PROCESS:

Brooms are made from the flower of the tiger grass - Thysanolaena maxima - a bamboo like tropical
grass. Aside from being source of broom, the plant's wide leaves is used in other Asian countries as rice
and food wrapper for steaming. The stipes (structure connecting the flowers to the plant) are also
utilized in making house decorations. With it's lush green color, the plant is used as hedges in tropical
gardens. And with it's dense clumps, the grass is planted to help prevent soil erosion.

Tiger grass is planted on the mountainside areas during rainy season, actually, when it is raining. New
plants seldom survive on dry lands. The grass can hardly compete with weeds and vines thus its
surrounding have to be cleared before planting and once every year afterward. And to have a healthier
plant and bigger flowers, dried stems and leaves have to be removed from the clump regularly (at least
once a year). The grass' leaves has sharp edges making it hard to clean the plant and it's surroundings.

The flowers with their stipe are harvested from the plant when fully bloomed and are left to dry under
the sun. When dried, the flowers are flogged on a hard surface (sometimes, on boulders) to remove its
tiny parts called glumes and spikelets. The flowers are also manually pressed and rolled over and back
and forth to complete the cleaning.

The cleaned tiger grass flowers will be processed differently depending on the type of brooms to be
made. When making one with the wooden handles, a uniform length of the panicles are cut-off from the
stipes and the remaining strands at the lower portion are stripped individually. If the stipes will be
utilized as handles, the panicles are just trimmed to have the same length. The separated panicle strands
are bundled and are still used in the broom making.

Making the broom requires some skills, lots of patience and considerable care. The broom and the
handle are first pieced together using iron wire which requires some manipulation to ensure the handle
will remain at the center. Using a customized boomerang-shaped wooden frame called sangol, the
broom is then spread and sewed using a cord (leting in the diaclect). The cord will keep the broom
widely spread when the sangol is removed. To help keep the broom permanently spread, a flat plastic
cord is sewn atop the leting before taking off the sangol. This also adds beauty and color to the broom.
Finally, to thicken the side of the broom, the rings (called singsing in Bagulin) on the sides near the
handle are incorporated.

Bagulin is a municipality in the Ilocano province of La Union. However, it is lying in the Cordillera
mountain range and majority of its residents are Igorots (from the Kankanaey group). Just like Bagulin,
Burgos is another La Union town with Ilocano and Igorot residents. Hence, even if the brooms in Baguio
are from La Union, it is still safe to say that they are proudly Igorot (and Ilocano) made.

SOURCE:

http://ayaysalidummay.blogspot.com/2009/08/baguio-brooms-from-igorots-of-la-union.html
Friday, August 21, 2009

INNOVATIONS:

BETTER ‘WALIS TAMBO’ IN THE OFFING

() - August 29, 2004 - 12:00am

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Expect better "walis tambo" sold in this part of northern Luzon highland,
Baguio City, and neighboring La Union in the immediate future.

This optimistic outlook for brooms made of tiger grass is based on the development of a machine that
can easily remove the plant’s flower pollen.

The device can double as palay thresher, according to the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State
University (DMMMSU), a multi-campus institution of higher learning in La Union.

Funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry and Energy
Research and Development (DOST-PCIERD), the project was completed under the auspices of the
Ilocos Consortium for Industry and Energy Research and Development (ICIERD).

Cooperating agency is the Broom Makers’ Association of the Municipalities of Bagulin, Burgos, San
Gabriel, and Santol.

PCIERD headed by Executive Director Graciano Yumul Jr. said the traditional process of removing
flower pollen of mature tiger grass requires intensive labor and time because it is done through
shaking and brushing the flower stalks against walls, tree trunks, and any hard surface.

The new device can remove flower pollen of 100 grass stalks in five minutes without any broken
stalks. It can be assembled or disassembled to allow early transport from one place to another.

As palay thresher operated manually by two persons, the device can process 10 sacks of palay every
hour. It can churn out 15 cavans in an hour when motor-powered. — RAF
SOURCE: https://www.philstar.com/business/agriculture/2004/08/29/263040/better-145walis-
tambo146-offing

Tiger grass farming and broom making in Bagulin, La Union [Philippines] [2007]

Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development, Los
Banos, Laguna (Philippines)-Department of Science and Technology

