blowin
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Do more research than I did ! 
One type of willow grows on all the open ground around here and there is plenty of another type in the hedges so I assumed that I could plant a whip anywhere and it would thrive . This doesn't appear to be the case !
Willow seems to need a lot of light . One row is open on all sides and just looses direct sunlight about mid afternoon . That is enough to make a difference of about 3 ft of growth this season ( comparing one end of the row with the other ) .
It also makes a big difference if you can prevent weeds etc from growing any closer than about 18" from the trunk by using matting , mulch or Roundup . This is for the benefit of the tree . For the convenience of the harvester in overgrown conditions the coppicing should be done higher up than usual , creating a crown at about 18" but this apparently takes longer to establish than at low level . I can't think why that is but a pro grower told me so !
And I have one row of young trees about 15 ft high whereas the next row which is only 30 ft away is no more than 10 ft high . I guess that must be to do with drainage . Dunno !!! Good luck 
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