Ted is the expert, but I think about 3 years curing green stuff. The best cane will be found already dead…and standing for a year or two, then harvested. It will have softened and started breaking down. About 90% of the cane in CA is too hard for uilleann pipes. Gotta know where to find the soft stuff. Harvest in the winter months before sap starts flowing. Variegated cane isn’t good quality–so I’ve been told.
After a couple years experimenting, and hundreds of reeds, I now firmly believe Syringa (aka Mock Orange) philadelphus lewisii to be superior to Elder. I just reeded up another set of B drones and am truly amazed at how good they sound, and how trouble free they remain through various changes of temperature and humidity.