Hydrofarm HGBB6 6' Natural, Pack of 25 Bamboo Stake, Tan

I mean, they're a bunch of bamboo stakes, right? What can you possibly say about a bunch of bamboo?Quite a lot, actually.This is easily a five-star purchase, especially for the price ($23 when I bought them). These 6-foot bamboo stakes were all of a consistent height when they arrived and were consistently straight. I bought two bundles, so 50 stakes in all, and had none that were crooked or bowed.The thickness varied from a bit reedy (about the thickness of a sharpie marker) to quite hefty (a little bigger around than the circumference of a nickel, close to a quarter at times). Most leaned towards the thicker end of that scale. VERY sturdy, not at all bendable unless you're trying.Of the 50 stakes I got, the majority were clean and smooth. About 6-8 has tapered "spikes" of sort growing from the ribbed connections of each length of pole, running along the length of the pole, i.e. not sticking outward but running parallel to the pole. They are not intrusive or sharp, though one or two required a little care because if you accidentally slid your hand along the stake hard you'd jab yourself on these growths. Minor issue, doesn't get in the way of their functionality, just something to keep in mind when you're driving them into the ground. Wear gloves!I've used these to stake a variety of plants (tomatoes, sunflowers, pole beans), as well as to stake in chicken wire fences and to create a tripod trellis or two. They have proven easy to work with, quite sturdy, especially in my highly windy yard, and highly versatile. And the price? Miles better than most 6-foot stakes.One thing to keep in mind for people who have never used bamboo stakes before: If left in the ground for a couple of years, it CAN root and begin to grow. It's rare, but I've seen it happen, so it's a good idea to pull them out at the end of the season and store them over the winter.Bottom line: superb bang for your buck!

First time doing outdoors this year..... I did have 4 ft plastic stakes but quickly outgrew them. Needed something 6 ft and fast. Nothing better than bamboo. Was cheaper than plastic, more durable and got them delivered fast. Only problem I had was they weren't sent in a box.... they showed up in a clear plastic bag

I am SO GLAD I bought these! Originally bought them to stake my tomato plants but now the options are limitless. I'm going to make a trellis for blackberries/strawberries among something for my clematis to climb. Yes some of them are skinnier and they aren't perfect but they're BAMBOO people. If you want straight sticks you'll need to go pay a fortune for pieces of wood at your local lowes or garden center etc. I love the look of them not being "perfect ". Very sturdy and easily went into the ground after 3 days of over 100 degree Temps. I would highly recommend!! And I found no bugs at all as someone else mentioned in other comments. I will be purchasing more of these in longer length. Trying to "permaculture " my in town yard. Would love a free sample hint hint lol!! Also the price was excellent in my opinion.

These are decent bamboo sticks. I just got them and the price was about a dollar a stick. Even if a few end up being bad and unusable they overall aren’t bad for the price. Large overall diameter, and the wall of the sticks is thicker than many others I’ve seen making for a sturdier pole. The ones at local garden stores have gotten really flimsy lately, but these while perhaps not as good as they were some years ago, are still a decent thickness and sturdy enough to hold heavy vegetables and maintain their integrity for years.I’m not sure what is happening, but seems newer orders have smaller sticks and the description doesn’t match the product any longer. A common theme among bamboo poles for gardening it seems. I was already expecting this from the other reviews, with the really old reviews mention nice sticks that are really large diameter, whereas most recent ones mention much more flimsy sticks. The product description states the thickness will be 13-17mm diameter. I measured the thinnest and thickest sticks, and the range I received was 8-13mm, with most between 9-11mm or so. A big fail when practically none of them meet even the smallest advertised diameter, and only the largest barely meets the lowest end. If you were expecting anything close to the 17mm mentioned there is nothing here for you. They do seem to be quite thick in the wall of the bamboo structure, so while they may not be as thick overall, they still seem to be quite sturdy and may not be as bad as it seems.While most do meet the “smooth” description, a few had a white powdery substance with also many black bumps or scars. I am not fully sure what this is, but it seems like it could be mold, and an older bamboo pole I have around with similar looks has not held up well and deteriorated quite badly. Hopefully I can clean it up or treat it, but not sure why there are some nice and seemingly healthy ones and some that look a bit off.Only about 15 of the 25 were what I’d consider straight. These are natural products so there would be some unevenness, but usually these bamboo sticks are straighter than some of these. The other 10 have an overall curvature to them, or bend off towards the end. Usually won’t be any issue but if you are making a structure for your plants that require the bamboo to be relatively straight you should plan ahead and factor this into your purchase and order some extra. This will also help in getting enough with a good diameter to them.If I were to rate the product based purely on it meeting its description, it wouldn’t do so well with almost none of them in the 13-17mm diameter range advertised, nor was the smoothness present consistently. But compared to other bamboo sticks on the market, these are very reasonable and sturdy and should meet most needs. I’m taking off a star because a product should try to match whatever description is being advertised, and the quality control may need a bit of work.

I purchased the 6ft length and am very pleased with my purchase and am going to be getting another set. I grow a lot of vegetables that need support and I was looking for something sturdy, relatively thick, AND nice looking to use in the garden. These fit the bill so far. I'm impressed with how thick they are especially compared to the bamboo stakes I bought from a big box store. I did notice a few had splinters on them as I took them out of the package, but that wasn't a deal breaker for me. I think these will work well in my garden this year.