Goat willow

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Goat willow

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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
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Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 05 7:40 pm Post subject: Goat willow
Also known as Pussy Willow and is apparently good for woodland wildlife. Does anyone know if it is as easy as other willows to root from cuttings in moist ground? Are they any other uses apart from it's wildlife values?

Mad Dad

Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 407
Location: Nowhere near where I want to be

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 05 7:47 pm Post subject:
Seem to remember Pussy Willow was a character in a poem or story I heard as a child so now I know where the name came from....Sorry I'm rambling and I'm afraid I can't answer your question either other that to say try it and see what happens.

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 05 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: Goat willow

Treacodactyl wrote:

Also known as Pussy Willow and is apparently good for woodland wildlife. Does anyone know if it is as easy as other willows to root from cuttings in moist ground? Are they any other uses apart from it's wildlife values?

I am reliably informed that it is easy to take cuttings from, other than for wildlife I have no idea of other uses.

hardworkinghippy

Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France

Posted: Sun Oct 16, 05 9:29 am Post subject:

Goats love it, but they don't destroy it as it reshoots very quickly from its stool.

Goat willow are the only small trees left standing in one of our goat fields, the other bushes were all destroyed after a years of intensive nibbling. As you say Bernie, it strikes easily from cuttings but has to be cut back really hard to get a nice colourful winter head and a spectacular yellow tinge when the catkins are out. (Wettish land is best)

The birds get really excited when the catkins are out, so it must be a treat for them when there's not a lot else around.

HWH

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Oct 16, 05 9:58 pm Post subject: Re: Goat willow

Treacodactyl wrote:

easy to root from cuttings in moist ground

I think that is a good definition of the word 'willow', all varieties take as easily given the right conditions (ie wet

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 5:53 am Post subject:
Thanks for the replies, I'll give it a go.

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 6:49 am Post subject:
i didn't know it was called goat willow my goats love chewing willow withies so that a good reason for trying to strike some cuttings might help kaiser as he's cutting his adult teeth and i think they're giving him some trouble............... i shall have to go and cut him some...........

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 11:25 am Post subject:
Speaking of goats, do goat keepers ever feed branches of trees to their goats? At our local contry fair we have seen the goats tuck into bundles of fresh branches and if an area of woodland is being cleared you often see loads of leafy branches laying about. I wonder if people keeping goats in a limited space would be able to use the branches as a food supliment?

Nanny

Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 11:38 am Post subject:
yes definitely though you do have to be a bit careful which ones you give to them willow is fine oak leaves i only give sparingly when one of them might get a bit of diarhoea they love ash, and any hedging bits including brambles and rose bushes allkinds of trees pygmys are called african tree goats and i wouldn't think they are up there for the view..........

sean
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 05 11:40 am Post subject:

Nanny wrote:

pygmys are called african tree goats and i wouldn't think they are up there for the view..........

Not sure about that, if I was something small and edible and lived in Africa I might want a higher vantage point. Be a bummer if you got up there and there was a leopard waiting though.

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