed as ornamentals and I have used cuttings from both to trellis apple and pear trees in a Belgian fence. I used the reeds first, starting when the trees were small, and they lasted about five years. I rebuilt the trellis using the actual bamboo this year. Some of the old supports were almost paper thin when I pulled them out. Not sure what variety the bamboo is, unfortunately, but it’s definitely quite a lot stronger and I think it should hold up pretty well.
One thing I had not expected: the paper wasps were very fond of the reeds. When I was working near the trellis, I would hear a faint creaking sound from the wasps chewing. They may actually have played a significant part in the breakdown of the reeds over time. Don’t know whether they’ll go for the bamboo as well.
2 Likes
boron - probably sodium tetraborate - is pretty benign stuff. it makes things (wood, cellulose insulation) impervious to rot, insect damage, and fire. It is water soluble though, so it doesn’t always stick around.
1 Like
Thank´s for your experience. Alslways good to hear unpredicted influences like the wasps.I have wasps too. But this year i saw for the first time another wasp which i think is a parasitoid wasp. It visited what i think are the hotbeds of the wasps and likely put it´s eggs in there. So maybe that possible problem will solve itself.
Thank´s, i read some wikipedia stuff now and boron really seems to be harmless (partly even neccessary) in small doses (0.2 mg/kg bodyweight indicated by EPA)
1 Like
Good to know! Your refernce of 10-20 years will make me go for it. Just to be sure i got it right: The bamboo not strong enough as a structural member for an arbor but for a trellis?
A Fargesia robusta would be best to grow as i can´t let the bamboo spread here. Is it a relevant difference to your Phyllostachys aurea when it comes to trellis construction or just like there has to be a shorter span between the supports?
I have (had?) a bamboo structure for my blackberry bushes (vines?). Love working with it and how it looks.
Untreated, it lasted 2 years before it started breaking down.
It’s unfortunate that I no longer have my father’s old property to go cut more and redo it this winter. That bamboo size is hard to source and expensive to buy.
From what I read kiwi is trained much like grapes are often done with spur training. If that is what you are doing you could use the bamboo and replace it as needed since the fruiting canes would be removed during pruning each year. Perhaps support the permanent vine cordons with something more durable.
I thought for a while about setting up a boron treatment station for the bamboo…slightly regret not giving it a go.
What I would do if I were to treating bamboo would be to get a PVC pipe larger and as long than the bamboo, cap one end, and make a bath you can drop the bamboo into. Buy an even larger PVC pipe and treat more than one bamboo stick at a time…
I’d also take a long piece of rebar and break out the nodes to open up the inside of the bamboo for treatment.
Should be cheap and you only use one batch of boron water plus spillage.
You could also coat the bamboo with a lacquer or some surface sealant that is UV tolerant.
Phyllostachys bamboo is larger and stronger than Fargesia, but I wouldn’t use either one as a primary support for fuzzy kiwi. It might work for hardy kiwis if the trellis is not too tall and the main posts are fairly close together, perhaps 3 ft. However, I can’t picture using bamboo for a trellis with a T at the top of each post. A simple trellis in a single plane would probably be OK.