I now am beginning to thin the groves for poles. In Fort Valley I set the sprinklers in Robert Young, Vivax aureocaulis, and henon. I then began thinning the 1000 square foot research plot of Phyllostachys praecox while the sprinklers were running in the other groves. I used my trusty DeWalt reciprocating saw with a new blade: Ace Hardware 6″ 6TPI. Cut fast and clean.

Between March 8 and 23, 2010, I harvested 35 pounds of praecox shoots (delicious!) from thie 1000 square feet. This yield is equivalent to 1500 pounds per acre. Today I cut poles. Cutting poles is part of my upgrading of the grove. I forgot my measuring tape so I did not cut them to length. I will cut them to sellable lengths tomorrow. My caliper measure gave me:
Under 3″        =  3 poles
Under 2 1/2″ =  1 pole
Under 2″        =  8 poles
Under 1 1/2″  =  6 poles
Total  =  20 poles per 1000 square feet
=  871 poles per acre
I watered half an inch on the Robert Young and Vivax. I did not have a measuring device in the henon. I think I will buy timers as I want to lay down an inch of water per week.