Coppicing vs. pollarding willow for basket making. Our experience so far.

We have been growing willow for making baskets for more then 15 years and have become more and more fond of pollarding our plants. In this video I explain why and how and show you the willow beds.
music in this video:
Veracruz- Quincas Moreira
To weather the storm-Dan Lebowitz
If you are interested in knowing my favourite willow varieties you can check out this video here: • Growing willow for bas...
I am a full-time basket maker and artist living in Tipperary, Ireland with my family. Off-grid in the forest on a mountain.
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[@mrs.americanmade7452]

You are a Willow Angel, I am 65 and still dreaming of working with willow yet I do nothing with my dream.....I am in the USA Indiana.....I LOVE when you post something, sparks my passion again, thank you kindly

[@Nodeoergosum]

Be careful, because once Hanna has infected your enthusiasm to the point where you make your first basket, you will be hooked on the amazing feel and fragrance of willow. I came to basketry later in life (74) but am finding it a wonderful hobby at so many levels. Go for it.

[@HannaVanAelst]

Oh thanks, you are so welcome!

[@HannaVanAelst]

Ha ha yes it is a rather 'infectious' hobby once you've got the bug, be warned!

[@chopsddy3]

Thanks so much. I believe there is a “Rule of Thumb” here. “The older you get, the taller the pollard.” I just ordered my first basket willow cuttings. Very exited about it. I’ve been pollarding the ash trees on my property. They produce wonderful ,strong branches that I use for a multitude of tasks. Tool handles, pipe stems, walking sticks ,chairs and easy kindling.

[@anniathome]

“The older you get, the taller the pollard.” Exactly what I was thinking! I'm 59, and my knees don't want to bend to the ground much anymore!

[@janematheson1077]

Love the way you question methods and look at history and differences in species and how they grow. You have inspired me to give pollarding a try and save the knees and back a little. Thank you!

[@omaeve]

A lady that taught willow baskets told me to pollard at 6 feet high to keep my goats from eating the willow in the field I was making a willow fence for a future pasture. It took about five years before I moved them in.

[@ambersimpson75]

I forgot I love making baskets till I saw this video, and I didn't know it was so easy to grow willow. Thank you ❣️ I'd love to grow some from your cuttings ❣️

[@fourdayhomestead2839]

Recently found an old homestead with willow growing wild. I pray for cuttings this year!

[@SgtSnausages]

If nothing else, it saves a ton of bending over every harvest season. I'm an old guy now. By the time my beds are rockin' the production I'll be in my 60s. Old backs don't like all that bending over.

[@omaeve]

There’s a family here in America that sell cuttings and they put theirs in a bucket and cut them off level with the bucket. They said it makes it easy to have them all be the same size.

[@badfeatherknives5189]

Thank you Hanna!

[@homesteadrevivals]

This was very helpful. We have been talking about planting willow for stream bed stabilization. Willow grows very well in our wet soil. Our native willow, however, is very aggressive, grows huge very quickly, then falls over and roots all along the length of the tree. Our native willow could easily dam a stream by falling across it, which could be catastrophic. We've been looking at the idea of planting basket willow instead. Because of irregularities in our land, it would need to be hand harvested. Problem is, we have a family member with a spinal cord injury who falls a lot. If he fell onto a coppiced stick, it could be very bad, but pollarding might work very well.

[@Nodeoergosum]

Thanks Hanna, I started my 'Eel Catchers Willow' last year at 2foot stems and they have grown splendidly. By contrast some 'Black Maul' I started on 6" stems was variable and weak in comparison. I have taken the most vigorous 10% and planted them as 2 foot cuttings in a new bed - looking forward to seeing this years growth, then weaving my own Willow.

[@HannaVanAelst]

great stuff!

[@chickadeeacres3864]

So glad I came across your video. I have started growing a few rows for personal use and realized they were too close. I decided to pollard every second row to create space. It’s also easier on your back. Thanks for validating my plan.

[@bernadette6211]

Perfect timing, I was wondering how to manage my cuttings that I got from you a few years ago. Many thanks

[@jackyadam4617]

Thankyou so much , I went for pollarding after losing to the deer for over a dozen years , working well , but some too heavy growth in bigger spaces as you explain ,I would like to ask would would cutting slightly higher eg 4 or 5 buds up encourage more thinner wearable rods Thankyou again best wishes from Galloway

[@denisefoot9823]

Willow grows abundantly here in Alaska. The moose do all of the pollarding.