Tiger grass (Thysanolaena maxima), locally called 'boi-boi' in Ilocano or 'tambo' in Tagalog, has great
ecological and economic importance. As hedgerow, the species helps control soil erosion while
helping conserve water. As raw material for soft broom production, it provides potential livelihood to
upland farmers due to increasing demand for tiger grass made brooms. To promote this product in
Bagsulin, La Union, Orallo et al. (ERDS-CAR) implemented a project in partnership with the LGUs and
existing people's organization in the area. A 5-ha tiger grass plantation was established with the
community-based forest management area in Bagulin. Short-term cash crops (upland rice, banana,
yam) were intercropped in the 1st-5th year. This project was implemented in 2006. Findings of the
project include the following: The plantation produced an initial 44,000 panicles, which was projected
to increase by 15% annually until the 6th year. This would ensure the production of at least 15% of the
needed raw materials for soft broom making. As cash crops were intercropped, land utilization was
maximized and farmers' income increased. The harvest from the intercrops contributed a 20%
additional income to the beneficiaries. The tiger grass technology was already considered a matured
and tested technology that the need for its adoption and commercialization in a wider scale in the
region is highly recommended. Included in the technology is the propagation, plantation, cultura

l management, and harvesting techniques. The project became the convergence of assistance from
GOs and LGUs including private traders in terms of product design and development, packaging and
marketing, and financial assistance. The LGU considered tiger grass as their priority commodity for the
One Town, One Product (OTOP) program.

SOURCE: http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=PH2008001335

Here comes the "BROOM"

Friday, October 4, 2013

Known for it's soft broom industry, the Municipality of Bagulin in the province of La Union produces
quality soft brooms locally known in Ilocano as "buyboy" or "walis tambo" in Tagalog. Although, they
usually harvest tiger grass during the months of March, they store most of it then made into brooms
later on during the times when tiger grass are not available for harvest.
The people carry these soft brooms to the other side of the river through this hanging bridge. A
hanging bridge that spans a great distance from Barangay Dagup to Barangay Suyo (Bagulin Town
Proper) which is just across the raging river.

Here were some of the photos i took of these fuzzy useful products carried and transported by men
walking on the hanging bridge.

SOURCE: http://www.pagnapagna.com/2013/10/here-comes-broom.html

Our kind of eco-friendly tiger grass soft broom

Posted byIreneo DomoguenFebruary 27, 2020

The municipality of Burgos also in La Union made it even attractive by adding colors and holding a
broom caravan to showcase their product.

For others with tiger grass at home but do not know how to make one, here’s how we do it:

1. Sun dry the harvested stalks until it is easy to shear the spikelets from the panicle.
2. Remove some of the panicles and ensure an average remaining length of the stalk to serve as
handle.
3. Bundle the removed panicles placing about 15-20 stalks depending on the size with the
unremoved panicles around then tie it with a tie wire. Five bundles should be enough to make
one broom.
4. Insert a flat sheet strong enough in between the bundles to help spread the bundled panicles
when binding the five bundles together. This first tie should tightly bind the stalks together
using tie wire to form one bundle for the handle.
5. Continue tying the bundles together up to the desired length or depending on the length that
your customer wants.

bROOM MAKING:

Step 1 – preparing the stalks with panicles by sun drying it first for two days and shearing it to remove
the spikelets

Steps 2 and 3 – reducing the length of the stalks by removing some of the panicles. Tying into a bundle
is ready after 15-20 stalks or when the desired thickness is reached

Step 4 – tying a bundle with a tie wire and tying five bundles together to make one soft broom
SOURCE: https://igoyslifeblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/27/our-kind-of-eco-friendly-tiger-grass-soft-
broom/

Culture bearers:

1. Mr. Lito Pulmano, a culture bearer of soft broom making

Tagudtud, Bagulin, La Union
2. Juan Walsi: Kambali, Bagulin, LU: wife is also a broom maker
- skills are pass on from parents thru observation.
- all of his family members are one in broom making
- has the eagerness to pass this skill to his children
- with two chilrens, while they are still young, he manage to teach this

SOFT BROOM INDUSTRY SHINES IN REGION!

By Reynaldo Andres

Bagulin, La Union—The soft broom industry of the Ilocos region is enjoying full support from the
government with the establishment of a five-hectare tiger grass plantation in this town to help meet
the increasing demands for soft brooms in the country. Tiger grass is the main raw material used in
making soft brooms.

Taking the lead in this development program is the regional office of the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) in the city of San Fernando, La Union, which started maneuvering the
composite five-hectare tiger grass plantation within the 162.49-hectare community-based forest
management area in the town.

DENR Region 1 is a member of the Ilocos Agriculture, Aquatic and Resources Research and
Development Consortium (ILAARRDEC), a consortium of 18 agencies in the Ilocos region involved in
agricultural research and extension. Its headquarters are located in the main campus of the Mariano
Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac City.

This five-hectare plantation was added to the existing 682 hectares of tiger grass plantations in the
province, which supply raw materials to broom makers in Region 1 and the Cordilleras. In turn, these
broom makers deliver soft brooms to various market outlets in the province at the rate of 12,000
brooms per month. According to the DENR, the five-hectare plantation can produce some 44,000
panicles, and this is projected to contribute to a 15 percent increase in the supply of raw materials
annually. The 44,000 panicles can be made

into 419 soft brooms.

