28 replies to this topic

[tim'rous beastie]

Hi Fiveoaks, interesting post thank you, may I ask, how far apart do you plant your willow?  Thanks, TB

[Cornish Gems]

5O - what variety are you using?

 

TB - we hope you have been properly tested! 

[tim'rous beastie]

You would not believe what I have been tested for CG, some I have passed and some I have failed but sometimes a negative result has been a positive for me! 

[Cornish Gems]

Aw Shucks!  We apologise - we were trying to be humerous but the joke definitely fell flat, but we are pleased to learn that you feel a negative result has been positive for you sometimes.

[fiveoaks]

Hi Fiveoaks, interesting post thank you, may I ask, how far apart do you plant your willow?  Thanks, TB

Each of my rows is 100 meters long and the trees are every meter. I have a stick that I use for measuring when I'm planting

The gap between my rows is just a little bigger than my van so when harvest time comes I can get down the rows

I also have a speacial tool for putting the hole in the floor, it's sort of a garden fork but with only one spike

I'll have to see if I have some pictures and post them up

[fiveoaks]

is there any chance you could post some pictures.

These are from last year, bit boring due to the lack of green

I'm just about to put 3 more rows in
Ive just planted 45 fruit trees next to my other 40 fruit trees

[tim'rous beastie]

"I also have a speacial tool for putting the hole in the floor, it's sort of a garden fork but with only one spike"

 

Would that just be a spike then lol? Are the tree guards essential, i remember seeing willow being grown near lockerbie and it was just a stick in the ground. They were for biofuel on a big scale and were planted much closer than this as i recall, then cut savagely after their first years growth.

 

Pics look very neat, all credit to you, I think I will give this a go all being well but doubt my rows will be as neat as yours!

.

 

Thank you for taking time to reply
 

[Rasher]

Perfect. Are you planing on cutting them back in the first year and then leaving it another 3 to 4 before the next cut? Have you applied for any grants to do this?

[fiveoaks]

Perfect. Are you planing on cutting them back in the first year and then leaving it another 3 to 4 before the next cut? Have you applied for any grants to do this?

 

 

Perfect. Are you planing on cutting them back in the first year and then leaving it another 3 to 4 before the next cut? Have you applied for any grants to do this?

If you look closley at the trees on the left, these are trees that I planted 2 years ago and then cut last year

After you have cut the one branch you start with 5 or 6 shoot out and grow like crazy

 

I will have to take some pictures in the summer for you

 

Also on the spacing.....

As I believe you can plant the rows much closer together but this would be for woodchip and I'm wanting logs.  I also want really easy access to make for the easyiest access

I want to sit in front of my log fire, not fighting to get the logs out of the field :-)