Sunday, November 19, 2006
Willow butchery
Continues. Now more than three quarters there. What we seem to have is one primary stool with two or three subsidiaries - maybe just suckered off the primary. The primary is irregular in shape, flat and about two feet across. The shoots occupy more or less the whole hemisphere - from horizontal to vertical. Tallest must be around 12 foot. We will see if I can get runner beans up them.
A few years ago somebody else had a go with a machete. Noticeable that for a very vigourous plant, willow does not much care for the crude wounds left by said machete. Much die back and many dead, feeble shoots. Healthy growth seems to come from some way down from the cut. We will see how it responds to the present much tidier job with a saw. Plus I will clear all the rubbish away and let a bit of air into the thing.
What I will not do is attempt to dig the thing out. I will leave that for someone who seriously wants the thing dead and either has a lot of time or a digger. It is alleged that one could pile all the clippings over the stool and burn the thing down. I suspect this would make a bit of a mess but not be fatal. In any case, I am quite happy to keep the thing for periodic prunings for sticks and stakes.
The curved hard steel pruning saw from Sweden continues to impress. The curve in the blade gives one a lot of extra traction in awkward places, as does the curve in the handle. Slightly scary when tired as if the blade jumped onto one's hand it would do serious damage. The teeth seem to be a vicious at the day it was bought fifteen years ago or more.
Fell off the cigar waggon on Thursday. We will see when the next occasion is!
A few years ago somebody else had a go with a machete. Noticeable that for a very vigourous plant, willow does not much care for the crude wounds left by said machete. Much die back and many dead, feeble shoots. Healthy growth seems to come from some way down from the cut. We will see how it responds to the present much tidier job with a saw. Plus I will clear all the rubbish away and let a bit of air into the thing.
What I will not do is attempt to dig the thing out. I will leave that for someone who seriously wants the thing dead and either has a lot of time or a digger. It is alleged that one could pile all the clippings over the stool and burn the thing down. I suspect this would make a bit of a mess but not be fatal. In any case, I am quite happy to keep the thing for periodic prunings for sticks and stakes.
The curved hard steel pruning saw from Sweden continues to impress. The curve in the blade gives one a lot of extra traction in awkward places, as does the curve in the handle. Slightly scary when tired as if the blade jumped onto one's hand it would do serious damage. The teeth seem to be a vicious at the day it was bought fifteen years ago or more.
Fell off the cigar waggon on Thursday. We will see when the next occasion is!
# posted by Jim @ 9:24 AM 
