Layering

I've just finished cutting some hazel hedge stakes from a local wood. Although now neglected, it looks like it could have been quite good at one time. Hazel stools are too far apart to produce quality material in quantity, so a traditional way to increase that density is to leave a few rods on each stool (pic 1) and then layer them (pic 2). The layered rods should put up shoots where they are buried, and with a bit of luck will produce a separate root system there as well.

What I tend to do is:

scrape away a bit of bark where the rod will be in contact with the ground;

dig a trench a few inches deep;

bend the rod down and peg it to the bottom of the trench with suitable forked sticks cut beforehand;

cover up, firm up and hope for the best!

With a bit of luck, there will be a separate plant at each point where the rod is buried. This will grow on, and the rod can then be cut from the main stool.

A good old fashioned technique if you're poor, but with time on your hands.

have seen that done with sweet chestnut to in the woods where i do coppicing was making some hedgelaying stakes this morning for a job

Cool

Had heard about, but not seen.

Nice work & picture set Quickthorn

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thats cool, had seen that technique in books but never seen it done, what is the take rate like with this technique? or is it the first time you've done it?

Thanks Quickthorn.

That looks well worth doing on the outgrown leggy coppice

I play in.

Thanks for sharing that!

I enjoy seeing other sides to the Tree industry,I'd like to see more of what you do for work.

nice work quickthorn... i`ve seen it done on willow, which takes well. I`ll give that ago tomo when doing stakes and binders....

any other old techniques ?

thats cool, had seen that technique in books but never seen it done, what is the take rate like with this technique? or is it the first time you've done it?

I don't do it too often..in one wood where I cut, I buy my stuff standing, cut it and take it, and there's a volunteer group of retired woodsmen who do the layering after everything's been cut and moved. They reckon on 70+% strike rate. I'm not sure how it stacks up financially: on paper, it may be cheaper to buy in stock and plant them conventionally, but when you add in everything, like the time to order, travelling to the nursery etc....also, just about all hazel planting stock has provenance from the south east, whereas you're obviously using local provenance stuff in layering.

This is the first time I've cut in this wood..I offered to do the work, including the layering, in return for the produce. I'm looking forward to seeing how it does..I'm confident, because I've seen where branches have split, touched the ground and struck on their own, so all the conditions seem to be there..also, the canopy is quite open, so there should be enough light to help things on.

You can do this to other species - sweet chestnut and willow have been mentioned, but you can also do it on ash, which is good, because ash has lots of uses.

has anyone done air layering? It's something I want to try. They're all good ideas considering hazel planting stock from the nurseries I use seems to be a bit more expensive than other stuff.

i've heard of air layering in realtion to bonsai apart from that i've never seen it done

Jamie