How to make a bamboo fence

The advantages of bamboo

Few know that bamboo has a growing rate of 6 inches/day which position this wooden plant as the fastest-growing plant in the world. Some species of bamboo can reach even 50 inches/day, so there’s no wonder this plant is preferred instead of the hardwood, which takes decades to grow. Bamboo is used for many products and constructions, and bamboo fences are just a way of using this renewable resource.

Why build a bamboo fence? Because it’s ecological, cost effective, a natural border for your house or garden and last, but not least: it looks great because it blends in with the surroundings.

Getting to work

It may seem complicated to put together a fence made of bamboo, but with minimum skill, you don’t have to worry at all. One of the easiest ways to build such a fence is by driving the bamboo sticks into the ground and then tie them together as you please. But while you’d be tempted to choose this method, keep in mind that bamboo tends to rot if it’s kept in the soil for a long period of time.

The right thing to do is to dig a hole with the dimensions varying between 18 and 24 inch and then to install treated wood posts along the fence line, by staking and securing them with concrete. If you want your fence to enjoy a long life span, you should build it in sections tied together with wire or tied onto bamboo crosspieces, attached to the wood posts. Now you can tie your bamboo canes in whatever pattern or fashion you desire.

Tie the bamboo

You can use whatever ties and knots you want for your bamboo fence. If you want something pretty and yet secure, you can use the Ibo knot, which is a widely spread traditional Japanese knot. To do this Ibo knot, it’s recommended to work with your canes while are wet, as they are more flexible. Begin with a figure eight and to finish include 2 separate loops (similar to a standard loop square knot).

Another method: use a 12-to-14 gauge wire, loop it in a figure eight around 2 pieces and then twist it with pliers before you add the next cane.

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