Hügelhedging

[AHPP]

 

Idea: Willow. Hack a load of nicks into it and then bury it in a trench, either completely or with the top showing. Hope it comes up like a bamboo screen. 
 

Horizontal or one end a bit up like a hedge pleacher?

[Yournamehere]

Have no fear. Any sticks of willow 1"-4" lain flat in a wet ditch will sprout profusely. But get them in now and keep them wet: the sprouting season is upon us.

I've been working on the restoration of a silted up area above an old pond; as I cut the willow back (back in jan, feb) I was cutting it in to lengths and make a number of track-ways across the soft, wet, marshy ground: they are all now sprouting.

 

ETA PS just re-read your post: no need to hack the nicks.

Edited Thursday at 12:11 by Yournamehere
cos I didn't think of it earlier

[AHPP]

Cap with soil, woodchip or nothing?

[kram]

Somone told me about willows ability to sprout from a stick in the dirt. I took a small fresh branch and planted. It turned black and died.

[Paul in the woods]

To be Hügelhedging you'd need to plant it on a mound with buried stumps, logs, bodies etc. 

 

I've planted some goat willow cuttings/rods/logs horizontally this year as I've left a few rods laying about in the past when plating rods normally and they've grown.

 

I didn't bother nicking the bark at all as they tend to root and shoot from any buds. I planted mine in a small trench, partly to keep them moist and partly so the horizontal scion doesnt become a trip hazard in future. Mine are just showing their first shoots after planting a couple of months ago. I water occasionally in this dry spring weather.

Edited Thursday at 15:24 by Paul in the woods

[Yournamehere]

3 hours ago, AHPP said:

Cap with soil, woodchip or nothing?

No, nothing, leave em open to the light & air - just as long as the lower half is in the wet you'll be fine.

Like I said mine were used as an walk-way across marshy ground and so just lightly pressed in with the top surface still showing.

I'll be down there again over the w/e: I'll take some pics.

[scbk]

I planted more willow cuttings this winter by a roadside (in the dark) driving/cycling past you can see the new shoots, they're coming on well.

[Yournamehere]

Yergo. A few pics as promised. These two to start were when we started back in January very dank and dreary; very soft ground so everything cut to saw length and used to make trackways.

(I've reduced the pics to ~300kb: see how they look, if still too much, I'll do a quick edit)

[Yournamehere]

Well that sims OK.

And this is the logs today after #10 weeks sitting in wet mud. Lots of little sprouting willow shoots and a forest in the making if left unattended to.

[Yournamehere]

Happy days!

Yourn.