Everlasting Living Green-Willow Fence Posts!!

Sheep, donkeys, horses and cows would eat them if they could - but if they can't get at them through the wire then these fence posts just keep growing bigger and stronger every year..
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[@yt650]

You might consider growing fence posts in small plastic buckets. You could sell them as live fence posts and all they have to do is stick them in the ground. Most people do not have the knowledge wherewithal or the energy to do what you’ve done. Take advantage of the situation and grow some in plastic containers and see what happens. I don’t know what the current price is on a treated 4 x 4 fence post now but I can assure you it’s not cheap.

[@WayOutWestx2]

It's an interesting idea - thank you : - )

[@avibank]

Wasn't expecting the fast forward 6 months. So interesting! Reforesting Ireland is important.

[@Morlev44]

Willow has insane growth, it's literally a weed in tree form. I remember making bows out of willow as kid, due to its tanginess and ability to shake off any damage done to it. I think there's a reason why willow is often planted as energy crop. If I'm not mistaken you can also make homemade rooting agent out of green willow sprouts by putting them into hot but not boiling water and letting them sit like that overnight (no additional heating). Such rooting tea will help setting roots to any tree.

[@eckosters]

Ah yes, this Dutch woman loves pollarding willows! Such gratifying useful trees, I believe there is an evolutionary reason they exist together with us. I have chopped and planted them over the years, some day I might learn to be a basket weaver.

[@WayOutWestx2]

Me too : - )

[@pieluvr7362]

Ive heard of taking cuttings but this takes it up a whole new level 👍🏽🤠

[@Kirmeins]

Willow is great. I never thought of making fence posts out of willow branches - ingenious! :D Another thing nice to now: willow bark also contains acetylsalicylic acid which is a main ingredient in many modern pain killers. Willow bark tea was once used for the same reason in medieval times. Be careful though: the chemical is contained in varying doses in the willow bark. Plus, in thins the blood so do not use it (or painkillers containing this for that matter) if you're bleeding from a wound because the stuff blocks blood clotting and would be detrimental in that situation.

[@09conrado]

Yes! Aspirine was the first modern medication made in pills after extracting acetylsalic acid from willow bark I believe

[@ЕленаМышко-т4ш]

Огромное спасибо за ваш труд, 5 лет плету деревья из ивы, но про столбы из ивы даже подумать не могла что это так здорово будет!!! Беларусь Гродно Елена, подписалась, хоть и незнаю вашего языка

[@jcampbell100]

Love willow. Fenced in my city yard with decorative willow panels then grew hops on it.

[@jungsomewhat]

Ha woman and mallets ... Good fun!!

[@patgentry7268]

Serendipity you posted this recently! Was just going to go back and try to find your email to send you pic and ask about species of some sticks I got a few years ago from you. Lots has happened, but one was still with me when I came to my new home, and I planted it to help block light from a neighbor’s entry light. It is more than twenty feet tall, and a lovely tree. We pruned it today, and have put the pruning in to root. Many thanks from Pat & the Cairngorm Cairns.

[@drdos4]

Now that's really working with nature instead of fighting it.

[@gramursowanfaborden5820]

fantastic! the next degree to this, if not for sheep, is to graft the sprouting branches of the separate posts together, that way, they can grow into one big living fence, and it means they can share nutrients and grow even stronger!

[@dougmorris2134]

Hi Tim and Sandra, That’s a nice bit of “Green Thinking” Unlike timber treated with harmful preservatives, the willow protects itself and you get more than what you put in. Best wishes from Oxfordshire.

[@samvalentine3206]

So happy to see live fence posts! Great work and thanks for sharing!

[@sarasifg]

That's really cool and sustainable. Awesome discovery, Tim and Sandra.

[@sowgrowandcook]

Love this video. We’ve been making dead hedges around our veg garden using willow posts and brash/ prunings from around our smallholding and many of the willow posts have sprouted branches. We’re delighted as we have a living dead hedge! 😃

[@WayOutWestx2]

Thank you. A friend of ours is very keen on the deadwood hedges but I haven't seen anything sprouting in them yet.

[@ceciliaafrica1748]

Beautiful as always Tim...just learn so much from.all you do on your farm...and wifey...as hands on as well. Take care guys...