[@craftylilhandses]

Aww I just got so excited to finally see this notification popping up! Thank you so much for answering Amy's (and my) questions about pollarding vs coppicing! Like you my European childhood memories of 'head' willow pollards popped back up out of necessity (guerilla willow where mulching and plastic tarp isn't usually an option) and as a backache prevention method. I'm planting just a few of coppice length willow cuttings with tops this year hoping they'll produce a good few pollard height cuttings by next sorting that can then be planted. It's taking all of my patience to try and be smart about this but your videos really keep me going (and making educated guesses with more confidence). Thanks Hanna!

[@HannaVanAelst]

Thanks for your patience Ellen! This video was a long time coming... delighted to hear you enjoyed it.

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

Pollarding in central Spain was a traditional practice with asht trees to feed the animals in the worst of summer. The branches were cut in July to august so the cattle and other livestock could feed and get some water . The branches are cleaned by the animals and are recollected later in autumm for other uses. If you use coppicing the seasonal advantaje is lost

[@babsoneverything3060]

I'm wondering if you could tell me at what age should a willow be pollarded? Thank you, Hanna. I absolutely love your channel.

[@maynight2259]

I really like what you do I wish I had people around me that did this..

[@HannaVanAelst]

You will find them...

[@GrizzlyGroundswell]

Hanna! So good to see I have 3 videos to catch up with! This video is so encouraging as I am finding myself pollarding rather than coppicing just to assure the willow has a little head start on the weed load we get here when the flush of growth comes with the rains. So exciting to see you and your family really thriving! Great video and I will go watch the other two here.

[@brigitgraham6277]

Another great and informative video, thank you. I have experimented with various methods, recording yield and anything else I see, but I am only a 3 years into growing and these things take time. If I am replanting my own willow, then I have planted the full rod and cut off at hip height. They are down in a dip so shouldn’t suffer from wind rock. Happy weaving.

[@zoeward4555]

I really like the look of the pollarded willow. I love your music choices too :)

[@HannaVanAelst]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.x

[@feruzeyuksel9482]

Thank you for your video that's wonderful your willows are perfect l want to make a hobby like this.l inspire from you, l go on watching your video and then l Will take action. Thank you so much

[@HannaVanAelst]

You can do it!

[@martinichip8969]

Very helpful, thank you. I wonder if you wanted to be even more efficient with space you could try pollarding every other plant with lower heads to grow into the open space under the adjacent higher heads. I am new grower of salix gracilistyla and colorful dogwoods. Now that it’s been a year since I planted them, I’ve been trying to decide to coppice or pollard them. I am mostly interest in the overall landscape aesthetic but also to use the branches for occasional wreaths, baskets and decorating planters. Your video helped me learn more about the pros and cons. I think pollard is very beautiful and leaves space for underplanting. 😊

[@mmccready5075]

Thanks Hanna, you've inspired me to have a go planting willow.

[@HannaVanAelst]

Yay!

[@martineklaassenpepler5321]

Thank you Hannah, very informative!

[@TheLightintheheart]

Very interesting video. Many thanks.😊

[@Birdieadams-kt3nw]

Thank you Amy! Great question.

[@vibeckeh]

Thank you for sharing all your valuable experience with us. I just ordered my very first willow plants. Im so exited :)

[@JonSteitzer]

Absolutely amazing video. Thank you, I've been looking for this information and it is so helpful

[@carolewarner101]

Wow, some of those heads are huge!

[@elenacerasela]

Very helpful video. It helps you THINK what is good for your particular situation.

[@rnggall9640]

Super answer. we have a lot of deer damage on some willow so we are trying to leave those taller and might get some usable rods off them.

[@HannaVanAelst]

Sounds great!

[@tungbuildingnewlifebushcra2647]

the house is amazing, she really 🥰

[@agreatalternative]

Very helpful and informative as always! I’m currently experimenting with planting techniques and I’m going to try an even longer method in the next few years after watching this!

[@wonderwend1]

Looking forward to being with you and the class next month 😊

[@HannaVanAelst]

Can't wait!

[@jamesalanstephensmith7930]

Good source of winter or spring income!

[@wyndelinfarmkitchen5867]

Thank you!

[@user-ud5hq5du9l]

Какие красивые цвета Ивы. Вот себе бы купить такие Ивы. Продается черенок?

[@katfoley890]

thank you for this!!

[@HannaVanAelst]

Welcome Kat!

