“Lunar Willow growing and Harvesting”
According to ‘Old Wives Tales’ it is best to harvest rods for weaving under a waning moon - and willow grows best when cuttings are planted on a waxing moon.
According to ‘Old Wives Tales’ it is best to harvest rods for weaving under a waning moon - and willow grows best when cuttings are planted on a waxing moon.
Willow growing.
There are many varieties of willow and it is often hard to tell them apart - they may grow differently in different soils and conditions in any case. Given a choice, take cuttings from plants you see growing well in your locality or go to a reputable supplier. Don't grow too many varieties and once they are established keep only those that are useful to you.
Willows need an open position and can tolerate damp but not permanent damp. They prefer a high pH level in the soil. Wind doesn’t seem to harm them in any way but overshadowing by mature trees or buildings will lead to die back eventually. Remember they will cause damage to drains (and they LOVE drains) or walls if planted too close to them and also to overhead cables if left uncoppiced. Some thought must be given to harvesting at the outset as it becomes trying to harvest on awkward slopes, far from vehicle access or where the crop must be transported over difficult terrain. A willow wants to be a tree.
Willows hate competition - they are a pioneer crop - so they must be kept weed free for the first three years before the leaf litter builds up and the best way to achieve this is to plant through fleece or horticultural membrane. A layer of bark chippings can improve the appearance of the plot.
They grow readily from cuttings - this is their natural habit - and it is best to plant directly into well prepared soil, preferably after the worst of the winter is over and the soil is beginning to warm up. Make a cutting of 18 inches with a pointed top and a blunt bottom and push well into the ground to at least half the length.
Cuttings are planted very close together - some people plant as close as 6 inches apart but the usual advice is from 12 to 18 inches apart or 20-30cm. This forces the plants to grow tall and straight. You must keep cuttings organised and don't mix them up when you plant them.
There are many ways of laying out a bed but one good model is to plant two rows of the same willow back to back and then leave a gap before the next type of willow. This means easier cultivating and harvesting and stops the problem of vigorous willows crowding out their neighbours.
You can leave them for a couple of years before the first harvest to get established or, if they are looking happy, cut any time after the leaves have fallen, usually mid November. Where any have failed you can replace them straight away.
Basket makers buy and keep willow dry and then soak and mellow in order to use it for varying lengths of time depending on the type and size of willow.
Pests and diseases:
Watermark disease, Erwinia salicis
Rusts: Melampsora spp
Anthracnose caused by Marssonina salicola
Canker and die back caused by Glomerella miyabeana,
Fusicladium saliciperdum
Cryptodiaporthe salicina
Large puss moth, two poplar longhorn beetles, giant willow aphid.
To summarise: growing willow
· Choose a site which is fertile, open and sunny, away from drains and overhead cables.
· Install rabbit/deer fencing if you need to before you plant.
· Source cuttings from a reputable supplier or someone you know suited to your climate.
· Cuttings should be 12 to 18 inches long, cut blunt across the bottom, slanting at the top.
· Prepare the soil well and dig in compost if possible.
· Plant through horticultural fleece or membrane leaving 6 inches above ground.
· Plant close together - 9-18 inches apart depending on the variety.
· Keep weed free for the first three years - after this the leaf mould will take over.
There are many varieties of willow and it is often hard to tell them apart - they may grow differently in different soils and conditions in any case. Given a choice, take cuttings from plants you see growing well in your locality or go to a reputable supplier. Don't grow too many varieties and once they are established keep only those that are useful to you.
Willows need an open position and can tolerate damp but not permanent damp. They prefer a high pH level in the soil. Wind doesn’t seem to harm them in any way but overshadowing by mature trees or buildings will lead to die back eventually. Remember they will cause damage to drains (and they LOVE drains) or walls if planted too close to them and also to overhead cables if left uncoppiced. Some thought must be given to harvesting at the outset as it becomes trying to harvest on awkward slopes, far from vehicle access or where the crop must be transported over difficult terrain. A willow wants to be a tree.
Willows hate competition - they are a pioneer crop - so they must be kept weed free for the first three years before the leaf litter builds up and the best way to achieve this is to plant through fleece or horticultural membrane. A layer of bark chippings can improve the appearance of the plot.
They grow readily from cuttings - this is their natural habit - and it is best to plant directly into well prepared soil, preferably after the worst of the winter is over and the soil is beginning to warm up. Make a cutting of 18 inches with a pointed top and a blunt bottom and push well into the ground to at least half the length.
Cuttings are planted very close together - some people plant as close as 6 inches apart but the usual advice is from 12 to 18 inches apart or 20-30cm. This forces the plants to grow tall and straight. You must keep cuttings organised and don't mix them up when you plant them.
