How to Cure Bamboo

Bamboo is one of the oldest known building materials. Properly cured, bamboo is strong enough to use for buildings and also lasts for many years.
Many artists and artisans craft beautiful and functional art out of bamboo. Some of these craftspeople grow, harvest, and cure bamboo themselves.
The most important component of successfully curing bamboo is time. Bamboo that is cured too rapidly by artificial means is more likely to crack than bamboo that is cured slowly and naturally.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Lengths of bamboo Space in garage or shed OR Strong wire OR Container large enough to hold bamboo Saltwater Concrete blocks, optional Wooden slats, optional

1. Harvest bamboo during the winter or dry season in your area. Bamboo harvested at this time is less likely to become moldy during the curing process.

2. To dry cure bamboo: Stand up the bamboo in a garage or shed by leaning against a wall or other support so the bamboo cures in a vertical position. If the garage or shed has a dirt floor, you will need to rest the base of the bamboo poles on concrete blocks, stones, wooden slats, or some type of surface that protects them from the moisture of the dirt floor. Bamboo cured this way will be ready for use in 6 to 12 months, depending on the humidity in your location.

3. Another way to dry cure bamboo is to wire a bunch of bamboo poles together with strong wire and hang the bunch from a tree so the bamboo is in a vertical position. It will dry in 6 to 12 months, depending on the humidity in your location.

4. To wet cure bamboo: Fill a large container with saltwater. Use a solution of 1/2 cup of salt per gallon of water. Place the bamboo into the container so it is completely submerged in saltwater. Let the bamboo sit in the solution for 90 days.
   After removing bamboo from the saltwater solution, dry it in the sun. Place the bamboo vertically and lean it up against a building, fence, or other structure so it will get sun for 4 to 6 hours a day until the bamboo is thoroughly dry. Do not rest the base of the bamboo directly on the ground. Set it on concrete blocks, stones, or wooden slats. The drying part of this process can take from two weeks to several months, depending on your location.

5. The curing process is complete when the bamboo has changed to a yellowish light tan color.

Tips & Warnings

• The wet cure method will discourage insects from infesting your bamboo once the curing process is complete. Some pieces of bamboo will split during the curing process. This is normal and these pieces should be discarded. If desired, you can cut the bamboo poles into shorter lengths before curing. This will speed up the drying time.

• To help guard against mold growing on your bamboo, provide good air circulation if drying the bamboo in a garage or shed.