Pollarding willow

Hi,

I was looking for some advice on pollarding willow. I have some 5 year old willow that I planted from 1 foot cuttings that I would like to pollard. If I understand the process rite do I cut the strongest straightest stem to the height I want to pollard. Then cut back all other stems to ground level?

I then want to plant out some more cuttings but pollard them from the start. Do I plant poles to the pollard hight (about 5 or 6 foot) or do I plant small cuttings and then choose the strongest stem to pollard from?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Dee

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner

Yep, cut the top at the height you want and nip off the smaller growth.

 

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. What about planting the new cuttings. Should I plant them to the height I want the pollard to be? How deep should I push them into the ground? And is there a certain thickness of cutting I should use?

Thanks,

Dee

 

I don't think you can plant and pollard straight away. If you plant Setts they should grow (although doing that in November is better than now - the earlier the better). Just cut off some straight stems, I suggest no thicker than your index finger to make Setts, and stick a rod of similar diameter into the soil and push the Sett in. Put a 1M square of mulching fabric around them to keep moisture in during the summer, and stop the weeds growing. (You could use a thick piece of cardboard, from a large box. It will only last a season though). They will probably only grow 18" or so in the first year, but should grow 2' - 3' a year after that.

How tall are your 5 year olds? Should be 15' by now I reckon

 

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I was told yesterday from a local gardener to plant 1 foot cuttings. Then pollard the strongest stem after 2 years of growth. Does that sound about rite?

My 5 year old tress are easily over 15 foot

Cheers,

Dee

 

Sounds OK to me. I think the deal is that if you have longer cuttings ("Setts") you plant most of the extra underground, rather than leaving all the extra sticking out (hoping to get more "top" sooner). The extra underground establishes the plant sooner. Perhaps try some 1' and some 2' Setts?

I've found this site useful in the past:
http://www.bowhayestrees.co.uk/cuttings.html

"The smallest one foot long (30 cm) cuttings must be planted so that only 2 inches (5 cm) is showing above ground. This makes them vulnerable to being smothered by weeds and grass before they get away, and so they are only suited to situations where they will receive a high standard of care in the early days. The two foot long cuttings (60 cm) are planted so that half is in the soil as in the photo below. This means that the new growth starts above weed and grass height. Being larger they also contain greater reserves of energy and grow away faster. In most situations the 2 foot long (60 cm) cuttings are the best option and will produce a tree, if looked after, of 6 - 8ft high in the first growing season"

Cutting Size / Minimum length to be inserted into the soil
1 foot (30 cm) / 10 inches (25 cm)
2 foot (60 cm) / 12 inches (30 cm)
3 foot (90 cm) / 15 inches (37.5 cm)
4 foot (120 cm) / 18 inches (45 cm)
6 foot (180 cm) / 24 inches (60 cm)

The new ones should get a wiggle on in a year or two then I got my heights wrong earlier, they should grow 6' a year, not 3'.

 

Hi,

Thanks for all your help. Think I've got a better grasp of what I'm doing now. Time will tell.

Cheers,

Dee

 

I just shove my willow cuttings into the ground, and the vast majority of them just grow.

 

Hi Dee,

May I ask what it is you're trying to achieve? The reason I ask is that what you're describing is more akin to coppicing rather than pollarding. Would you be able to post a photo or two of your trees, just to get a clearer understanding of what you're working with. It may be that the trees in question would not benefit from pollarding at all yet. Just a thought...


Cheers,
Matthew