My willow(s)

I live in a new neighbourhood and there is a gorgeous willow across the street (probably 15-20 years old) on an undeveloped lot. My feeling is that by next spring it will be torn down. So, after hearing that willows were easy to root I went out and got some fresh cuttings off the tree. I'm new to this and ended up with about 5-6 cuttings so I tried to make them root in different mediums to see what would work best. Here are a few of them and how they are doing.

I put this small cutting in vermiculite which I water every day, it's been kept indoors and receives indirect sunlight as well as light from a 6500k CFL. It's been about 10 days and I can tell it has rooted because the cutting feels anchored in. It's also started producing new growth. It was taken from a fresh young green branch growing off the base of the tree.












I also had 3 thinner cuttings that I decided to put directly in water. They have been sitting outside on the side of the house in a simple plastic water bottle. After 10 days this is how they are doing. I actually am using too much water so when/if I pot them, I'll have to remove some of the lower portion that rooted.









I also have a larger cutting that's been in a mix of potting soil, vermiculite and perlite outside. I believe it has also rooted because it feels anchored to the soil. However, it is not displaying the same signs as the cuttings I've posted above. I'll post pics eventually, it was too rainy last night.

And finally, since everything seemed to be going so well, I decided to go back to the tree for an even larger cutting. It's only been in water for 2-3 days now and I look forward to seeing how it develops. This is it:

You should still get permission from the owner of the property before taking cuttings, even if it is undeveloped and likely to be torn down.

You could root even larger cuttings. Try getting a chunk of branch that's 2-3 inches in diameter and already barking up. That will get you well on you way much faster.

- bob

cbobgo wrote:You should still get permission from the owner of the property before taking cuttings, even if it is undeveloped and likely to be torn down.

You could root even larger cuttings. Try getting a chunk of branch that's 2-3 inches in diameter and already barking up. That will get you well on you way much faster.

- bob

yes, thats good advice, even thicker will work without probs...but then you need to find suitable cuttings (with preferably chopped of branches at the top, rather than a naked pole).

The cutting we see here will never thicken enough, if held in a container, that is without ever replanting it into soil/ground for 3 to 5 years of vigourous growth

I want one! Maybe I'll start one from a seed, I've been looking for an appealing species for a bit now...

I'm so happy you've already seen new growth indoors from an outside cutting with it, too! That's so reassuring, I'm definitely going to check out a place to get some seeds. Thanks for posting

P.s. I love how minimal-istic it is for such a giant whopping stereotyped tree, even though it's just a little cutting

Here is an update from today. It's grown a lot in a week.

It's still in 100% vermiculite. In about 2 weeks I will re-pot it in bonsai soil.

here is another update. Another week has passed and the tree is doing good.





I will post pictures of the larger "tree" once it's been potted.

IMO, I'd take the wire (string?) off the branch(es). It won't do too good to try to train those young branches to grow downward, and from what I've seen it's difficult to create an actual "weeping" willow. They have strong tendencies to grow upward and it takes a considerable amount of effort to keep the branches in a downward position.

Sorry to disappoint you. Do you know what species of willow it is? Most willows are poor candidates for bonsai. They are short lived and prone to dieback & rotting. They are fun to practice on, but I suggest you devote the same effort to a more worthwhile species. You will get better results in the end. It's too late this year, but next spring look for a Japanese maple in somebody's garden. That is worth taking cuttings of.
Iris