I have supplied unrooted Salix alba ‘Caerulea’ Cricket bat willows for over 35 years.

My original stock plants came about 40 years ago from Long Ashton Government owned horticultural research station ( now closed but they had a willow trial section at that time).

The starting material to grow the willows is long unrooted cuttings called “sets”. These are typically 2-4 metres long but sometimes shorter or longer.

I regularly supply professional Cricket Bat willow growers among them the the English Willow Company. There is of course lots of information on the internet, but some may be misleading or inaccurate. The best I have found is a description of recent planting at Hole Park estate in Kent, this is put out by the Royal Forestry Society and describes a fairly large sale planting, I agree with everything described there. Parts of other You tube guides by Mr Jones and also Kippax Cricket may be misleading. There is good information provided by J.S. Wright and Sons a long established and respected grower and Bat manufacturer ( not the finished product however).

They imply that it is best to plant very long Sets about 5 metres long. In my experience you can grow perfect Bat Willow trees by planting pretty well any size of smaller Set so long as the young tree is protected from rabbits and deer if they are present. Planting smaller sets of for example 2.5- 3 metres long is cheaper, easier and shorter sets do not need to be put in the soil so deep because they will offer less wind resistance.( It is not normal to stake sets they are pushed into the soil until they are secure in a vertical position) If Fallow deer are present then 1.5 metre high guards should suffice, or 1.2 metre high for Roe and Muntjac. It is important that whatever type of guard is used it should be able to be slid up the stem of the young tree to allow removal of the beginnings of small branches which may develop low down. Some of the videos show pruning saws being used to remove side shoots, I prefer secateurs or rubbing off very small shoots by hand. It is vitally important that no side shoots remain on the tree to a height of at least 3.6 metres or better 4.5 metres ( 4 or 5 bat lengths) Normal spacing is 10 metres apart each way which gives 100 trees per hectare or about 40 per acre. Harvesting begins after 12-15 years when the trunks have reached 45 or 50 cm diameter. They may be harvested in batches when they reach optimum size. To grow good quality Cricket Bat willow it is necessary to plant on ground that stays moist most summers although planting on ground that is badly waterlogged for weeks on end is not likely to give good results. Planting is normally between early Dec and late Feb. Prior to planting, the positions of trees should be marked and a circle 1.0-1.5 metres diameter sprayed using glyphosate (Roundup). Ideally this should be done a few weeks before planting so that grass is dead before planting. No harm will come to the willow if they are planted only a day or two after spraying. With the thin bark on newly planted sets it is just possible that Glyphosate may be absorbed through the bark but after about 3 years the bark will be sufficiently woody to prevent absorbtion of the glyphosate.

For organic growers mulching can be used to prevent grass growth which would otherwise normally considerably slow growth in the first couple of years. The willow sets I supply will have been cut up to a few days in advance of collection. They must be kept moist and if planting is to be delayed for more than a few days stand them in about half a metre depth of water. Do not leave for weeks in water. Most of the willow sets I supply are between 2 metres and 4 metres in length. These will have had all live side shoots trimmed off except for a few small ones near the tip ( I think leaving a few small shoots near the tip helps initial growth) These small side shoots must be removed as the willow grows in height. The easiest way of planting these is to make a pilot hole with a steel bar of slightly smaller diameter than the base of the set, so that the set is firm and in good contact with the soil when pushed into the pilot hole. In hard ground drilling with an auger may be appropriate but in that case I recommend putting the loose soil back in the hole before pushing in the set, do not auger too deep otherwise the set may flop about. Normally the set only needs to have the bottom 40 cm in the ground but may need more to keep it firm and vertical in very wet soils. The willows must be planted vertically and if weather after planting disturbs them realignment may be required. I would expect very close to 100% success ion establishment.

Removal of side shoots is best done at least twice during the growing season during the first few years.

Geoff Locke 13.2.25 glmpff@gmail.com www.gltrees.co.uk. Mount Pleasant Farm and Forestry