How To Harvest and Process Dogbane For Natural Fibers

Sarah Corrigan of Roots School in Vermont goes over how to identify, harvest, and do the basic processing of Dogbane, one of the strongest natural cellulose fibers. This fiber can then be hand twisted into cord, or spun an woven. Awesome for everything from bowstrings to clothing.

[@katehenry2718]

Nearly cried with joy to see a YOUNG woman carry on the skills. I'm 75 and have seen only one other, a man, once , in 45 years, work with nettle fiber. I've grown flax in my front yard to spin. Spin and weave wool. Now I hear Milkweed (!) also has fiber. I raise milkweed for beautiful balls of flowers (and butterflies), and scatter a hundred seed pods to build up the meadow. I demo the thread skills at 18C reenactments where tourists have no clue and are amazed. Thank you Miss Corrigan for sharing with the world. THANK YOU for teaching me TWO new fibers to hunt for. )))))

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks so much for watching and your kind words. Its amazing what a fundamental skill fiber is and how disconnected most people are!

[@AnimeShinigami13]

I picked up milkweed bast fiber spinning when I had trouble finding dogbane. turns out i have to walk quite a ways to harvest any. the patch can be reached from the bus but that's not free. :( milkweed is everywhere in my neighborhood. but I have to use a table spindle for it. a drop spindle they tend to snap.

[@Trailsend72]

There’s still a few of us out there

[@RodSmothers]

Regarding the questions about "brushing"....you can find lots of information about the entire process by searching on "Flax processing" or "hemp processing". As she said, those fibers are all "bast" fibers and are handled the same way. Flax and hemp have been used far more extensively than dog bane and whole industries have developed around them for millennia. In short, flax and hemp processors "break" the stalks with a tool called a "break", then they use a scutching knife to remove the "hurds" (broken stalks) leaving behind only the fiber. Then you use combs or brushes called hackles or hatchels to remove any remaining debris and the short fibers (the tow....btw, this is the origin of the phrase "tow head", meaning a boy with light colored hair). Then you spin the fibers into thread and put the thread on a loom and weave your fabric. I've been raising flax and doing demonstrations for the public and school kids for about 20 years as a Rev War reenactor....this is an amazing process and it's cool when children realize that somebody "grew" their clothes if they're wearing natural fibers.

[@jonathanellis8921]

I have a necklace that I made as a kid from this plant. I had no idea what it was untill now! I would like you to know that this is the first comment I have ever written on KZbin. I feel compelled to thank you Sarah for showing this to me; it brought me back to my childhood of wandering around a Pennsylvania creek and learning all it would show me. I wish you all the best on your journey, safe travels.

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks for sharing that!

[@FrederickDunn]

Ok, that was new!!! I have an entire field of this and had not heard of the fiber use. I see an experiment coming on this summer! Thank you and thumbs up!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Glad it was helpful!

[@leemundy1613]

You have to harvest the stalks after they have died and dried in the fall. My wife worked as a historical interpreter, showing Native American living techniques. She learned to make cordage. I learned to spot dogbane so I could bring her some for her demonstrations. The eye, once trained, can pick it out immediately. In the fall just before the leaves fall, they turn a golden color. Whole patches decorate the landscape. The seed pods are almost like a vanilla bean. It's a great bit of craft to know.

[@waltergigandet6715]

Had dermestid beetles in the scrapings from a buffalo hide, a paper grocery bag 3/4 full. Made a A smudge bundle of dog bane peels stalks. Laid the bag on the side, so the breeze blew the smoke directly into the bag. I less than 5 minutes all vermin were dead

[@johnny96888]

This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! I want to make one of those bags!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks!

[@wolfmangosan539]

Your gorgeous inside and out ! Your knowledge is so important it’s lost nowadays to so many thank you for keeping alive 🪶

[@draven3838]

Thank you for showing us about dog bane, such a beautiful shy smile

[@christineg8151]

The color on that is gorgeous! I'm used to hemp and linen, which have a much more golden color, and I love that rich amber!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Yeah it is amazing the luster it can get when you process it all the way!

[@worldofwoolol6082]

I just moved to Ga. From South Florida and really want to learn to make things from plants but I seem to be alone in this... You are a wonderful teacher and the video is great. Thank You & peace people

[@randallscheiner5364]

Someone whacked a bunch of Apocynum cannabinum in a ditch with a sickle-bar mower recently. I let it sit for a few days, then gathered an enormous bundle. I want to make a bowstring, so I figured I would need a lot. I thought to just skin the stems and spin that, but I learned from this video I should only collect the "bast" fibers. Good to know. A heavy bowstring will cast an arrow more slowly. So much to learn!!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Good for you! Bow strings are tough! Test it on a bow that you dont mind hurting if the string breaks!

[@salvitoregachione1237]

Excellent video. I miss living in New England sorely. You have a great voice! Keep up the good work.

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks, we are actually going to be kicking out a ton of content now that we have to take a break from teaching classes!

[@shanbentz649]

The "see-sawing" technique is key; thank you for sharing!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

More to come!

