building tomato trellises

[mary]

hi all,

i am trying to use bamboo poles since i got so much bamboo on my land but when i use it in its natural form, it seems to rot over time, gets black mold spots all over, especially if and when i stick them into the ground, or a potted plant.

I am wondering about coating them with some outdoor house paint but not sure if i stick a pole like that into a pot with a plant, will the plant absorb the chemicals from the outdoor paint?

If anyone knows of "clean" green seal or coating for bamboo or guava sticks, i would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me.

thank you kindly,
mary

[Andy]

You can try using a chemical called Borate on a culm that's at least 2 yrs old. Not sure about the leeching issue, you may want to investigate that further. Not sure if you'd consider it "green" but like other toxic chemicals ( Nicotine, Arsenic and Pyrethrin) it is naturally occurring.

[carmel123]

I wonder if you dip your bamboo poles into hot wax if it would not help them to last longer? I don't think it would contaminate your gardening and if it did not work it does not cost much.