When to cut birch brooms for the bath

How to harvest: Key points

Traditionally, it is harvested from the so-called weeping birch. These are trees of great height, having strong and long branches. The most suitable are birches that have not bloomed, they have more flexible twigs and velvety leaves. Choose branches that grow in the shade, their leaves are more delicate.

Do not cut the whole bundle from a single tree. Firstly, you will harm it that way, and secondly, you will not be able to use it for knitting anymore, as its branches will become stiffer and its leaves coarser. How to make a broom for a birch bath:

• Collect branches from different trees in the same area;
• Choose branches that are lowest to the surface of the body of water;
• Do not cut branches where there are blossoms, they will be tough;
• The branches must be straight, no longer than 60 cm;
• Cut branches in one motion without damaging the branch structure;
• Use sharp scissors and try not to damage the cut branches.

Before knitting the birch twigs, you need to dry a little in the shade.

When to start harvesting

The process of preparing the attributes for the bath, according to old traditions, should take place on Trinity, most often on the 50th day after Easter. Most likely it will be at the beginning or middle of June.

But for more exact timing the birch twigs should be harvested in the second and third decade of June, before the appearance of birch leaves.

The timing of birch bunches of twigs can be ascertained by the condition of the birch leaves. The upper side of the leaf should not be rough, the leaves should be very gentle, velvety. In addition, it is important that the leaves are firmly held on the birch, not flying off the branches.

Traditional birch brooms

Nowadays, bathing attributes are made from the branches of different trees and shrubs, but the most common are birch and oak. Birch twigs. an excellent material that allows you to get high quality products.

In addition, the healing effect of this tree has been known for centuries, and the birch grows almost everywhere, which makes it much easier to harvest.

About the tradition of harvesting

Many beginners bath attendants are interested in when to prepare birch brooms for the bath.

And regardless of which tree you decide to harvest, there are a few recommendations for the proper collection of material:

• Harvesting is carried out in a certain period each year. As a rule, most bath attendants choose Trinity Day, which falls in mid-July.

Instructions for preparing the bathing equipment.

Tip! Before you start preparing birch brooms, pay attention to the weather. If it rains no branches are harvested, just as immediately after the rain. Optimal conditions are the presence of dew.

• To fulfill the preparation work it’s better to choose the first half of the day. This is when the dew has not yet come off the vegetation.
• If it’s rainy on Pentecost the gathering process should be postponed for a couple of days.

Harvesting birch twigs

Nowadays, a broom from a true Russian tree is very popular and is in good demand among bath attendants. Choose the right tree before you start making the logs.

[focustext title=exclamation color=danger]You should prefer the weeping birch tree which can be found on the lake (river) shore. It has long descending branches that can reach down to the ground.[/focustext]

• As a material, it is better to choose a young tree.

• Feel the leaves, they should be smooth and soft on one side. Under no circumstances, you should not choose a tree with rough leaves.

• Check the branches for flexibility, preferably they should be thin.

• It is best to pick them in the forest, away from the road.

• Before making a birch broom for the bath (before drying), the raw material should be tied as tightly as possible, but a little space should remain between the twigs. In the worst case, the leaves can lose their rich color and useful substances.

When to cut birch brooms for the bath

Use a birch broom, as well as bath accessories made of other species of wood, is recommended only on a warmed up body, during the second entry into the steam room. Start with light stroking motions all over the body from feet toward the neck. It will help to relax and remove sweat from the body.

Only after that you can use other methods of whisk massage. plucking, compresses, hitting, slapping, stretching by two whigs in opposite directions, intensive rubbing in different directions.

If the air in the steam room is very hot, the amplitude of movement when working with a birch broom can be minimal. This will allow you to extend the procedure. If the bath has had time to cool down a little, then it is better to actively force the heat to the body. For this purpose it is recommended to lift the branches as high as possible.

This should be the time of grass, the time of flowering. The best time for harvesting is considered a period of one or two weeks around the first or better the second decade of June. because by this time the leaves on the birch trees are already quite mature and strong. At this time, the leaves have the maximum amount of medicinal substances, which are mainly in the buds, leaves and thin twigs. In addition, brooms, cut at this time, flexible, strong, well hold the leaves.