[@TheInfoworks]

Nice and logical idea, felling the tops into the field will give feed and get the poles sneded with no effort, cheers

[@yeagerxp]

Well done 👍👍👍. Thank you for sharing. Be safe🇨🇦

[@movewellwitheleanor]

Wonderful willow!!! I only learnt recently how important the willow pollen is for bees 🐝 🥰

[@Elavid]

That's really amazing, I never thought of making fence posts like that!

[@calvingreene90]

The good ol' living fence post. The best of fence posts.

[@GrizzlyGroundswell]

Just found this video, excellent! Here in Ohio I can't put willow on border lines, but I have them growing well within although mostly basketry and curly willow, they do provide some privacy, wind break, green wood, waddle, wicker and habitat. But your video has given me an idea about using my curly willow as cross fencing. The fodder is a favorite of my hogs to ease their aches and pains of being a lovely hog. Yet rapid shade is also much appreciated. So, I will take your advice and give her a go. I like the idea of selling them as ready to use growing in a 5 gallon bucket for sale. Great food for thought!

[@paullittle5200]

Lovely idea, and so natural.

[@pamelacourtney8998]

Fantastic. The multipurpose tree that keeps on giving. Blessings to all ❤

[@slowcrochet]

Wouldn't that be wonderful, to have living fences as the norm!

[@bluelilly22222]

amazing Willows

[@redlily8101]

Brilliant Tim!!

[@LitoGeorge]

Love this. Removes so much work for a farmer

[@cls9474]

Even if I'm rather the workshop fan, this video is GREAT! Love such stuff!

[@clareodoherty2668]

bloody interesting!!!

[@lizgarland2241]

Just fantastic 🙏💜💜💜

[@ericlotze7724]

I stumbled upon something like this a while back, it was called “Hedge-laying” This is probably just due to my boring suburban background, but I thought hedges were just shrubs/trees planted in a row, but this was like what you are doing; they were making woven living fences of sorts! Now I’m trying to figure out the best designs out there, and maybe what could be improved about them!

[@WayOutWestx2]

It depends what you're trying to keep in - hedges are complicated things..

[@patgentry7268]

There are some good books on hedge-layng, like A Natural History of the Hedgerow by wright.

[@benclarke8699]

Its a shame this doesn't become the new norm. With the change in timber treatment due to environment impact wood seems to rot that much quicker. Then you feel like your changing it 2-3 times as often as before. Makes you wounder if the environment is better off or not. But if pre cut willow post could be purchase in store and you can get around the short shelf life everyones a winner.

[@AntonLindbergh]

Beautiful

[@tropifiori]

Fascinating

[@geoffreykail9129]

That is fantastic, permanent posts with a future supply of fire wood. Thanks, it too dry here or the willows to grow in California

[@jackphoton]

Strings those new branches through the fence and you'll have an espalier wall!

[@jonnno100]

Nice idea!

[@PaulRansonArt]

Thank you Sandra and Tim. If I ever get a small holding I'll be sure to use living fence posts. 🥰🥰

[@nancya.nelson5810]

Good idea!

[@arjenhillenius1917]

You are busy with all the video's it seems Tim. Great! But still I wonder how Sandra is doing. I hope you are all well. Greetings from Friesland.

[@grahamheath3799]

I also use willow posts, Sometimes the growth is irritating. Once I even wired the 3 posts to a metal rod leaving the willow about 3 inches above ground. Even these managed to root! but when I tried planting about 100 small willow twigs into a bank to prevent erosion none took! do you use the term Murphie's law?

[@WayOutWestx2]

Ha! Yes, life can be very frustrating. I suppose they just dried out too much on the bank?

[@DianeD862]

We will enjoy watching this on later Sandra we just love what you do we love Tim’s channel as well we so much love Ireland 🇮🇪 and Ireland’s your so beautiful and special would do anything to live there we’re so happy when we are there.Will see you for now it’s got to be better in Ireland 🇮🇪 We’ve just got rid of Boris so we’re very happy today.🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪💚💚💚💚🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@markirish7599]

Best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪 .💚❤

[@NicoSmets]

That is amazing!

[@TheShadeTreeFixitMan]

Great idea!

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Well I learned something new today, Thank you very much. Never know willows would grow like that, alas they don't grow very well here in my part of Texas, USA.

[@simonworman7898]

A nice thin 5'6" crowbar in a fence mechanics best friend together with a magniseum ali mail or you could make your own from green Holl with an ash o steel banded with an ash sledge hammer shaft or a bought hickory one. Even when your ground is soggy the bar (used free hand) will give a proper cavity for easy and upright setting of even live posts such as willow.

