Garden science - Auxin, Apical dominance, Pollards, Coppices and problem solving.

Does anyone want to make a kids day? If so, please consider popping over to Wyatt's brand new youtube channel on cooking and give him some views. He has a great personality and I think he will do fantastic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRNPcbuaXgI

I know that he is probably hitting refresh on his channel multiple times a day, and even just a few more views would make his day. I know we have a great community here and I appreciate anyone who wants to spread some love.

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In this video we talk about how Auxin, a plant hormone determines how trees grow - and how we can use that in our designs. We will use an example of using smart design to turn a problem into a solution (this permaculture principle resonates the most with me, as this is literally what engineering is all about).

Also, we have some puppy TV at the end that people may enjoy, so make sure you check that out. Harry is hilarious with this little puppy. He was SO happy to have a little pup to hang out with. I can't wait to get Lucy and see how he is with her. When we got Ginny she was as small as Harry, and Harry would pick up a toy, prance/run a few feet away, drop it down, let the puppy (Ginny) run up and try to get it, then he would pick it back up, prance/run a bit further and drop it down. When she gave up, he would bring the toy back to her, drop it down, let her play with it, pick it back up and run away. It was so hilarious.

I also still have on the backburner the video about land selection. I will work on that a bit more today. I want to try to get some interesting b-roll footage so that the back half it's just me talking. I also have an animation segment in there which I was playing with just for fun, to see if that's enjoyable at all. It's a lot more work than I hoped. But it should be something slightly different. So that's all still coming.

I hope everyone is still out there being safe, and dreaming of spring. Hopefully our dream of spring isn't like GRR Martin's dream of spring which may never come. Come on George, lets go buddy.

Best trees to Coppice (opinion only).

What makes a good coppice/pollard tree? You want a tree with many buds, which doesn't weep or bleed much on cuts, and one that grows vigorously, with a large rootmass. Here are my species of choice:

Alder: The alder species is a quickly growing, nitrogen-fixing tree that offers quality wood for fuel.

Black Locust: Another nitrogen fixing tree species, black locust is some of the hardest wood available - amazing for firewood for both large cuts as well as thinner cuts for biochar or rocket mass heaters. This wood is actually SO hard that it comes with a double-edged sword of dulling your chainsaw/pruners VERY quickly. It's that hard. It also has better fungal resistance than cedar and makes amazing structure wood for pergolas, trellies, arbors, fences.

Elderberry: This is one of the few tree species that is both a food source and a good candidate for coppice forestry practices. The wood is relatively soft which means you can chip it easily. Recommended more for a source of mulch wood than firewood, and as a duo benefit as amazing food for birds and humans.

Willow: Willow trees are known for their quick growth, especially in wet areas. Willow wood is amazing for craftwork as it is extremely pliable. It is also probably the single best wood for artistic espaulier projects such as making living chairs, tables, pergolas, tunnels, etc.

Chestnut: Chestnut blight typically doesn't hit a tree until about 10 years, and a coppice system will keep the new growth vigorous and resistant to blight. These respond well to a coppice. Make sure to let one branch get large so that you can also get a nut yield.

Hitting 5k character limit: Also birch, sumac, oak, ash, hazel.

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Music credits:

Closer by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US