Willow Structures

[John-W-WI]

Well, after 3 or 4 years of planning and growing, we finally have enough material to sell willow structures:

http://www.bigrocktrees.com/Willow-Structures_c_30.html

We'll be adding additional structures as we finish the instructions for them (in the next week or two). The key has been getting willows mature enough to grow 8' rods in a single season so they are long and straight whips.

Take a look, they are fun to plant and watch grow!

By the way, the store is stocked and ready for the 2015 season!

-John

 

[Bill]

That is not a willow structure..

That's a living "hunting blind". :) Cool stuff. I bet my grandson would love one of those.

 

[John-W-WI]

Yeah, I have intended to plant some "blinds" for the last 2 springs. I have the perfect spot (we put ground blinds in those spots every year). 2 years ago I ran out of time, and this past spring it was too wet. Rather than willows I was going to try hybrids... Plant them full and trim them back to hunt out of them. Maybe this spring?

-John

 

[tooln]

John
Didn't you and Jake make one this spring? How about some pictures of it.

 

[Jim Timber]

I'd love to see how the planted ones are doing too. Last update was over the summer, right?

 

[j-bird]

This gives me an idea. I have an area where I need a short (4' tall) screen along a road. I wonder if I can "weave" willow together to make a living fence? I have seen some of these on the inter webs but considered them more of a gardners tool - but there may be something there for my application.

 

[j-bird]

I think so - I think that was where I saw them on the "inter webs". I couldn't remember the exact place I saw them. I have roughly 300 feet to cover, but I may try a small section and see how it goes. I already have some native willow on my place so I may just work with what I have and see what I get. This may be a neat project for my girls and I - they are not much into hunting, but this may be a neat little common ground project for us. I will have to see what sort of whips I can harvest this spring for "building materials". If I do this I will post some pics.

 

[j-bird]

I figure I will start small and expand as I can. I have a few places where I can get my cuttings from off of my place from mature trees and in a year or two have an additinal cuttings crop available. The willows I have I have cut down to the stumps before and they come back just as strong in a few years - sometimes I think it just pisses them off when I cut them back! I am not familair with cuttings so I want to start small anyway before I put that much work into it only for it to fail - that would really suck! 300' of woven dead sticks!

 

[foggy]

This gives me an idea. I have an area where I need a short (4' tall) screen along a road. I wonder if I can "weave" willow together to make a living fence? I have seen some of these on the inter webs but considered them more of a gardners tool - but there may be something there for my application.

A few years ago my wife and i went on a tour of Costa Rica. We toured across the country in a bus. EVERYWHERE they had living fences planted so tight that it would keep all kinds of livestock from getting thru. Usually just a single row. I don't think they had any wire fences.....all were living fences. I was very impressed with what they had done. I gotta assume these were all done with cuttings.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

A few years ago my wife and i went on a tour of Costa Rica. We toured across the country in a bus. EVERYWHERE they had living fences planted so tight that it would keep all kinds of livestock from getting thru. Usually just a single row. I don't think they had any wire fences.....all were living fences. I was very impressed with what they had done. I gotta assume these were all done with cuttings.

They tried that in Missouri as well back in the day. Did not work and now those plants are called invasives.

 

[UFi911]

Much to my dismay, I can't find many of the dome pictures I took. I have looked and looked and looked. All of my digital images are now more organized than ever before, but I'm still missing most of the dome pictures :(:mad::confused:

Here are some pictures of building last years dome: (posted here before, but posting them again for the heck of it)

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[UFi911]

And a few more:

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[UFi911]

The dome planted a couple of years ago:

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[scott44]

Really Cool John! Nice ground blinds

 

[UFi911]

I bought some images from a nursery in the UK, these aren't personally mine:

Arbor:

Dome:
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[UFi911]

A few more design options:

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[UFi911]

A Fedge:

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[UFi911]

A "WigWam" or "TeePee":

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[UFi911]

They tried that in Missouri as well back in the day. Did not work and now those plants are called invasives.

What kinds of plants did they use? I've never seen a willow become invasive....

-John

 

[j-bird]

I like that term "fedge" - that is pretty much what I am after. I figure mine will be a more tightly woven one or I my have to do a double row. It may not even work for what I need after leaf drop - but I won't know untilI give it a whirl.