The project will give farmers additional income through a sharing scheme between the project
beneficiaries and the people’s organization (PO). Thus, for every harvest of 8 to 10 bundles, which is
equivalent to 8 brooms, the PO gets one bundle. The income generated by the PO will be used to
further expand the plantation area and support other livelihood projects identified by the association.

At present, the number one suppliers of tiger grass in the region are farmers from Burgos town, with
an estimated area of 380 hectares planted to tiger grass alone, followed by those in Bagulin with 270
hectares. The city of San Fernando has 20 hectares, while the towns of San Gabriel and Santol have 6
hectares each.

The project is being implemented through the agency’s Community Livelihood Assistance Special
Program (CLASP), which is also doing a great deal to control and conserve water in these areas
because tiger grass is an excellent plant species for hedgerows, which help rehabilitate the denuded
hillsides.

Meanwhile, the local government of Bagulin has already identified tiger grass as its One Town One
Product (OTOP) item. With it as its OTOP, Bagulin entered into an agreement for

convergence assistance with other government organizations and funding institutions in order to
promote the soft broom industry and to help the broom makers in terms of product design,
development, packaging, marketing, and financial assistance, among others.

Records show that the demand for soft brooms in Region 1 and elsewhere in Luzon has increased
tremendously since broom makers in Baguio City have a hard time meeting the demand from Manila
and nearby provinces. Since a soft broom is an

indispensable household “helper” that is used for cleaning, every home maintains an average of two
brooms with an average shelf life of 6 to 8 months. Thus the demand for the brooms is high.

Studies show that one retailer in Bagulin can sell as many as 350 brooms per day during peak seasons,
which occur during December and the summer months. The farm gate price per broom is 45, and the
retailers sell them at 50 each.
TIGER GRASS PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY – Tiger grass can be propagated by seeds and root stocks.
Propagating the seeds is rare because of their low viability. Mature seeds are collected and
broadcasted in an open area where only a few germinate and grow. Propagating by root stocks is
more common. Clumps of mature root stocks are uprooted and the upper portion is cut. Only the
clumps with culms 10-12 centimeters (cm) in height as measured from root collar are left behind, and
these are divided into at least 3 to 5 culms each of individual root stocks.

Before planting, prepare the farm by completely removing weeds. The ideal space requirement is 2 x 2
meters with planting holes of about 30 cm wide and 30 cm deep. Tiger grass root stocks with five
suckers should be planted during the onset of the rainy season to ensure a good survival rate and
good shoot development.

The best time to replant missing hills is during the next rainy season. Weeding should be done
regularly to minimize competition for soil nutrients, water and sunlight, and fire hazards. Protect the
plantation from stray animals, and spray the plants with the recommended insecticides when pests
and diseases attack.

HARVESTING AND STORING PANICLES – Harvest tiger grass panicles after one year of planting. The
panicles must reach the desired length, softness, and greenness to produce quality brooms. The
proper age of panicles to be harvested must be five months, and harvesting is usually done in
February to March. Harvesting is done using the following methods:

1. Cut the panicles with sharp sickle when they are still green and soft.

2. After harvesting the panicles, cut about 90 percent of the aerial part of the plant so that more tillers
will develop in the next rainy season.

3. Dry the panicles for 3 to 5 days for easy threshing of seeds and for a longer storage period.

4. During drying, remove the seeds by shaking or patting the panicles lightly against a concrete
pavement.

5. When the panicles are cleaned, group them into bundles with an average size of 7 cm in diameter.

6. Bundled panicles are ready for broom making and marketing, or they can be stored for years in a
well-ventilated room.
SOFT BROOM MAKING – There are two kinds of brooms that can be produced: the Solas

and Señorita. Solas make use of the stalks of the panicles as the handle, while the Señorita’s handle is
made of a wooden stick and wrapped with plastic strips woven into a design. The other

materials for broom making are tie wire, plastic string, or split rattan.

Sort the panicles according to length and thickness. The first spikelets (flowers) should be sheared to
maintain the average length. Sheared spikelets are tied according to the desired thickness of the
broom, which is about 6-7 cm in diameter.

Tie into the wood handle or stalks using the wire. Arrange the panicles into a fan-like form and
double-sew it with plastic string. Cover the handle with plastic rolls on which the source of

the product can be added. Once the products are packaged, they are ready for marketing.

This story appeared in Agriculture Monthly’s June 2014 issue.

Source: agriculture.com.ph/2018/01/26/soft-broom-industry-shines-in-region/
Tiger Grass Broom Making Business

16 SEP, 2019

Tiger grass locally known as tambo, is a viable source of livelihood for upland communities. Tiger grass
grows well in cool upland. It is usually harvested in late January and February, if dried correctly, can
be stored up to a year. The upper portion of the tiger grass flower, the large dropping panicle, is used
for broom making.