[@debraparry3888]

Brilliant advice, looking forward to trying all three growing options out, just starting to get into weaving , mostly for sculpture and have only used crack or goat willow so far.but am awaiting some cuttings for future weaving. Thanks again for your time.

[@HannaVanAelst]

So welcome Debra!

[@MaryannBorch]

I can't wait to start pollarding now. I'm a little concerned that they wont send out shots from the top, but perhaps with a swipe of the lower bud scales , perhaps the upper ones can be encouraged. Like you say: keep experimenting!!

[@frostiozmoved4413]

Hi Hanna Love watching your videos . I want to grow some willow to make some fence panels can't I ask are the more vigorous varieties used for these? Keep up the good work

[@ARtandSoul998]

Thank you for this informative video, I inherited a willow when I moved into a new house, it has multiple trunks growing up from the ground and I pollard it each year from those multiple trunks, is there anyway I can prevent it from spreading out further with more trunks? Ideally I would like to have a single trunk, but it wasn't well maintained for a few years before I moved in so it's been allowed to grow. The trunks are around 8 inches in diameter. And what willow would you recommend for a smallish garden please? Thank you in advance for any advice you might have.

[@claireskrine4837]

I'm trying pollarding as we have some local beavers and I want to protect the lower trunks with tree guards.

[@theotherside9999]

Thank you so much for this information. I come from the Netherlands, where we have "knotwilgen" and I was wondering why the difference.

[@HannaVanAelst]

Ja ik herinner me ook die mooie oude knotwilgen...

[@martas-flechtwerk]

Thank you Hanna for this informativ video. It is very usefull for me because I just start to plant willow on my own! ground. I do not have so much space but life is full of compromise ;) (you can see it in my last video)

[@HannaVanAelst]

Wonderful!

[@pauldrowns7270]

Hello Hanna, I’m a ‘recovering’ Nantucket/Shaker/hybrid basket maker who potted 30 cuttings (5 varieties) of basket willow. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to raise my own materials. In the past, I was dependent on loggers or local knowledge for brown ash, and retailers for cane. I’m wildly excited about working in a new (to me) medium, and would appreciate some advice. I had no choice about starting in pots this year, their ultimate plot was recently logged and will be ready for planting in a couple of months. I have perfect southern exposure, and wonder about orientation.. North to South, or East to West. Thank you for all you post!

[@HannaVanAelst]

Hi Paul, that is so exciting! You mean orientation of the rows? It does not matter really as your site is south facing as I understand. Willow is easy that way. My rows are set like swales, at the same level, not going fown the slope, so the water is kept by their roots and does not run off.

[@pedroclaro7822]

Hope you are using ratchet secateurs. Using the normal kind all day is tough on the hands.

[@k3751e]

Hello, thanks so much for your videos. I have a question, what kind of root spread can I expect with coppiced willow? Does coppicing reduce the root spread at all? Trying to plan for a future property where I will build a house and want to make sure I’m planting it far enough away.

[@marymcandrew7667]

Thank you for sharing this, I love all the colors of the willows! I am going to plant some willow this year, I'd like some for weaving things but some I'd like to grow bigger for firewood. Do you think coppicing would be better for the willow I want to let grow thicker?

[@nancnicole]

Please excuse my ignorance, (I have currently just found your videos and going back to watch them all) what kind of Willow do you plant and use? I have a few weeping Willow I planted last year. Can I use those branches for basket weaving and structures or do I need to plant different kinds of Willow? Thank you for all of your work and taking the time to share your craft. EDIT: I just found the video regarding this subject 😊

[@kackmalwieder]

Hi Hanna, thanks you so much for your teachings. Have done a workshop with kids with your beautiful catalan tray. Good fun. And made some little baskets for myself with your tutorials. You are a great teacher. I want to ask you a question. We are growing Salix viminalis here and are not really impressed by the result. As you are already mentioned the rods are getting far too big and they have LOTS of side brunches. I want to ask you about the side brunches. Is that normal when the rods are getting so big (one years grows) or have we accidentally planted a wrong variety. The plants are probably too far appart as you have indicated already and that are only two rows anyway, which give them too much space. The annoying part are the side brunches... Might be better to plant less vigorous varieties. That would you suggest? Many thanks

[@Gustaf1965]

Hanna, sorry for a comment on an older video, but I have a question. I started a patch of willow for basketry last spring. It grew magnificently and I will harvest in about a month when the leaves have all fallen (I am in Coastal Virginia, USA). My question is that some of the individual shoots have side branches. When I harvest, is it acceptable to simply clip off the side branches and use the central shoots for baskets? I also read that side-branching is more common in younger plants and older ones tend to have fewer side branches. Thank you!