[@simonworman7898]

mail ,Holly

[@simonworman7898]

Maul

[@phillipbampton911]

In Daniel Defoe's book, Robinson Crusoe made a palisade with freshly cut small trees. They grew roots and branches and became unidentifiable as a fence. I read it when I was about 10 or 12 and called BS until my Dad explained the reality of it.

[@lornapenn-chester6867]

This is brilliant! 👏👏

[@MattBrownbill]

What a good idea! Living fence-posts, can they be cordoned?

[@WayOutWestx2]

Easily!

[@ptonpc]

If only I'd known of this when I used Goldcrest to support my old fence.

[@bigunone]

Locust is another tree that can grow like that. Here we use steel T posts try to drive a wooden one like you do would be an exercise in futility

[@peterwooldridge7285]

Smashing

[@Lappmogel]

That tree ia cool, you can cut the branches and let them lay where they fall and most will start growing with no effort from your side. Can be a problem if you want to get rid of them since you cant be lazy and just let them rot on the ground

[@kjbaran]

Here in south east USA, we have Ligustrum that grows like a weed, it’s strong, thick, and everywhere.

[@balateera]

Everyone is a winner 🌞 willows are often dead and alive at the same time. Such a reincarnation tree 🌳

[@manuscarlisle463]

I don't know why but even though I'm subscribed your videos haven't been showing up on my sub page for the last few months!

[@jamesgoddard8375]

Not a bad idea that. Also blew my mind that you could plant them upside down and they would still grow. Aren't plants amazing

[@WayOutWestx2]

Oh yes.

[@anachronisticon]

All the willow on our farm seems to enjoy falling over as soon as it gets big enough.

[@kennethjessop6073]

Carbon negative too.

[@joansmith3492]

cool

[@phillallen01]

You need to use sweet chestnut post it will last at lot longer than any other wood put in the ground

[@WayOutWestx2]

Sure - if we could get them!

[@maxb7731]

Did those poplar slips you placed by fence posts ever take off?

[@WayOutWestx2]

They did! I'll show you sometime..

[@ciarz3r]

How do you attach the fence to the living posts? Using staples the tree will grow around the staple and fence and you won't be able to remove the fence. Is there a solution to that?

[@johncourtneidge]

Hurrah!

[@VanderlyndenJengold]

Two years ago I placed some crack willow sticks in a bucket of water, they struck and grew and yet I've no idea where to put them.

[@TheKlink]

maybe put an ad on craigslist or your local classifieds?

[@michiganhay7844]

Never thought about using a completely non-rot resistant wood that would easily sprout and keep growing, so it would not rot

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Just a seasonal trim is needed now

[@aidanscapeing]

you need to make a machine to sharpen the ends of the posts.

[@smygandefisen6258]

The machine you think of is called a chainsaw.

[@aidanscapeing]

@@smygandefisen6258 A digger to pull them out by the roots 😄

[@mrMacGoover]

The weeping willows that grow here in Southern Ontario Canada look much different, ours have oval spear shaped leaves and have long stems that are like long straight hair that sway in the breeze.

[@frederickmoller]

In Northern Ontario too! My childhood home in Timmins which my 95 yo Dad still lives at, has them on either side of his driveway, and they were there as long as I can remember, 66 years for myself.

[@fleurdelune5240]

❤️

[@ericwilliams1659]

I surprised you have not planted alot of hazel and made a living hedge.

[@WayOutWestx2]

We have planted hedges (and manage the ones we already have) but they take up ten times the width of a fence..

[@TroyEagan]

Pretty sure the calling it Sally actually comes from gaelic, seileach.

[@johnfrancis9668]

😁

[@ltsmash45]

:)

[@sinisterhipp0]

Go on, give us a bee hive video.

[@WayOutWestx2]

I started one but then got distracted. I'll see what I can do..

[@samvalentine3206]

@@WayOutWestx2 - So much to do, so little time!👍

[@opcn18]

Everyone's a winner except for the poor sod who ruins his chainsaw blade cutting out some deadwood at the edge of the field 40 years after you're gone.

[@WayOutWestx2]

No one would cut anything below 4' high from a hedge though, would they? (Also, I doubt there will be many people around in 40 years!)

[@opcn18]

​@@WayOutWestx2 if left unattended for a couple of decades what's a hedgerow now could easily be mistaken for the center of a woodlot

[@H4rleyBoy]

Stupidly obvious why don't all farmers etc use them.

[@emirrp]

Cool idea.