Procedure

a. Planting stock production

The common method to propagate tiger grass for better growth is by root stocks.

1. Uproot clump suckers of mature tiger grass. A one hectare plantation needs about 2,500 to 3,000
clumps, containing at least three emerging suckers.

2. Cut the upper portion leaving 10 cm of its vegetative part.

b. Site selection

* Tiger grass thrives m medium to high elevation, preferably in hillside slopes and logged-over areas.

c. Site preparation

1. Clear the area if it is to be used solely for tiger grass production or spot clear if interspersed with
other agricultural crops.

2. Dig a hole 30 cm in diameter and 30 cm deep with spacing of 2×2 meters if planted alone or 4×4
meters if inter planted with other crops. Use contour planting.

d. Hauling and handling

1. Haul planting stocks to the prepared planting stocks. Do not expose to direct sunlight.
2. If possible, plant stock within the day of collection to reduce mortality.

e. Planting and Fertilizing

1. Plant at least three suckers to the prepared hole.

2. Plant during the onset of the rainy season to ensure good root and shoot development.

3. Apply fertilizer once a year, before the onset of the rainy season. Organic fertilizer can be used.
However, fertilization is not a usual practice but is done in some less productive soil.

* Tip: Intercrop tiger grass with cash crops for more profit.

f. Plantation maintenance and protection

1. Replant dead ones before the rainy season ends.

2. Weed once a year or as the need arises to minimize competition on soil nutrients, water and
sunlight and to minimize fire hazard.

3. Protect the area from stray animals.

4. If possible, introduce Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to minimize pest problem.

Harvesting and Hauling

The panicles usually develop from October to November and are harvested when the stalks are at
least 70 cm long. Harvesting is done from December to March. The highest yield is observed on the
6th year of the plantation.

1. Cut the panicles with a sharp scythe or bolo.

2. Gather panicles and sun-dry for two to three days. Regularly turn the panicles for uniform and fast
drying.

3. Slightly shake or pat dried panicles against stone or wood to remove seeds.

4. Bundle 105 panicles.

* Tip: After the last harvest, cut all the remaining vegetative parts down to 30 cm for regeneration.
New tillers will develop and the cut portion can be used as fodder for animals.

* Dried panicles can be dyed and used as novelty or decorative items.

Broom Production

Materials:

* 105 panicles (maximum)

* Kawayan or wooden stick

* Tie wire

* Plastic string on split rattan

Procedure

1. Use a bundle consisting of 105 panicles (number of panicles may vary depending on the desired
thickness of the broom) to make one broom.

2. Sort the panicles according to length.

3. Shear some of its first spikelets (flowers) and ensure that an average remaining length is
maintained.

4. Tie these sheared spikelets to the main stem to all thickness to the broom.

5. Maintain some of the stalks to serve as handle.

6. Arrange the added spikelets (tightly bound with string) into five to six small bundles (1-1.5 cm
diameter) and bind together to make one big bundle.

7. Tightly bind together the stalks using tie wire to form the handle.

8. Use wood or bamboo stick as handle. Bind together with the panicles.

9. Arrange the panicles into fan-like form with plastic string or split rattan.

10. Decorate the handle or wrap with rolled plastic or split rattan to indicate the origin of the product.
SOURCE: pinoybisnes.com/money-making-business-ideas/tiger-grass-broom-making-business-how-
to-make-a-broom/

How to make Soft Broom from La Union?Aynawow!JCM Lifestyle

1. Harvesting the tiger grass

2. Sun drying of the Harvested tiger grass
3. Cleaning of the dried tiger grass
4. Separating the tiger grass stalk and flower
5. Coupling of the handle and the tiger grass flower
6. Trimming

SOURCE: AynaWOW Vlogs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHTenRTi0k&t=485s

https://launion.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Trade-Industry-Tourism.pdf

Broom production is the main industry in Bagulin, La Union. With a 644-hectare tiger grass farmland,
over 1.5 million soft brooms are produced each year, harvested and handcrafted by 2,301 families.

Despite the daunting challenges in the market, the Bagulin soft broom industry remains steadfast,
mirroring the enduring spirit of its craftsmen–like local couple, Editha and Ruben, who have spent
their lives making and selling brooms.

As they age and grow weary, they struggle to get by, having only themselves to look after each other.
However, they remain strong and resilient like the tiger grass. They soldier on.
https://www.facebook.com/DocuCentral/posts/kagaya-ng-tiger-grass-na-ginagamit-sa-paggawa-ng-
walis-nananatiling-matatag-ang-/2108141609416985/