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Growing
willow hybrid setts
/unrooted cuttings in short rotation coppice is the most effective and
fastest way to grow your own wood fuel. Willow logs can be use in
wood burners or log boilers. Willow short rotation coppice
is already used in large scale wood fuel production for power
stations, normally as wood chip. Automated domestic woodchip boilers
are also becoming more popular.
Both planting and harvesting the wood fuel crop is straight
forward and can be done without specialist equipment if done on a
small domestic scale ( up to a few acres.)
Harvesting the wood fuel is done near ground level, easy to
cut and access, look at the layout
suggested in
our plan for planting . The size of logs produced between 3 to 5
years after initial cut back will vary from 2 to 5 inches in diameter,
no need for splitting. You can vary the harvesting to suit your
needs or the size of your wood burner.
By dividing your coppice into
four sections and harvesting in rotation you will have a ready supply
of logs, year after year.
Try out our new willow fuel starter
kits,
they are a good way to
start growing your own wood fuel. They include willow setts, ground
cover matting, ground cover pegs, and full instructions.
FOUR
EASY STAGES TO PLANTING
- Lay the groundcover sheeting down and peg
it every metre.
- Make a planting hole with
metal rod piercing through the ground cover. 12 inch setts =depth of 9
inches/3 ft setts=12 to14 inches/6ft=15to18in).
- Place the sett in the hole .
- Place wire pin/peg next to the sett.
LOOKING
AFTER YOUR SETTS PRIOR TO PLANTING
We
cut and prepare the willow setts fresh to order and dispatch the next
day after
cutting. This ensures that the stock arrives in prime condition. It is important that the setts
(unrooted cuttings) are planted
as quickly as possible, soaking for a few hours prior, to ensure any
moisture
lost in transit is replaced. If it is not possible to plant immediately
then
store them in a cool shady place and if warm weather or drying wind
prevails
the setts must be kept moist by placing them in water for a few hours
then placed in a fridge until planting can take place. The willow setts
must not be allowed to produce white roots even if kept in water as
these will be knocked off when planting. Planting should be completed by the
end of March.
WHERE
AND HOW TO PLANT YOUR WILLOW
Willow
can be grown successfully on a wide
range of soil types but very wet soil which remains waterlogged for
most of the
year can prevent some unrooted cutting from
forming roots successfully. Very dry
soils are best avoided.
In the
UK soil types and climate vary, the
particular variety of willow which thrives best
in your soil will only be established by
trying a few different
types. It is recommended, for growing fuel, that a mixture of
varieties is used to maximise crop yield and reduce the risk of disease
(i.e.
rust) and insect damage.
We
plant through mypex ,a woven black plastic ground cover mat placed
directly
onto mown grass land (no digging or weeding required). The
matting will need to
be pegged using ground cover pegs at one meter intervals, or
weighed down to the ground to prevent the
wind or vigorous weeds from lifting it. Alternative ground cover
include silage wrap, starch bio
ground cover, natural mulches, hemp matting etc. These will all
suppress the
weed for as long as it takes for the willow to establish a canopy,
which will stop
light reaching the weeds underneath the willow. A vigorous variety of
willow
should achieve a closed canopy in 2 years after the initial cut back
(see below)
and will therefore starve and weeds of light.
Alternatively,
the ground can be
ploughed to a depth of 30cm. Followed by regular weed control. If you
are
intending to grow willow setts in a grassy location, this may be the
case where
random planting is required in an established wildlife area. Here it is
advisable to plant longer 3ft setts which can be mulched with straw or
bark
around the base and possibly use a tree guard. When
planted without black plastic groundcover
growth will be significantly reduced in
the first years.
The 1
foot setts should be planted so that
3 inches is visible above ground level. A metal rod 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch diameter should be used to make a
hole the width of the setts (some varieties of willow tend to have wide setts, others are finer). A crow bar,
long masonry chisel or metal reinforcing bar will all do the job. The
metal rod needs
to be hammered into the ground and retracted leaving a planting hole 9
inches
deep(for
planting 3ft cuttings the hole should be 12
inches/30cm). Place
the sett in the hole, with the tiny buds pointing upwards.
When
using a weed suppressing membrane hammer through the membrane, this
takes
little extra effort.
It
is also advisable to pin down or weigh down the ground cover next to
the setts(2 inches/5cm away), to stop the wind blowing the sheeting up
,we make our own wire pins from 2.5mm fencing wire (or wire coat
hangers/tent pegs) cut into one foot lengths, bent into a U shape, they
are cheap
and do the job nicely.
It is
important that the setts do not dry
out follows planting. Using a plastic membrane mat to plant through or
mulch
will retain the moisture.
CUT BACK
AFTER THE FIRST YEAR
If you
require a dense screen, shelterbelt, or are growing willow for
fuel ,then cut back growth to 4 inches above ground level at end of the
first year, this will encourage the new shoots
form the
base. Do this during the winter months.
No fertilisers are required to grow willow. However cattle
slurry has been
shown in
trials to significantly improve yield of short rotation willow crops on
poor quality
soil. This
should only be done when the willow is fully established and
ideally done after harvesting the willow for wood fuel .
PLANTING PLANS
WOOD FUEL
We sell
a
suitable biomass mix in our willow for
fuel
section or if you prefer, we supply wood fuel kits which contain
the willow setts the ground cover, pegs and full planting instructions
.
The diagram below shows the spacing that is
recommended for wood fuel production. It is ideal for harvesting
as it allows you to get in to coppice the willow easily. Grass / weeds
between the ground cover will require cutting in the first 2 years, but
is beneficial as it provides cover for beneficial insects.
Wood Fuel Planting
Plan
SCREENING AND
SHELTERBELTS
For screening and shelterbelts we recommend spacing according to
the following
diagram. (For fedges see our Fedge Guide)
Shelterbelt and
Screening Planting Plant
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