Most of People like antique wicker baskets and be attractived by their rustic, natural, durable, eco-friendly, practical etc.
But where does the willow branch come from? Cut down from the willow tree?
Willow trees  are around us everywhere, nearby river, road etc. they have stubborn vitality to grow naturally in the ground.
There’s no need to be specially planted like wheat or corn,willow are grown very fast.
one or two years it can grow to be a sweeping willow tree with many branches
They do not need any special management and grow naturally during the whole growing period.
If you just taking basket weaving as an interest, it’s practical to cut branches from willow tree.
if we want to weave baskets in bulk and take weaving basket as a trade, it’s impossible to cut down from willow tree.
Definitely speaking, the basketry willow varieties are shrub willow.
What is shrub willow?
Willow shrubs like other crops are cultivated in spring.
In the coming of spring, people cut down bounds of fresh willow branch, (yes, it should be fresh willow branch at least 20cm long and 2-3 tiny branches on it).
Farmers plant 10cm length branch into the soil, keeping left is on the surface ground.
Several weeks, the tiny branch grow longer and you also could see new sprout branches come out.
After several month growth, they grow into the big shrubs willow.
There are two times harvest time for shrub willow, summer and winter.
if you are satisfied with the height, you could cut down in summer,
if you want them grow more longer, you could choose winter as the harvest time. (many factors influence the cutting time.)
Most of our local farmers cut down in summer, as now the height is enough to weave an enough size basket. Less in winter time.
During the whole growing time, it also need to spray some insecticide to avoid the insect and make shrubs willow grows better.
So willow branches used in basket weaving are not cut from willow tree but Shrub willow.
They are business cultivation ,from tiny willow branch to shrub willow.
Here are our hometown–LinShu county (in Linyi city of China) is known for weaving wicker baskets, almost every our local people have skills in weaving baskets, deserving to be called experienced artisans.
If you have some confused in planting shrub willow or weaving baskets, any more question, pls leave message to us.
