![]() Once dry, store in paper bags, cardboard or burlap. When witch hazel bark is dry it will be brittle and snap not bend and the same goes for shoots they should snap when dry. ![]() A thin layer will dry much easier than a pile. The more air you can get to teach piece of bark or shoot the better they will dry. Drying time will depend on weather conditions, for example, high humidity will slow the drying process also thicker barks or shoots will dry slower than thin bark and small shoots. Tree barks as well as shoots are best dried indoors though both can be dried in the sun. ![]() Drying times varies depending on weather conditions and drying location the average drying time is 3-7 days or when leaves crumble. Leaves placed loosely in a mesh bag and hung from rafters’ works well for drying leaves. A barn loft or attic with a fan works really well. Dry indoors where heat and airflow are both present. When you are ready to dry your leaves first remove seed pods, stems, and any foreign material. Do not collect bark from dead or decaying trees as it has no value. Pruning trees properly will promote future growth. Cut only the branches that are smaller than your finger when gathering shoots or branches. Only peel one side of the tree or branch allowing the tree to heal itself and continue to grow. When gathering tree bark the same rules apply as with other trees. When collecting leaves be careful not to include seed pods and twigs with your leaves or your crop will be discounted when you go to sell. The small branches should be gathered in the spring. The tree bark can be harvested either in the spring or the fall while the sap is moving. The leaves are generally harvested in the late summer and early fall while still green in color. Keep over the winter in a greenhouse for the first winter, and then transplant the plant in late spring or early summer into a permanent home. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Seed: Harvest the seed “green” before it dries on the plant, usually by the end of August. It prefers a rich well-drained soil that is light, medium and slightly acid. The witch hazel plant prefers a moist sandy loam in a sunny location. Larger populations exist in Missouri and the Midwest, however, witch hazel grows in most of the eastern half of the United States. Growing region: found mostly in the rocky soil open woods with dry soil. The term ‘witch” has origins in old English and means “pliant” or “bendable”, and hazel is derived from the use of the twigs as divining rods. ![]() The fruit is a two part capsule that splits explosively at maturity in the autumn 8 months after flowering. The flowers are bright yellow with slim petal tht resemble a spider plant and bloom in mid to late fall. The leaves are 3-6 inches in length that alternate and have an oval shape that is dark green on top and pale green underneath. The small shrubs grow up to 24 feet in height. Witch Hazel is a deciduous shrub with smooth gray to gray-brown bark, fragrant winter flowers, and woody fruit capsules that eject two seeds up to 13 feet when ripe. ![]()
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