# Willow tree planting & care information



## aquan8tor

I'm trying to find some information about willow trees---I've always called them "weeping willows", but I don't know if this is a specific species or just our virginia nickname. 

So here goes: When is the best time to plant them, what soil, and when?? What sort of watering routine should I adhere to in the first few months?? 
I'd like to get one for my Dad as a gift, and would like to plant it this winter. Is that a bad idea?? Also, what kind of price should I be looking for? There are several nurseries in my area, but prices vary. 

I'm under the impression they like somewhat wet soil?? I've got a spot that would be perfect, near to a small ditch that fills with rainwater; the area stays pretty moist throughout the year, but not muddy. Its pretty well drained. 

Thanks for any info, guys. I love this site!!!!


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## Adkpk

Just stick it in the ground and watch it grow. Willows are like weeds. Fast growth, you can cut them almost anywhere and it it'll grow right back. They also hold their leaves longer than most trees. People plant them around swamp areas to dry them up. Nasty surface roots, though, so try not to leave the lawn around the base. Or plan to get rid of it later on, it's murder on the lawn mower. They're great trees for the right spot. And later on you can use the limbs to make willow chairs out of them. If your concerned about cost just walk past one out on the street snip a sprig dip it in root tone and grow one from that. Maybe take a few sprigs sometimes you don't always succeed.


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## aquan8tor

Thanks. As far as the cost, I was thinking of one about 10' tall already, like a 15g pot or something. I don't know if that size is right---it actually had a burlap bag & wire around it. Thanks for the info, though. So, I could plant it in the winter alright??


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## Dadatwins

There are several different type willow, I prefer the spiral/corkscrew variety. They will all grow very large, very quickly. They need a lot of room to spread. Also be careful planting them anywhere near waste lines or septic tanks, they have an amazing root system that will clog anything in a voracious search for water. Planting time should be OK now but if not next few weeks wait till early spring. Don't advise planting anything during a hard freeze period, dec-jan this area. As for selection, stay away from big box stores their stuff is usually been repotted several times and is almost always root bound beyond repair. Select a good tree that has a nice upright stature without a lot of old cuts on the trunk. Willow is hard to kill and even hurt. With this species I also advise removing all the packing and bare root plant it with a stake. They have such an extensive root system it would almost impossible to select one in burlap or a container that is not girdled already.
good luck and have fun.


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## Adkpk

I would plant anything at anytime as long as it gets watered in and of course provided you can get the shovel in the ground. If it's living outside in a ball or container it will live if you pop in the ground. If it's really cold the day you plant it be carefull not to bent the branches or trunk it will be really fragile, due to it will be frozen.


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## Thillmaine

*Willows*

If you are looking for the weeping willow, then look for _Salix alba 'Tristis' . In my opinion you can plant anytime. Yes it can be planted in a wetish area, althought not entirely neccesary. Iwth proper root establishment, you should be able to plant anywhere but in arid areas. AS far as watering, if you plant in the winter, then I imagine Virginia has a pretty good amount of rain and not snow, so you shoudl be okay with that. During droughts, supplemen with water until first growing season is over.(First entire year in ground) or until signs of drought do not show. Bone meal is good foor root growth, and finally p lant high in wet soils, make sure root flare is at least 3 inches above the ground._


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## aquan8tor

we do get a fair amount of rain here. The soil is virginia red clay--weathered greenstone granite, pretty well drained, but not sandy or arid either. Lots of rain here. About the season---you think that its ok to plant in the winter?? This was going to be a surprise thing. I've heard him say he wanted one several times, so I'm just going to plant it in the only appropriate place where it would fit--I know a perfect spot.. (I'm going to ask my mother to make sure she likes the spot, too, and to bounce the idea off him hypothetically or something).


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## treeseer

http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/buying_highquality.aspx

http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/tree_planting.aspx


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## aquan8tor

thanks, treeseer. So I guess you're like an emp, eh?? I mean that as a compliment, if you know what I'm talking about.


