Bamboo is a natural material that can be used to make furniture, supports and a pergola for curly flowers. Workshops will teach you how to bend a bamboo stem to shape, how to grow this plant. Bamboo is a lightweight, environmentally friendly material. You can create many interesting crafts from it, including for giving. You can buy bamboo or grow it yourself by purchasing only the source material.
How to grow bamboo?
This can be done if you live in a region with a temperate climate and high air humidity. If the latter indicator is not present, then it is necessary to water and spray the plants sufficiently.
One of the great things about bamboo is that it can grow in clay and sandy soils. Phyllostachys bamboo is considered the most winter-hardy. It can be grown from seeds:
- First, they are cleaned and heated in the sun for an hour and a half. Now you need to place the seeds in a cotton rag and soak in water overnight.
- Now it is drained, the seeds are slightly dried until flowable and planted in prepared soil to a depth of 30 cm.
- You can take soil for bamboo from a greenhouse, add fine sawdust and ash here.
- Seedlings should appear 2 weeks after planting. But seed germination is low, only a quarter of them will germinate.
- You can grow bamboo and not through seeds, but with seedlings, which are often sold in stores.
- Bamboo does not tolerate stagnant water, so the soil must be drained. If you have clay soil on the site, then loosen it with coarse sand. You can plant seedlings when the threat of spring frosts has passed. Before planting, water the roots, dig holes, add water here and plant one piece of bamboo in each.
- Pour soil on top and compact it with your hands. Sprinkle the bed with peat, hay, or leaves.
Bamboo loves watering it regularly, so do it often for the first month. Then you can water it a couple of times a week. You can tell by the leaves if you are watering the bamboo enough. If they curl, then the plants need to be watered urgently. And if the soil is waterlogged, then some of the leaves will turn yellow.
In spring and summer, these plants are fed with a fertilizer consisting of 2 parts potassium, 3 phosphorus and 4 nitrogen. And in the fall you need to make a top dressing, which includes:
- four parts potassium;
- four parts of phosphorus;
- two parts of nitrogen.
These fertilizers are dissolved in water and the plants are watered at the root. This feeding will help them prepare for the coming winter. Insulate the roots of the bamboo by adding mulch from leaves and pine bark, which is 15 cm high. If you live in a cool region, then cover the roots of the plant with geotextiles.
If you managed to grow bamboo in the country, then you can make crafts from it. To do this, you need to cut off the stems, hang them vertically and dry them. If you've bought or grown bamboo, then you can craft the things you need.
How to turn bamboo stalk into crafts?
The simplest thing is to make supports for climbing plants.
To craft similar ones, take:
- bamboo stems - 6 pieces;
- twine;
- hammer;
- stick;
- centimeter tape;
- wire.
This pyramid will have a hexagonal shape, so for each design you will need exactly as many sticks. They must be the same length. First you need to mark a circle on the ground and dig it up. Now divide this circle into 6 parts. In each line, make a groove with a stick and hammer.
Insert into the holes along the bamboo pole. You need to deepen them enough so that the structure is strong. Connect all these elements from above and tie them with wire. Now wrap the bamboo pyramid with twine so that the climbing plants can trail along it, and the structure is strong.
You can fence off such a bed with an old hose, chopsticks or bamboo scraps. A decorative fence made of the same material will look very good next to it.
To do it, you will need:
- bamboo stems are thin and also thick to support pillars;
- durable non-rotting rope;
- drill with a round nozzle;
- self-tapping screws.
Manufacturing instruction:
- Mark out the area to place the fence in the chosen place. Dig indentations for large posts. If your bamboo stalk is not thick enough, then you can use regular timber as support posts.
- Now in these large pillars you need to make round holes with a drill. The pillars should be at the same distance from each other, connect them above and below with medium-thick bamboo stalks. To do this, you need to make holes in large pillars, insert slabs of medium diameter here. For better adhesion, secure the joint with glue.
- Next, you need, placing thin bamboo stalks diagonally, to make an openwork wall out of them. To do this, in horizontal racks, drill round holes at the same distance and insert thin stems here, first with a slope in one direction and then in the other direction. Secure them with a strong rope.