But in doing so, it is necessary to make adjustments for the latitude of the area where you will need to break the brooms, and for what kind of summer will be in this particular season, since depending on this changes and the time of preparation. The harvesting period lasts up to 10 days, further cutting and gathering is not recommended. Though it is possible to use broken brooms later on, their health-improving effect will be weaker.

How to knit birch brooms

It is most important before you start to clean branches from knots, where a handle is supposed to be. There should not be any leaves, so that it was convenient to hold and the broom did not injure your hands.

It may be big, but it is not necessary to make it heavy. First of all, it should be comfortable. The most preferred length of branches is 40-80 cm.

The branches are neatly gathered and tied with twine, holding them with the left hand. On the opposite side from the leaves, wrap the broom with a piece of flat cloth. this prevents the skin from rubbing during use. It is necessary to leave a long handle of a broom, not less than 15-20 cm. so it would be comfortable to hold a hand with it.

Badly tied broom. it will be uncomfortable to hold

Before tying the broom, the branches are taken over. It is desirable to sort them by length and density of leaves.

They should be distributed evenly over the entire surface. It is not desirable to use branches where there is very little vegetation or it is dry.

When to prepare birch brooms for the baths?

Birch twigs are cut on a dry, clear day when the dew has already dried. You can make them from the beginning to midsummer, but not later. However, old traditions and omens say that the best birch wreaths are the ones made from branches collected on Trinity. This church holiday is celebrated on the 50th day after the Radiant Resurrection of Christ, so it is popularly called Pentecost. In 2020, Pentecost falls on June 7.

It is recommended to prepare birch wreaths for the bath within 2 weeks after the Orthodox Pentecost. During this period leaves are already strong, juicy and fragrant. If you collect the twigs later, the leaves can fall off, and they can no longer be soft and fragrant. If the weather is bad on Trinity Day, it rains, then birch wreaths should be made a few days later. Otherwise, the leaves will dry out, darken, curl and fall off.

Trinity is indeed considered the starting date, but really it all depends on the weather, the expert says. Sometimes Trinity is very early and the leaf is not yet ripe. It has to be strong enough. If it is soft and weak, thinner than papyrus paper, it does not make a good broom. But if Trinity is late and it’s already warm outside, the leaf may be overripe. In that case it needs to be harvested earlier.

Gather branches in an area without a busy highway.

You should not cut branches along roads. Trees there absorb a lot of car exhaust and pollutants. But to go to the forest, away from the tracks, is the right thing to do. It’s best to make friends with a forester. He’ll tell you where the trees are going to be felled. Then it’s easy to go out and cut branches without any problems, our interlocutor says.

It’s better to cut them before dinner, when the dew is gone. It is necessary to cut with a secateurs.

Skillful Secrets

Despite the fact that bath brooms are freely available in the markets, connoisseurs of light steam prefer to make them themselves. After all, only in this way, collected “bouquet” twig to twig with their own hands, they are absolutely convinced of its usefulness and healing power.

Bath broom is made in several stages:

• Choosing the right tree. Branches, buds and leaves of any tree in a special way affect the body, and choose the species of tree should be based on what diseases you want to heal. In addition, do not choose trees growing along highways or industrial plants.

Photo of a weeping birch whose branches make perfect brooms

Pay attention! When brooms are knitted for the bath, the weather must be dry, because later collected broom will need to dry, and the wet leaves will deteriorate and wither.

• Time of preparation. The timing of when to cut twigs for the bath is determined for each specific type of plant. This usually takes place in summer, when trees, bushes and grass are at their best, saturated with nutrients as they say. Some plant species can be harvested year-round;

Trinity. the day when it is time to cut brooms in the bath

How I make a besom/broom from birch.

• Knitting brooms. In order for the harvested broom to be truly healing, you need to properly arrange the cut materials, otherwise you risk getting an ordinary broom. The instructions for making a broom are simple, but it requires a certain skill: thicker branches are placed inside, and softer and thinner twigs surround them. If the branches are strongly curved, turn the curves inward to avoid causing pain when using them. The broom should be firmly tied so that it does not fall apart in the steam room;
• Drying of blanks. Finished brooms hang “upside down” in a dry and warm place. Be sure to have a well ventilated. And so that the leaves do not lose color and useful properties, the room should be darkened.