[@TheFrogleg4]

Thanks Hanna...I learnt something new this evening...what material did you use the 1st couple of years on your pollarding willow area for mulching ?

[@HannaVanAelst]

We used cardboard and rushes and hay for mulching as that is what we had.

[@atzerv]

Hi, thank you for your video! May I ask you which is the best variety of Willow for a high-living fence and basket-making growing in Canada (Niagara Region - Zone 7? I love the ones with red colour, yellow and brown colour. Can you please advise? Can you provide/ sell those to me?

[@jvin248]

Because of your videos I am thinking of putting cuttings from my falling down willow into a hedge this spring. I do worry about the plantings getting out of control -- what methods do you use to kill off a misbehaving willow?

[@HannaVanAelst]

There 8s no such thing! 😃what do you think could happen?

[@lilianegielen1576]

Dag Hanna, ik heb met veel interesse geluisterd naar deze uiteenzetting. Echt boeiend. We gaan dat zeker uitproberen. We zijn vorig jaar gestart met een erg kleine aanplant van 3 soorten als test kort bij de grond, en dat ging goed. Nu ik heb nog een vraagje: onlangs vertelde iemand dat je schapenwol kan gebruiken als materiaal dat mee als mulch kan dienen. Heb jij daar ervaring mee? We gaan dit hier waarschijnlijk testen. Hartelijke groet en heel erg bedankt voor de manier waarop jij vertelt over jouw ervaringen met wilg.

[@HannaVanAelst]

Hallo Liliane, ik heb zelk nog geen wol gebruikt als mulch, maar ik Ken wel mensen die het doen en dat werkt goed!

[@lilianegielen1576]

😘

[@gailcolangelo8213]

Hi Hanna, I would like to pollard my willow. Is the quickest method to pollarding planting a longer rod instead of the shorter cuttings?

[@HannaVanAelst]

Yes it is.

[@aadair9920]

Hi, Hanna. I was wondering, I noticed in a couple of your videos where it was very wet. Is that the condition that Willow needs to grow in? I am in the United States, Tennessee area.

[@marcusseidel6824]

Hey, thank you for your vlog. I m living in Belgium, West Flanders. Want to use willow to make a braided fence around a small border. I will use 8 chessnut poles and will majeca Knie high braided fence. There is no need to soak the willow twigs before braiding I suppose ? ( ik zal rondom boomspiegels in mijn wijk wilgen omheiningen vlechten/ weven ... Graag zou ik advies willen vragen indien mogelijk. ) groeten uit België

[@HannaVanAelst]

What willow are you using? Is it fresh or dried? Do you need to bend around corners? Is this a living willow fence? Sorry for all the questions but I need to know what you are thinking about before I can answer your questions...😀

[@marcusseidel6824]

@@HannaVanAelst It is nt a living fence it will be dry ... I will use twigs of 1.80 m long , a square of each 1.60m long. I dont know which kind of willow it is. The common willow (knotwilg) which grows around fields . Kind regards, Marcus

[@CyrildeValry]

@hannavanhaelst We love your channel and follow you. We would like to do all your projects but are limited in all resources. Would you have an American producer you would recommend?

[@ianthompson7190]

Thank you for this very instructive video. I know that spacing can vary depending on varietal vigor, but I am curious what your “average” spacing is for coppicing vs pollarding. Is coppiced willow generally planted closer than pollarded willow?

[@HannaVanAelst]

Hi Ian, pollarded willow needs more room between the plants to be able to walk through them. We have made wide rows of about 1 meter and have staggered the plant in the row about 1.5 ft /45cm apart. even if the stumps get dense we can still reach them from both sides of the bed. Pollarded willow can be planted a lot closer. The general rule is 1ft/30cm between plats in the row and 2ft/60cm between rows but I have planted vigorous varieties closer then that. I would also advise to plant closer on fertile soil.

[@ianthompson7190]

@@HannaVanAelst Thank you so much! Very helpful!

[@ianthompson7190]

@@HannaVanAelst Do you think it would be possible to plant them wider rows? Perhaps 2 meters? So you plant the pollarded willow closer than coppiced willow. Interesting.

[@HannaVanAelst]

@@ianthompson7190 yes but rods might grow a little thicker and would curve more. Maybe not a major issue depending on the variety.

