need help preparing River Cane

[birdpointlightstring32]

I live in central Kentucky and we have river cane throughout our creeks. I tried a few times to use this material as shaft material but it always is too thin walled and weak to do any good. Just wandering if I have the wrong species, preparing the cane wrong, or something else.I cut a 5 foot piece of cane around 5/8 inch round which tapers to nothing throughout the length. Is this too young of a specimen therefore too thin walled or is there a golden variety or species of cane that would work.

[hammerstone]

get it from the highest ground you can find it growing on. i get mine from bluff tops. [some does grow up there] and the walls are usually much thicker.

[birdpointlightstring32]

thank you! Anyone else.

[Pat B]

You have to be sure to harvest mature cane for arrows. River cane, hill cane and switch cane, all US natives have a 3 year life cycle. The first year the culms(canes) reach their ultimate height and diameter but the walls are thin. After the second growing season and until they die after the 3rd growing season the walls thicken as the culm matures. After the second season until the culms begin to turn tan in color the 3rd year is the best time to harvest for arrows.

[hedgeapple]

Pat, thanks for that advice.  I cut some last year on the Cumberland river.  It seeme pretty thick, but when it dried I could snap it with my hand.

What is the best time of year to gather cane?

[Pat B]

I usually cut after Christmas. Less snakes, poison ivy and ticks. Any time after the growing season will do. I cut a few the other day. Not after the growing season but close enough.
  Another way to tell if the ones you cut are immature is they will wrinkle longitudinally when they dry.

[Pamunkey]

You may have Phragmites instead of river cane- just a thought given the fact that you could break it so easily.

Will