 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jimmy Zhong
Date: 2005-01-04 04:18
I just found a lifetime's supply of reed rush growing on the street! How cool! I didn't know this stuff grew in California. I think the amount they charge for a small box of the stuff is pretty absurd. What a nice surprise; made my day!
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-01-04 04:59
Just curious, Jimmy, but what part of California? I'm in the Sacramento area and I have some reed rush that must be thirty years old, maybe older. I guess that's a pretty good indication of how often I've found a need to use it. Maybe we could send some to our friends.
Have a great New Year, all... 
- ron b -
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2005-01-04 12:19
Hi,
My reed rush comes from the left side of the 2nd fairway on a golf course in Bowling Green, OH (about 150 yards from the hole). The soil there is very sandy and moist which seems to be what Equisetum hyemale needs. There are lots of similar areas on nearby Lake Erie beaches. The sanding ability is probably due to a high concentration of very small silica/sand particles in the surface layer of the plant.
Here is a good link for information on this interesting plant. Note the last sentence of the page.
http://home.att.net/~larvalbugrex/horsetail.html
HRL
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2005-01-04 12:34
Which part (leaves, stems, roots, etc.?) of the plant shown in the picture URLed in the previous note is the actual "sandpaper" that "is" reed rush?
Looks a lot like the bamboo that is all over the place here in Maryland, near DC. (It is harvested for the National Zoo's Giant Pandas to eat - it is the same plant?)
JDS
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-01-04 12:46
....so am I wrong to use worn-out reeds that I split?
Bob Draznik
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2005-01-04 12:54
After a quick scan (via Google) I doubt that E. hyemale is the same as the DC Panda's bamboo. The "scouring rush" / "reed rush" pages have warnings about NOT eating it because of all the silica in the stems. And the local bamboo is MUCH taller than the two-to three foot reed rush plants.
End of zoology lesson. Back to music, please.
JDS
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2005-01-04 13:58
Hi John,
The stem is what you use and the thickness is not much more than that of a pencil. I just grab long stems of it, pop the sections apart, and let it dry.
Give me your address this next summer and I'll send you some in an envelope the next time I play Stony Ridge Golf Course in BG. The course is on the western edge of BG and lies close to Sand Ridge Rd. You can see the conenction. This large sand area is about 20 miles from Lake Erie so my guess is, geologically speaking, that the glaciers that swept this area millions of years ago had a great deal to do with this phenomena.
HRL
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2005-01-04 14:04
I stumbled across some here while hiking... always a treat! (for reed purposes, of course...)
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2005-01-04 14:22
I grew up in northeastern Ohio. When I was a kid (50+ years ago) I used to pick his stuff and make bracelets out of it. At the time it was growing in and around Mentor Marsh, 30 miles east of Cleveland, near present day Headlands State Park.
I suppose there is still some in that area, but don't know what rules currently apply to public access, picking plants, etc.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-01-04 15:15
One of the advantages of going to Interlochen is that rush grows in profusion along the sandy lakeshores. The plant takes up silicon, which is what makes it abrasive.
High-class and wholesale florists usually have it to use in display pieces. If you go to one and ask for a stem of horsetail rush, you'll probably get several at no charge.
Don't seal fresh rush in a plastic bag to try to preserve it. It rots quickly. Pull it into sections, cut the ends off with an old, dull, cheap knife you don't mind spoiling, flatten the sections out and slip them between the pages of a newspaper. Then, put something heavy on top of the newspaper to keep things flat as they dry.
Ken Shaw
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Author: BG ★2017
Date: 2005-01-04 17:30
I'm with you, Hank, also having my supply of reed rush on a local golf course. Now, dare we try to write off the 18 holes with cart on our tax forms as part of a search for professional supplies?! By the way, how is the Portnoy ligature working out for you?
Coincidentally, BG
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2005-01-04 18:12
BG,
I think the write-off idea is an excellent one as I need a few more deductions this year. However, I'm sure though the IRS will insist that the bulk of the expenses were incured practicing for a job as a "divot taker."
HRL
PS The Portnoy ligature is my #1 1/2 sharing the duties with a 1970's Luyben. You have an outstanding memory!
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-01-04 18:39
Good reminder, BobD.
Be very careful when using split reeds, kids. If split at a 'sharp' angle it can be as sharp as a razor blade.
- ron b -
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-01-05 01:47
Got it. Thanks, Jimmy. Won't likely be down that way 'til summer but, being a little familiar with the area, I'll know what terrain to look for up this way if I need too.
HAPPY TTIN' TO YA!
- r b -
Post Edited (2005-01-05 01:49)
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