There are many ways of laying out a bed but one good model is to plant two rows of the same willow back to back and then leave a gap before the next type of willow. This means easier cultivating and harvesting and stops the problem of vigorous willows crowding out their neighbours.
You can leave them for a couple of years before the first harvest to get established or, if they are looking happy, cut any time after the leaves have fallen, usually mid November. Where any have failed you can replace them straight away.
Basket makers buy and keep willow dry and then soak and mellow in order to use it for varying lengths of time depending on the type and size of willow.
Pests and diseases:
Watermark disease, Erwinia salicis
Rusts: Melampsora spp
Anthracnose caused by Marssonina salicola
Canker and die back caused by Glomerella miyabeana,
Fusicladium saliciperdum
Cryptodiaporthe salicina
Large puss moth, two poplar longhorn beetles, giant willow aphid.
To summarise: growing willow
· Choose a site which is fertile, open and sunny, away from drains and overhead cables.
· Install rabbit/deer fencing if you need to before you plant.
· Source cuttings from a reputable supplier or someone you know suited to your climate.
· Cuttings should be 12 to 18 inches long, cut blunt across the bottom, slanting at the top.
· Prepare the soil well and dig in compost if possible.
· Plant through horticultural fleece or membrane leaving 6 inches above ground.
· Plant close together - 9-18 inches apart depending on the variety.
· Keep weed free for the first three years - after this the leaf mould will take over.
Willow coppicing:
Coppicing of willow takes place once the leaves have fallen and before they start to grow again. It is done once a year.
If you plan on raising a commercial crop and eventually using a brush cutter or similar you should cut the rods straight across at the base. If you plan to cut with secateurs you can cut right to the bole. If you do not cut right back or miss some it is best to go back and prune hard back and remove any dead wood or die back at the same time.
It is important not to leave willow rods strewn around the bed as they will trip you up next year and quite possibly take root. Weeds which clamber in need to be pulled out - bramble can be a nuisance and all sorts of weeds which like the idea of the bark chippings or other mulch. Willow can develop rust and other diseases but in the main it seems to do very well in Scotland. Willow beds also provide a habitat for nesting birds in spring so these help keep insect pests down. Mice, shrews, deer and rabbit can nibble and some people put in a rabbit fence or deer fence or give the job of keeping them away to a terrier.
Willow is traditionally sold in bolts which are 37 inches round the base, by height , 3 foot, 4 foot, 5 foot, 6 foot. One year old is the norm but you can also buy sticks which are two year old rods and would be used for handles and you miht like to grow on a few rods for this purpose.
It can be boiled and stripped to produce buff willow, steeped in the left over water from this process which turns it dark brown and is called steamed willow, kept standing in water for the winter and stripped in spring to produce white willow, left as it is which is then called brown willow, or sold fresh which is known as green willow and is usually intended for living willow structures.
To summarise; coppicing willow
· Harvest after the leaves have fallen and before they start to grow again -mid-November to late February.
· Keep harvested willow in cool dry conditions, sort into lengths.
· Use within 6 weeks while still pliable or allow to dry out completely and soak to use at any time of year.
Coppicing of willow takes place once the leaves have fallen and before they start to grow again. It is done once a year.
If you plan on raising a commercial crop and eventually using a brush cutter or similar you should cut the rods straight across at the base. If you plan to cut with secateurs you can cut right to the bole. If you do not cut right back or miss some it is best to go back and prune hard back and remove any dead wood or die back at the same time.
It is important not to leave willow rods strewn around the bed as they will trip you up next year and quite possibly take root. Weeds which clamber in need to be pulled out - bramble can be a nuisance and all sorts of weeds which like the idea of the bark chippings or other mulch. Willow can develop rust and other diseases but in the main it seems to do very well in Scotland. Willow beds also provide a habitat for nesting birds in spring so these help keep insect pests down. Mice, shrews, deer and rabbit can nibble and some people put in a rabbit fence or deer fence or give the job of keeping them away to a terrier.
Willow is traditionally sold in bolts which are 37 inches round the base, by height , 3 foot, 4 foot, 5 foot, 6 foot. One year old is the norm but you can also buy sticks which are two year old rods and would be used for handles and you miht like to grow on a few rods for this purpose.
It can be boiled and stripped to produce buff willow, steeped in the left over water from this process which turns it dark brown and is called steamed willow, kept standing in water for the winter and stripped in spring to produce white willow, left as it is which is then called brown willow, or sold fresh which is known as green willow and is usually intended for living willow structures.
To summarise; coppicing willow
· Harvest after the leaves have fallen and before they start to grow again -mid-November to late February.
