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Remarkable for its fast growth. It is capable of producing long straight flexible rods from 10 – 15 feet each growing season from March to October, after coppicing or pollarding the previous winter.
Coppicing is cutting back annually or biennially nearly to ground level.
Pollarding is cutting back to form stumps (‘stools’) from which an increasing number of shoots will sprout.
Maximum height when left to grow : 28 – 30 ft.
It is hardy, resisting exposed conditions, including salt-laden winds, pests and diseases.
It will grow in most types of soil, provided it is not too dry.
It requires no fertiliser unless the soil is very impoverished or acidic. Indeed through its root spread and leaf litter, it improves and opens the soil structure and creates nutrients encouraging the growth of other plants and affords them shelter.
It is cheap and easy to plant in quantity and establish from slips (cuttings) and responds vigorously to regular cropping, providing a sustainable resource for a wide variety of uses.
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