BIOENGINEERING AND OUR PLANTS
BIOENGINEERING AND OUR PLANTS
After the leaves have dropped and frost is in the air we begin another of our harvest season for our branches. We grow a number of different varieties of willows and dogwoods which can easily be propagated as a hardwood cutting. When these shrubs or trees go dormant, we harvest their branches for this purpose. They can be stuck in the ground and it will grow roots. This process of propagation can be harnessed for a bioengineering in naturalized and wetland areas.
LIVE STAKES
The branches we collect are cut into stakes and cut to spec. At this time of year, you will see us out in our willow fields cutting true to name varieties of native tree and shrub type willow and dogwood. We sell 50cm,75cm and 100cm lengths with appropriate stem size to push in the ground. These stakes are mainly stuck in the ground in urban settling ponds, river banks and roadsides as a natural way for the roots to stabilize the angled ground from mud slides and bank erosion. The willows soak up some of the toxins in urban runoff areas. Planting them now will take advantage of the early growth from spring rain and spring heat in April.
FASCINES OR WATTLES
When the banks are very steep or the waterway can flow rapidly other techniques can be used to stabilize the ground. Fascines or tied bundles of mixed willow and dogwood can be laid in rows on the ground secured with live stakes and fully backfilled with soil. This method utilizes larger willow branches which may root more easily into the ground and stabilize more square footage faster. We generally process our branches into 15-20cm diameter bundles that are 200cm long and tied with 5 rounds of biodegradable sisal twine.
BRUSH LAYERING
As the name suggests branches can also be layered and spread on a flat or gentle slope. The branches will then be covered with a layer of soil and will root into it. The fresh soil that is put on top will allow the branches to root easily in poor soil conditions in difficult terrain. The cuts we sell for this purpose tend to be branched and between 125cm and 150cm tall.
First Nature Nursery has carefully hand selected willow varieties from local wetlands that are native and true to name. We have propagated these plants with attributes that grow into straight and strong stems. Our list and quantity of varieties is always growing and changing to meet the demands of our customers.