[@DannyWalker1949]

Thanks for explaning the way you get it to come apart the correct way.

[@DaneStolthed]

I am enamored by the work you guys do at the Roots School and I throughly enjoy the knowledge you share! BIG thumbs up!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks!

[@agnosjr]

Awesome! Thank for sharing.

[@2bonosc]

Very good. Thanks for the info!

[@billyjoedenny]

great info sarah ,,,thank you very much. ..bill

[@jameslafontaine5557]

Great video. Such a pretty smile

[@stardustxx278]

Thanks, for the great video!!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Glad you liked it!

[@RMacca]

How lovely! Such a pretty little bag. Thanks for the video!

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks for watching!

[@-cgk-.]

Wow how do you get the fibers so clean? I always still have tiny bits of bark in there. It doesn’t affect its utility, but it would be nice to have it as clean as yours turned out.

[@WayneTheSeine]

Wow....awesome. I want that bag.....gimmie that bag. :P Seriously...that bag is worth a fortune. It exemplifies the persistence, determination and incredible ingenuity of the human species. A species completely ill equipped to survive on this planet ....other than the attributes mentioned above. So cool.

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks! That bad is awesome. The fabric dog bane makes is incredibly strong!

[@mikerelford1298]

Great video

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks!

[@trspriyadarshini2468]

Great work

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Thanks

[@WAGONJON]

That bag though! Beautiful work! Do you have any seeds for trade or sale? Would love to have some so I can grow some! Thanks for sharing?? :)

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

You can find them online, but getting it from the wild in your area will ensure you get locally adapted plants, you may want to see if you can harvest your own.

[@illidari12211]

Wow that is amazing. I have been looking for a fiberus planet just like this and this one is exactly what I was looking for. I hope I can find some in Maine.

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Glad I could help!

[@kirkbupkis]

That bag though 😍

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

It's my favorite bag she has made!

[@zioMav89]

And i fell in love!

[@oisinnewport8668]

could you show us how to brush it out to fine fibres?

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Check out our video Fibers from a Wild Landscape for a little bit of that and stay tuned for more videos. Thanks for watching!

[@whistlingbadger]

Very interesting! Do you find there is a particular time of year that is best for harvesting? I am in the Rocky Mountains, thinking about harvesting some for bow backing.

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Harvest at the end of the growing season when the fibers are strongest!

[@bonesstones6584]

Great video Sarah, what time of year is best to harvest dogbane?

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

After it has died in the fall and before it starts to rot in mid to late winter. Sometime it is good until spring.

[@alicetulloch6945]

Out west, we have a different vocabulary: I’ve never heard of “herd,” we call it pith. We call the outer layer bark, not cuticle. FYI

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

I think a lot of these terms come from traditional Europeans fiber processing, maybe flax etc.

[@southforthewinter257]

Do you think there would be any in Arkansas in early April? It's getting pretty warm

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

It would have to be last years and it may be rotten...down in Arkansas I would probably be looking for a tree with good fibrous bark to work this time of year. You got basswood or elm?

[@southforthewinter257]

@@ROOTSSchoolVT I'll check

[@southforthewinter257]

thanks!

[@froggydoodle808]

For your bag, you say you spun the fiber into a 2-ply twine and then... Circular knitted? Basketweaving? Or other technique? (Just curious!)

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Its twined. Which is a lot like a reverse wrap cordage going through the warps.

[@sophievautour8573]

How have you made the warp for this twined basket? Was it also from dogbane? I know how to make cordage, and trying to transition to twining

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

It's all made from dogbane with some accents of nettle and milkweed. Twining is very doable once you get the hang of it. You might try a small one from jute or hemp or yarn to get the technique down and then put all the effort into making tons of dogbane cord.

[@markishabunn4492]

I suspect I have dogbane in my yard. When do you collect and process it?

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

Just after it dies back in the autumn to mid winter.

[@tinadriskell4469]

Show us the tools you are using to "brush and comb" your fibers. Please show us how to make them as well.

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

You can use anything from a lead free florist frog, to a few forks tapes together to a comb made from horn, bone, antler, etc.

[@FirstnameLastname-bn4gv]

How do I know if I've waited too late to harvest this year's dogbane? If the seed pods have already opened, have I missed the window? I'm worried the dogbane I harvested has already begun to rot on the stalk a bit early this year.

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

If the fiber fall apart when you take it off the stalk its too late. We have gotten it into the winter and just the part that has been wet from the ground or snow is rotten.

[@FirstnameLastname-bn4gv]

@@ROOTSSchoolVT Is the readiness of the stalk/fiber in any way related to the condition of the seed pods? I've noticed that the best stalks tend to be the ones with most of their seed pods open.

[@loves2spin2]

You say you "brush it out." What do you use to brush it with?

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

We have used a horn comb, a wooden comb, a couple of forks, a florist frog, even a hard toothed hair comb...

[@rferoe]

How about dog brushes? I use them and like the idea of dogbane dogbrushes!

[@Trmmaryland]

Isn't dogbane poisonous? No contact dermatitis?

[@ROOTSSchoolVT]

No, but its not edible. We dont handle it green.