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## Kneejerk Bombas

How to plant a Willow:
Find tree you like, break off a live branch, poke branch into wet ground.
Enjoy your new tree.


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## aquan8tor

Sounds like you all in the cold north have lots of willow trees. And apparently they're really easy to grow, almost too easy, it sounds. They're somewhat of a rarity here. Thanks for the info.


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## Kneejerk Bombas

Yep. If you put a freshly cut piece of firewood, buried half way in wet soil, it will grow into a tree.


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## windthrown

*Willows... planting, etc.*

OK, you have asked about one of my favorite trees to propogate. Willows grow around here like weeds. We have 5 or 6 native species, and a few others as well. Hooker (a ????? willow), Red, Scouler, Pacific, Sitka, corkscrew (AKA: twisted, tortured, curly), and golden weeping and 'plain old' weeping. I like them all. I propogate them all. Easy to propogate them. No need to buy them from a nursery. Cut off a long length from 2-3 feet of new to one year old green wood as thick as your thumb in late winter before the buds break open. Cut the base (trunk end) at a sharp angle and cut the outer end flat/perpendicular so that you can shove or hammer it into the ground like a stake (this method is called staking). Make sure that you shove it in about a foot into the ground so that the dormant buds there will grow into roots, and the ones above ground will grow into tree branches/leaves. Plant then in damp or wet areas. They will tolerate ponds and lakes that flood their roots completely here in winter months (few other trees can stand that kind of water). 

I planted/staked several hundred willows along the creek banks that flodded here last year for errosion control. The best ones put out branches over 4 ft long in one spring/summer. They grow that fast from stakes. That is FAR more growth than any of the several thousand one gallon and bare root tree plantings that we did of any other species last year (including giant sequoia, red alder, white oak, doug and grand fir, red cedar, big leaf and vine maples). Willows and red alders are the best fast-growing trees for errosion contral along stream banks and rivers. Weeping willows need more room than the others listed here. I plant them on promenades along the stream and in fields where they have at least 40 ft in diameter of grassy area to grow in. They are also rather long lived. We also have a lot of twisted willows growing here. They are interesting for landscaping, and only grow to about 15 ft high. 

We are in Oregon, but they grow well in warmer climates like California. VA should be a good place to grow them, that is about the same latitude as CA is. Our largest weeping willow is just now finally losing all of its leaves. It is usually one of the last trees to lose its leaves, and the first to sprout them in the spring. I have found that staking in late winter is the best time to plant them, as they wake up and start growing when it is cooler and the rains are still around in Oregon in the spring. They grow fast enough not to need any watering here in summer dry months. And by fall they are well grown and established. The deer also like to eat them, for better or worse. I have to build deer fenced cage areas when I plant new willows around the house to keep the deer away. Otherwise they will eat all the leaves and stems and keep the trees from growing very well.


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## Gearhead1

Hi aquan8tor, let me offer you my personal experience with the weeping willow, just so you can never say you weren't warned! The weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is a native of China, but now widely planted in the United States. They do grow rapidly, but are VERY weak. One of my neighbor's willows has broken of multiple times during strong winds, landing on my garage roof and even puncturing holes at times. Another of their willows has broken off and hit my barn. They continaully shower a mess of their little whip branches onto your lawn, roofs, or whatever. During the Summer, they exude little sticky drops of sap that will stick to your cars and everything that may be underneath them. The sap not only collects dirt, but also attracts some small little purple bugs that make purple messes whenever you inadvertanly squish them. I'm cutting down the one weeping willow on this property for all the reasons I've just mentioned, and won't miss that big disaster at all! 

Weeping willows are one of those trees that are "nice to look at"...just as long as they're not on your property! Perhaps you would consider looking at some of the native species too. Black willow, peachleaf willow, sandbar willow, and coastal plain willow should all grow in your area and may be better suited (not as weak). But if you're still resigned to have one, Mike Maas is exactly right. Either a switch broken off from another tree, or even a green piece of firewood will take right off and grow you your very own tree once planted in the earth.


