Pollarding My Hybrid Willow Trees

I trimmed back my Dasyclados hybrid willows in January after a year of fast growth. My garden is very wet and suits the willows well. They put on 2 metres of growth since I planted them a year ago.

I read that in order to stimulate further strong growth it was necessary to cut them right back to the original stem, so that new growth would form at that point. Sure enough, after a month or so there are signs of new buds forming and opening. I am very relieved because it broke my heart to cut away all the new growth. I did use the shoots that I removed for planting, in the hope that I can get more trees for my money!

I planted the off-cuts quite deep in the ground and sure enough there are buds forming on most of them. I'm not sure if they will replicate the same Dasyclados fast growing hybrid, but it seems worth a try, as they are free and would otherwise be bonfire fodder.

The whole point of planting the willows was to see if I could grow my own fuel for the woodstove. I will have to wait 3-4 years now for the stronger growth before I can harvest it for fuel.