Arundo donax for building

We have a strip of Arundo donax growing along the stream on our plot.  I love the architecture it provides to the landscape and playground for birds.  It cleans the water too.

On the forum I got the idea to use it hedge between us and our neighbours.  So taking the precautions and giving a meter space we propgated the giant cane.  It's coming on wonderfully and I can see it creating a living privacy screen.

Last year we used it to build our shower enclosure and we use shower water to waters the new hedge and throw dish water on them.

Now I am practising various methods of creating panels with them because they are used in Spain for ceiling boards. And buildings.  First I want to make a carport for our campervan.  It will need to span 7 meters by 4 meters.  I am going to experiment with inserting reflective foil screening and coat with lime and sand paste,screet.  Don't want it too heavy though. I'm using green canes because I can't wait.  Today was 40 degrees and summer hasn't started.  They will shrink and lighten as they dry.

The struggle is binding them together.  They are fat at the bottom and skinny at the top.  I don't want to cut too much off the top because I don't have that many canes.  I copied the idea of sticking them between planks but with not having a good supply of evenly thick canes I thick I will use cane rid and bind it to that.

Has anyone else use around donux for building?  Would live to see how you have done it and any resources please.

I saw a reference on Twitter today about thatching with "reeds" which made me wonder if you could make thatch bundles with Arundo Donax.  But I haven't had time to research that.

I do use Arundo Donax extensively for my garden stakes.  When stuck in the soil they are very much a single-season stick but they work great.  My rule of thumb on strength is that I break off the small end as low as the strength of my hands allows without going to an extraordinary effort, and then I use my electric pruning shears to remove one full "joint-to-joint" segment below that, leaving a clean end with no splinters/cracks and a strong reed.  However long or short I get is how long or short I get, but over time I've found it just isn't worth my time to continue messing with reeds that have a thin/weak end.  

From what I've seen on the net is they lash canes together, to form stronger bundles.  
https://arundobioenergy.com › gree...
Green Building Elements from Giant Reed – the Houses of the Future

I want to buy a came splitter to make rattan type things but for the roof and ceiling I am going with whole cane.  

I think when the canes are in the ground they rot.  I'm hoping limecrete will protect them somewhat.

Have you looked at my experiments with bamboo here: https://permies.com/t/178097/permaculture-projects/experimenting-bamboo-fence-gate-discourage#1399252

I've never used Arundo donax, but it sounds like they may have some things in common which might give you ideas of how to proceed.

There's a group using arundo as a form of sustainable, sculpted architecture. Check them out.
https://canyaviva.org/en/home/

Donax is very bad - very invasive. Very anti-permaculture. https://cisr.ucr.edu/invasive-species/giant-reed

Welcome to Permies, Jane.

My understanding of permaculture is not to judge plants as good or bad, just to see it as a plant in a place it's not useful or wanted, or a place where it IS useful and wanted. I'm not really seeing it as anti-permaculture for someone with land an invasive plant is already growing on (and in a region where this plant has grown for thousands of years!) to harvest it as a resource. Using herbicides or introducing additional non-native species in an attempt to eradicate it as the article linked to suggests seems to have the potential to cause different problems.

jane selkye wrote:Donax is very bad - very invasive. Very anti-permaculture. https://cisr.ucr.edu/invasive-species/giant-reed

Wow, Jane.  Where I am in a dry area of Portugal they are potentially problematic but given the ground drying out and cold winters they struggle to invade.

There was a stream lined with the giant Reed when we arrived.  These plants clean water.  And we've sighted an otter in our steam which was wonderful to see.

4 years later our donax outdoor shower build is still going strong.

The dried reeds make fantastic dried fire lighter for the rocket mass

The Portuguese neighbours use it for making bean climbing frames and more.

The birds love it.

We love the rustling of the wind through the strip of reeds.

The sheep enjoy the new shoots.

Permaculture is an action learning approach.
Identify a challenge
Consider option
Put plan into action
Observe results
Reflect on learning
Restate problem and start new phase of learning.

As a life long learner I am hyper conscious that I don't know what I don't know so I appreciate you providing a reference to your statement of fact.