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## windthrown

*Others willows weep as well...*

Weeping willow is not the only willow that is a weeping type. For example, we have a lot of red willow here that has weeping limbs. It does not get to be nearly as large or weeping in canopy as traditional weeping willow, but it has large arching branches. Our weeping willows here take a beating... as much as many of the other tree types. Alder and ash and firs tend to fall over faster and easier in these storms that we have had this year and last. The largest weeping willow here is falling over under its own weight more than from wind damage. I prune out the large cracked and fallen limbs and it keeps on growing new ones. They do not seem to ever completely die. Willows in general tend to die back a lot and have a lot of dead branches, while throwing out gobs of new growth every year around here. You can also prune them back to stumps and they will grow back.


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## sally mom

*willow tree*

We planted a willow tree last year that was doing good until winter. It looked like the branches were dying. Now the entire tree is dead except one branch at the bottom which is growing off shoots and the leaves are coming in. How and what can I do to save this tree?
Thanks for any advice.Sally


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## ropensaddle

Willow or Salix, this tree is as everyone has said easy to grow
one thing that has not been mentioned is the bark can be
steeped or chewed and will cure a headache or minor pain! I have tried this ancient Indian remedy and it works the bark has salicin in it and works as aspirin has got me through a day many times!


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## ecnal

*Build up soil around willows to keep them from blowing over.*

We have two Laura leaf willows and a golden willow planted by our lake. They are about 4 years old and very healthy and about 10-12 ft with nice full canopies. The site is wet and boggy and this spring they were in standing water for a couple of months. The problem is they have blown to about 45 degree angles in the strong winds we have in Saskatchewan. I have a tree spade and can move them but could we build up the soil around them and anchor them rather than move them? We can use top soil and or sand to fill. We are concerned as they grow taller that a strong wind will take them down as the soil will always be soggy there. They are only 50 ft from the lake and the water table is at most only 2 ft down so they never lack for water.
Any help you could give would be great.


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## jamied

ecnal said:


> We have two Laura leaf willows and a golden willow planted by our lake. They are about 4 years old and very healthy and about 10-12 ft with nice full canopies. The site is wet and boggy and this spring they were in standing water for a couple of months. The problem is they have blown to about 45 degree angles in the strong winds we have in Saskatchewan. I have a tree spade and can move them but could we build up the soil around them and anchor them rather than move them? We can use top soil and or sand to fill. We are concerned as they grow taller that a strong wind will take them down as the soil will always be soggy there. They are only 50 ft from the lake and the water table is at most only 2 ft down so they never lack for water.
> Any help you could give would be great.


 
The willows I see blow down and completely up root do tend to be in very sandy soil in a wet area. I'm not sure how much you can really do about it. You could steak it now to encourage it to grow in the director you want, but once it is larger, your steaks are not going to do much unless your planing on some pretty heavy cabling.


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## jamied

*Hybrid Salix - Fast growing upright variety of willow summer planting from bare root*

This is a hybrid salix, also known as a Skyrise willow. It has been planted about 7 weeks at the time this video was taken. It was planted from dormant bare root stock. These grow very fast in good conditions. It has put on over 4 feet of height since it was planted. 

[video=youtube;3Ef6nzqURq4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ef6nzqURq4[/video]


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## Flawillow

*Recycled mulch*

I have a Willow tree approx 15' tall. The trees leaves are turning yellowish green, being in Florida, along with recycled rubber mulch, would this be drying and/or killing my willow?


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## jamied

Flawillow said:


> I have a Willow tree approx 15' tall. The trees leaves are turning yellowish green, being in Florida, along with recycled rubber mulch, would this be drying and/or killing my willow?


 
HI;

I don't know of rubber mulch being harmful, but have no first hand experience with it. It would be my personal preference to get that replaced with a organic mulch; being whatever kind of bark mulch you can find in your area. I would not use cocomulch for a tree, it is nice for some things, but does tend to get matted up and then wants to repel water. 

Are you sure this tree has been adequately watered for your area and heat? I can imagine a 15' willow in FL taking a good amount of supplemental water during the hottest months.

Jamie


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