Such a decorative hedge is good for wild and cultivated grapes; annual or perennial climbing plants will look great here. The bamboo stalk will also help decorate the barbecue area. See what torches you can craft with it. But observe the necessary fire safety measures to completely exclude a fire.
If you have scraps of this material, you can make a birdhouse.
How to make a bamboo birdhouse?
To create such an important piece of street decor, you will need:
- bamboo stalks;
- transparent glue;
- drill with a round nozzle;
- self-tapping screws;
- roulette;
- jigsaw or saw;
- strong thread or tape;
- screw-in metal mount.
Using a tape measure and a jigsaw, measure out and cut off equal lengths from the bamboo stem. Assemble these walls and attach them with glue. While it dries, make a roof from the scraps of sticks, you also need to glue its elements.
So that the birds can sit in front of the entrance to their home, screw the perch using self-tapping screws, but it is best to glue it so that the bamboo does not split. Also use them to attach the dried roof to the walls.
Taking a drill with a round nozzle, cut a window in the house. At the top of the roof, attach metal fasteners to which you want to tie a strong tape. Tie the ends together and hang on a strong twig.
In the country or at home, a bamboo planter will look great. And you can also make it from the leftover materials.
- The thickest bamboo stem should be cut into 4 pieces. Place these racks vertically, having previously cut four holes in each, two at the top and bottom, on the right and on the left.
- Now you need to insert a bamboo stalk, previously sawn into 8 parts, into the holes, placing it vertically.
- Saw the remaining stems, but of a smaller diameter, into pieces of equal length. Glue them together and attach them to the vertical and horizontal posts in the same way.
- You can make the mount even more durable if you mark out the middle of each stick and use a thin drill to make a drill along the hole. It remains to string the bamboo stalks onto the wire using the holes made.
- You can plant ornamental cabbage and grass or other edible or inedible plants in such a tub in the country.
After such work, there will be scraps, from which you can make a wine stand. To do this, you need to make the stand itself out of wood, then attach the two front legs and a handle to it, which is attached with a rope rope.
You can serve bread on beautiful grates, put such items as decoration. To do this, the bamboo stem must be cut into 4 pieces and connected into a square with a rope. Fill the bottom with flat slats, also using rope as a fastener.
A wide stalk of bamboo can be cut into pieces to make candlesticks. Small candles are inserted into the top hole.
Using non-combustible fabric and bamboo, you can make lampshades for lamps at home. They are especially suitable for a home that is made in the Japanese style.
Many more interesting things can be made from bamboo, these are various pieces of furniture, blinds, home decorations, as well as walls or showers. Sometimes curved elements are required, see how you can shape the bamboo stalks to the desired shape.
How to bend bamboo stalks?
Since bamboo contains cellulose, this material responds to the effects of water. Pour warm water into a tub or other large container. If the bamboo is lying on the surface, place a shield and weight on top so that the material used is well saturated. This will take quite a long time. Occasionally take the soaked stick out of the water and start bending it slowly. If you hear a crackling sound, it means that the bamboo is not yet pliable enough, put it back in the water.
In the meantime, you will prepare the support. To do this, draw a sketch of the future part on the plywood and drive in nails to limit it.
When the bamboo stem is well saturated, place it in the prepared structure. You need to leave the workpiece for 2-3 days, then get it out and use it for its intended purpose.
Sometimes you want to create a smooth curve or rounded edge. Here's what it takes. First, make V-notches on the trunk under the bamboo stem dividers. If you want to make a significant bend, then the cuts should be wide. If you only need to bend the bamboo stick slightly, then make narrow cuts.
Give it the desired shape, and connect the opposite sides of the cuts together, securing them with glue.
And here is how more experienced craftsmen give the desired shape to bamboo products, if you need to get a curved piece for furniture or other things. With the help of metal reinforcement, you need to break through the bamboo partitions.
To do this, insert the selected metal rod into the bamboo stem and, hitting it with a hammer, knock out the inner partitions of this material. First, this is done on one side, and then on the other. You will end up with a hollow tube, in which you need to drill holes with a drill so that excess moisture evaporates.