[@ianthompson7190]

@@HannaVanAelst do you have deer pressure? We have considerable deer pressure. I am not sure if I can pollard tall enough to avoid the browsing, but it might turn out to be an effective management strategy. I am so glad I saw your video.

[@giorgioserracchiani1883]

Can you show us how to make a simple oval bottom your way? I would like to learn thanks

[@HannaVanAelst]

Those instructions are in my online courses

[@giorgioserracchiani1883]

@@HannaVanAelst grazie

[@user-js1cf6ct7c]

Ханна а почему вы не обрезаете прут низко?

[@user-rg1vd4zn6c]

Well I am from India. Can I get it if I order.

[@barbaraspector6689]

Do you ever wear gloves? Love your willows.

[@HannaVanAelst]

No

[@dbbdeb2327]

How do you keep deer away?

[@HannaVanAelst]

We fence the willow. The living willow fence works best as it is also a visual block to nice fresh willow rods...😀

[@littlehills739]

do the dried willow hold some color?

[@RICDirector]

Yes

[@vikkicaldwell4590]

how tall would be necessary for safely grazing sheep underneath?

[@vikkicaldwell4590]

and what spacing would you recommend for pollards in general, and spacing when the intent is to graze under them?

[@MR-ew6uw]

For tree planting the usual rule for pollarding to avoid bud damage by sheep and roe deer is 1.2m (4feet).

[@vikkicaldwell4590]

@@MR-ew6uw awesome, that's less than I would've guessed!

[@MR-ew6uw]

@@vikkicaldwell4590 That should protect new buds - however there can still be damage to the side of the main stem if they chew the green bark - ideally you'd want to plant and grow for a full year to allow the main stem to harden up a bit before introducing animals.

[@arlo8392]

✅ Promo-SM.

[@kerstconcertvarsenare5246]

Verkoop u nog steeds stekken?

[@HannaVanAelst]

Ja hoor. Je kan van begin December weer bestellen.

[@user-ud5hq5du9l]

​@@HannaVanAelstДобрый день Ханна. В Англию вы отправляете черенки?​@HannaVanAelst Good afternoon Hanna. Do you send cuttings to England?

[@HannaVanAelst]

No sorry I don't send to UK.

[@user-ud5hq5du9l]

@@HannaVanAelst It's a pity. You have such beautiful willow trees.

[@aryafeydakin]

When (not if, when) you completely prune a willow pollard (or any pollard for that matter) every year, it will start to fail to yield after 10 or so years, and most likely end up dying. It can be acceptable to have a couple willow pollards left to fend for themselves in an hedge and giving a couple short bundles for house needs. But having a couple acres of willow straight up failing after 10 years and having to entirely replant whole field is not the same ball game. When the same acre that was yielding 200 medium wicker bundles is just giving 50 short ones on occasion, and then just straight up die entirely, you lost all your investment money for no reason. A well kept willow coppice will give a full yield for 40 to 50 years before needing any replanting.

[@christinaperez254]

What causes this effect in pollards, but not in coppiced trees?

[@aryafeydakin]

@@christinaperez254 Stump height. A pollard is a perched stump, a coppice is a ground level stump, the root to shoot sap travel distance is shorter in a coppice. In scientifical terms, the SPAC response time goes up the longer the main trunk is. For example a small breeze will crank the sap flow to the max on a coppice, and the same breeze would barely move the sap in a polard. This means that each shoots in a coppice recieve and give off more sap than in a polard. That is why even on longer rotations a polarded forest yields less firewood than a coppiced forest. But that's also why a polard will die from yearly cut, because the season growth will quickly not be able to replenish the reserves, the tree undergo a nutrient deficit and simply die back (it will "want" to be coppiced).

[@christinaperez254]

@@aryafeydakin awesome reply!!❤️

[@badfeatherknives5189]

With grapes and kiwis, we know when it is time to replace the "trunk" when the vine begins to throw up new growth around ground level - perhaps every 5-8 years in our area. We cut out the old "trunk" and rebuild the vine's cordon with vigorous new growth from about ground level. Will Salix start throwing up new growth near ground level when the old pollard begins to give out? If it does, you might miss a year or three of production, but could begin the pollarding process again (rebuild the pollard) with the vigorous ground-level growth...

[@joannekamiya9332]

Can I volunteer to come harvest with you? I would love to help.

[@HannaVanAelst]

Sure, Dates for our harvesting weekend usually go up on the website jn the autumn. Subscribe to the newsletter on the website to be notified first.