· Keep harvested willow in cool dry conditions, sort into lengths.
· Use within 6 weeks while still pliable or allow to dry out completely and soak to use at any time of year.
General coppicing.
Coppicing is a way of cutting a tree back with the aim of getting it to regenerate constantly. It is kept in a juvenile state and never grows to its full normal size or shape. The stump and root system are left untouched and many coppice crops grow on old stumps - up to 50 years old for willow and much older for hazel and the hardwoods.
Many trees can be coppiced and they all have a different cycle depending on the product required. Hardwoods like oak, ash, chestnut etc. Hazel - 7 years. Willow is an annual coppice.
Our most common tree here in Scotland is the birch and some people talk of coppicing birch for making besoms and fencing but in my experience this kills the tree so you are harvesting not coppicing. Some people use the bark from living birch and it does grow back but leaves a dreadful scar which seems cruel to the tree. Bark can be taken from dead or felled trees.
Soil and climate dictate what kinds of plants are grown and what use they can be put to. The Lake District forests of oak with hazel growing underneath are ideal for the oak swills industry which was centred round Barrow in Furness and is still carried on near there. Similar conditions prevail in the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire and a basket called a Wisket was once made there.
In Sussex the woodlands are ideal for the production of a combination of cricket bat willow and chestnut which are prepared to make trugs, still made today.
The Somerset levels have been ideal for growing willow for basket makers and for artists’ charcoal. The climate is mild, damp and generally frost free and the early spring and late autumn make for a long growing season.
In many other parts of the UK willow has been grown in the past and is being planted and grown as basket making and other coppice crops see a revival. The hardy varieties grow well in our colder climate. These tend to be Viminalis, a large sturdy willow suitable for fencing and willow sculptures, igloos etc. and Purpurea, a fine slender willow ideal for basket making. Daphnoides tends to be less hardy but willow interbreeds freely so it is always worthwhile to try different varieties.
Coppice products include many kinds of basket eg Sussex trug - cricket bat willow and horse chestnut, Cumbrian oak swills - oak and hazel, and willow baskets from basket makers willow. You could also include rush baskets as this is from a crop which is gathered in summer and the root is left intact for another year’s growth.
Charcoal is another important crop where the wood is baked at a high temperature and can be used to make a fire of sustained heat, also used for drawing. Fencing, gates, furniture, cricket bats, pea sticks, walking sticks and shepherds’ crooks are all coppice products.
Coppicing is a way of cutting a tree back with the aim of getting it to regenerate constantly. It is kept in a juvenile state and never grows to its full normal size or shape. The stump and root system are left untouched and many coppice crops grow on old stumps - up to 50 years old for willow and much older for hazel and the hardwoods.
Many trees can be coppiced and they all have a different cycle depending on the product required. Hardwoods like oak, ash, chestnut etc. Hazel - 7 years. Willow is an annual coppice.
Our most common tree here in Scotland is the birch and some people talk of coppicing birch for making besoms and fencing but in my experience this kills the tree so you are harvesting not coppicing. Some people use the bark from living birch and it does grow back but leaves a dreadful scar which seems cruel to the tree. Bark can be taken from dead or felled trees.
Soil and climate dictate what kinds of plants are grown and what use they can be put to. The Lake District forests of oak with hazel growing underneath are ideal for the oak swills industry which was centred round Barrow in Furness and is still carried on near there. Similar conditions prevail in the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire and a basket called a Wisket was once made there.
In Sussex the woodlands are ideal for the production of a combination of cricket bat willow and chestnut which are prepared to make trugs, still made today.
The Somerset levels have been ideal for growing willow for basket makers and for artists’ charcoal. The climate is mild, damp and generally frost free and the early spring and late autumn make for a long growing season.
In many other parts of the UK willow has been grown in the past and is being planted and grown as basket making and other coppice crops see a revival. The hardy varieties grow well in our colder climate. These tend to be Viminalis, a large sturdy willow suitable for fencing and willow sculptures, igloos etc. and Purpurea, a fine slender willow ideal for basket making. Daphnoides tends to be less hardy but willow interbreeds freely so it is always worthwhile to try different varieties.
Coppice products include many kinds of basket eg Sussex trug - cricket bat willow and horse chestnut, Cumbrian oak swills - oak and hazel, and willow baskets from basket makers willow. You could also include rush baskets as this is from a crop which is gathered in summer and the root is left intact for another year’s growth.
Charcoal is another important crop where the wood is baked at a high temperature and can be used to make a fire of sustained heat, also used for drawing. Fencing, gates, furniture, cricket bats, pea sticks, walking sticks and shepherds’ crooks are all coppice products.