Use a burner to heat the bamboo stem by sliding it from one end to the other. The surface should be hotter than 100 degrees. Then you will make the material more malleable, and at the same time give it a beautiful coffee shade. Take a damp cloth, wipe the bamboo stem and try to bend it.
Now fill the cavity with sand. It will strengthen the workpiece. Dig a hole 20 cm deep in dense soil, put one end of the bamboo here and start heating it again with a burner and then give it the desired shape.
To prevent the bamboo stem from cracking, heat and bend it gradually. The slower you do this, the more chances you have for a great initial result. When the workpiece has cooled down, it can be used to craft various items. And which ones are described below.
How to work with bamboo
Before making furniture, read the basic principles of its manufacture:
- Bamboo stems are not connected with nails and screws. To do this, you need to use special brackets or connect the elements using the holes cut in them. Hemp rope is also suitable, it is used to tie the pieces of furniture that need to be connected.
- To cut this exotic wood, use a metal hacksaw using fine-toothed blades. If you use a regular saw, then the stems can crumble.
- Make some small holes in the bamboo trunks so they can be ventilated and you will increase the life of the furniture. It is better to reinforce the cut with tape so that the edge is not damaged.
How to make a bamboo folding chair?
Now you can work with this exotic wood and make a folding chair.
To craft it, you will need:
- bamboo poles of different diameters;
- drill;
- round nozzle for a drill;
- glue for wood;
- varnish.
First, you need to saw off 4 identical segments from the bamboo stem, then connect them into a square using staples and pre-drilled holes.
Use the holes and glue to fill this seating base with other sticks. Make the front and back of the chair by connecting the elements of each with transverse bamboo canes. At the top, connect this front and back part together, also making a back. Now you need to fix the seat so that the chair folds down.
Using the above methods of bending bamboo pieces, you can make these elements to create chairs with beautiful backs.
The fabric of the chair itself is filled with bamboo plates. To get them, you need to soak this exotic tree for a while in warm water, and then cut along the grains. If you have a lot of these parts, make the blinds by connecting them with a sturdy rope.
You can paste over with such elements the walls, the ceiling in the country house.
If you have a good flight of imagination and like to experiment, then you can make the base for the inclined walls from bamboo stems, and fill these elements with plates from this exotic tree.
From such material, you can make a hut in the country. From the fragments of the plates, make a panel or decoration for the ceiling. They are glued here according to the "herringbone" principle or in another order.
If you love sunbathing, then try making a comfortable bed out of bamboo. Here you can not only sunbathe, but also sleep.
You will have natural idyll and harmony if you turn a bamboo stem into a pump station. It's nice to lie in the fresh air on a warm day and listen to the sounds of pouring water.
You can tie pieces of sticks to a fishing line or rope, hang 2 metal weights below, which will make sounds if the breeze blows.
You can also make a pergola with a roof out of bamboo.
Place the pillars vertically by digging them into the ground and securing them here with cement. Connect the bamboo plates to each other diagonally crosswise, tied here with wire. Tie these pieces to the pillars. From above, you need to strengthen the structure with horizontal slabs. Make the roof separately and fix it firmly in place.
You can put such a pergola on a path to pass under it or place it on a flat area, and install a bamboo bed below. Then you will have a great opportunity to sometimes relax in the shade in nature.
If you've recently bought a plot and haven't got a shower yet, that's okay. Make the walls and roof for it all from the same natural material.
In this case, even a shower rack can be made using a bamboo stem, but of sufficient thickness.
Remove the internal partitions from it in the way described earlier, and pass the hose here. Fix the shower on top, and attach the bamboo stem itself to sturdy wooden stands. Thus, you will solve the problem of hygiene and can take water treatments on a hot day.
We invite everyone who is interested in this interesting idea to watch the video. The first will tell you what can be made from bamboo. Such crafts are quite suitable for beginners.
The second video includes a workshop in which you will see how to make a bamboo fence.
And 10 interesting facts about this exotic tree are waiting for you in the third video. See how it grows in its homeland.
