Garden Stakes Vs. River Cane?

[Prarie Bowyer]

Hi,

Are garden stakes and River Cane the same thing?

If not which is better?

[Bevan R.]

Usually not the same. Garden stakes are usually bamboo.
As for your other question, which ever you can get the most of cheapest.

[Pat B]

River cane(Arundanaria gigantia) is one of 3 native American canes(bamboo). Most bamboo garden stakes are Tonkin cane from Japan or China. Both are bamboos and both make good arrows.

[Fred Arnold]

I will defer to Pat as he has more experience than I do in this matter but I've found the river cane that I've used to be inferior by far to other bamboo shafts that I've used. IMO all of the tonkin, china, and japanese bamboo that I have used have been more reliable and much easier to work with for making arrows.

 

[Pat B]

Fred, In my experience, river cane(A. gigantia) is less desireable for arrows than either switch cane(A. tecta) or hill cane(A. appalachiana), all three are native North American canes or bamboos. IMO either of the latter canes make superior arrows with hill cane being at the top. I am prejudice to hill cane because it grows here on my property but others have also claimed it as a great shafting.
  I haven't made enough arrows with Tonkin cane to use it as a comparison but have seen some great arrowsmade from Tonkin cane.

[Fred Arnold]

Pat,  I will watch for some of the hill cane and try to swap for some. wish i could find some growing wild out here in close proximity. The dozen river cane that I purchased left a bad taste. I prefer the japanese bamboo over all other that I've used but even purchasing it in unspined and rough can be expensive compared to what you can get the china shaft and garden stakes for.

[Prarie Bowyer]

So far I've had great luck from the Walmart Garden Section garden sticks.  I was just wondering if there is a difference.  Sometimes you get a bad one in the bag but hey 2 for $12 isnt' bad.

[Fred Arnold]

You can generally find them at any of the farm stores in our neck of the woods. Most of them will let you sort through the bundles for sizing once they've been opened. Usually run about .25 a shaft for the 4' to 6' lengths.  I've found them at Bomgaars,  Orshelin's,  Home Depot,  Tractor Supply,  and K-Mart.  Wally World probably even carries them this time of year.

[TRACY]

I have worked both river cane and Tonkin . Tonkin purchased in large bundles from landscaping supply tend to be more consistent in diameter and will vary in spine- sorting takes some time, but in an area where river does not occur, it is a better choice for me in that respect. Whatever you can get will work.

Tracy