HARVEST
ARUNDO DONAX FROM
ABRUZZO & VENETO
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I personally hand-harvest wild-grown Arundo donax from two regions in Italy: Veneto in the north and Abruzzo in the central part of the country.
The cane from Veneto comes from the fluvial riverbanks of Piave Vecchio, located approximately 7 km from the coast and 50 km east of Venice in northern Italy.
The cane from Abruzzo comes from the coastal belt between Silvi Marina and Giulianova, situated approximately 0.5-2 km from the coast. Silvi Marina is located 170 km east of Rome and approximately 500 km south of Eraclea.
Though the two regions have slightly different climates and soils, both yield a high percentage of excellent woodwind reed material. I carefully select prime spots in these areas where the cane is well exposed to the sun and wind, and the soils are not too wet.
I continuously seek out and sample cane from new local spots to find the best plants for reed-making purposes. The result is Arundo donax cane that is of the highest quality and consistency, ensuring that musicians can achieve the best possible sound from their instruments.
HARVEST OF LIVING CANE
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My approach to harvesting Arundo donax involves a combination of traditional and unique methods to ensure high quality reed material:
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​1. I harvest living 3-year growth in December-January, a common method in the cane industry.
2. Directly after harvest, I strip the branches and leaves, which is a unique method that sets my process apart.
3. I then cut the stems into internodes immediately after harvest, another unique step in my process.
4. The green cane tubes are hung in a shaded and well-ventilated barn for 5-6 months. By immediately eliminating the nodes after cutting, the surrounding air is better able to dry the tube cane in a more uniform and complete manner without creating any cracks. This is another unique method in my process.
During the first month after harvest, the wood is "moving" a lot as its water content decreases rapidly. The removal of nodes permits the surrounding air to dry out the tube cane more uniformly, resulting in a better quality reed material. You can actually hear the free green tubes emitting a nice ticking sound as they dry up.
5. The cane is exposed to sun for approximately 5 hours a day for 4 weeks in June-July by laying it on a grass field and rotating the tubes a quarter each week, a common method in the industry.
6. The tubes are then deposited indoors in a dry, dark, ventilated, and temperate environment for about 3-6 months, another common method in the industry. This allows the cane to dry and be ready for sale 9-12 months after harvest. My current stock has actually been deposited for four years, which contributes to an even better quality of product.
My unique methods, including stripping the branches and leaves and cutting the stems into internodes, combined with traditional practices such as sun exposure and controlled indoor storage, result in stable and high-quality reeds that meet the demands of discerning musicians.
HARVEST OF
NATURALLY DEAD CANE
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1. The yellow dead-standing cane (unique method) has typically completed a full life cycle of around four years. After dying naturally, it slowly dries up for an additional 1-3 years while remaining upright in nature. As a result, the stems can be harvested at any time of the year.
2. After harvesting, the branches and leaves are stripped from the stems.
3. The stems are then cut into internodes.
4. The tube cane is then deposited indoors in a dry, well-ventilated, and temperate environment for approximately 1-2 months. Since the cane has already received sufficient sunlight during its complete life cycle, it does not need to be exposed to further sunshine. Similarly, it doesn't need to dry for an extended period since it's nearly completely dry when harvested. In other words, the cane can be ready for sale 1-2 months after harvest.
HUMBLE ATTITUDE
I don't claim that all the cane I provide will produce excellent reeds. In fact, only a small percentage of my cane results in truly outstanding reeds. However, I am dedicated to selecting and maturing Arundo donax with great care, in order to increase the amount of high-quality reed material.
As an earth scientist with a background in botany, microclimatology, and geology, and having conducted research on Arundo donax at the University of Lund (see article), I am well aware of the many factors that can influence a plant's growth and physical properties.
When I harvest cane from new local spots in Veneto and Abruzzo, I seek feedback from professional musicians to ensure the quality of my product. I don't seek to create any myths about my cane, but simply aim to offer a good alternative in the market for Arundo donax reed material.
OTHER PRODUCERS
Some Arundo donax producers believe in harvesting the cane during specific moon phases, such as during the day at new moon or at night during full moon. While I personally have achieved good results using both methods, the most important factor in harvesting high-quality cane is to select dormant, 2-3 year old plants that have branched.
Other producers follow a method of creating a tepee effect by placing the harvested second-year stems of Arundo donax around wooden poles and covering them with a layer of first-year growth to protect them from rain. The plants are then exposed to the sun during the second summer after harvest. After 1 or 2 summers, the cane is cut into pieces and made available for sale.
ILLUSIONS ABOUT THE PERFECT CANE
COLOR, STRENGTH, FIBRES
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Numerous cane producers claim that their Arundo donax is the best in the world for producing woodwind reeds due to their plants' unique DNA and the specific climate and terroir of their region (such as Fréjus in southern France). They attribute the beautiful color of their tube cane (sometimes produced artificially through wax polishing processes), its strong fibers, and excellent acoustic properties to these factors.
However, these statements lack any scientific substance. Good acoustical properties in woodwind reed material are not determined by the golden color or strong and dense fibers of the cane.
As an oboist, I've noticed that only a small percentage of the cane on the market gives birth to good reeds. Most professional musicians agree that the majority of cane is useless. You can find plenty of beautiful golden tube canes with nice fibers, high density, and strength, but they may still produce reeds with an awful sound. Conversely, it's not uncommon for bad-looking, brittle, and weak cane to give birth to reeds with a divine sound. It's a fascinating secret of nature that nobody really understands.
Numerous international studies, including my own research (see article), have attempted to discover the factors that determine good acoustic properties in woodwind reed material. However, nature has not yet revealed its complex mystery.
DNA, CLIMATE, SOIL
It's a common misconception among some cane producers that their Arundo donax has a unique DNA that's especially suited for reed-making purposes. However, this claim has been proven to be false by various studies, including one conducted by the Department of Botanics at Lund University. The study found that Arundo donax has no genetic variability, and this has been confirmed by other studies on the DNA of the plant. The plant is mostly sterile and can only propagate through rhizome fragmentation, which means that all Arundo donax have the same DNA.
Some producers also claim that the microclimate or terroir in certain regions is optimal for producing good woodwind reed material, but there's no scientific evidence to support this claim. Without a comparison to Arundo donax from other regions in the world, it's impossible to say that one region's cane is superior to another's. In fact, the quality of the cane depends on a variety of factors, including soil, climate, and cultivation methods, which can differ from region to region.
ARUNDO DONAX
SOME FACTS​
Arundo donax is a perennial grass and member of the Poaceae family. It grows tall and cane-like, and is sterile, only propagating through rhizome fragmentation and sprouting from cane nodes.
Arundo donax has been present in the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years and has been globally dispersed by humans for various purposes such as woodwind reeds, roof construction, fishing rods, fences, baskets, traditional medicine, cellulose production, and biofuel. It can be found in regions across South Europe, Asia, North and South America, North Africa, and Australia. However, the plant's genetic variability is insignificant.
Arundo donax is versatile and can grow in a wide range of soils, from coarse sands to heavy clays, from freshwater to semi-saline soils, and from acidic to basic soils. It is a semiaquatic plant that thrives in damp areas such as lakesides, riverbanks, edges of streams, flood plains, and coastal areas, and it prefers warm temperate and subtropical climates.
