The harlequin willow from Japan, also under the wonderful name Salix integra Hakuro Nishiki, impresses with its equally impressive appearance. Once you have fallen for the appearance, there is a great attraction to owning another object. Luckily, you can save yourself the trip and expense of purchasing one from a nursery by propagating your harlequin willow yourself. You can find out how to do this here.
How to propagate the harlequin willow?
The Harlequin willow can be propagated by seeds or cuttings. Seeds have a short shelf life and require fertile conditions, while cuttings come directly from a cutting of the plant and are rooted in water before being transplanted.
Ways to Propagate Harlequin Willow
- Propagation by seeds
- Propagation through offshoots
Propagation by seeds
Propagation via seeds is the most natural method, as it happens in the wild without any intervention on your part. However, if you want to consciously propagate your harlequin willow in this way, the process turns out to be more difficult than previously thought. To get fertile seeds, you must make sure to get them from plants near which there is a pasture of the opposite sex. Otherwise the seeds will not be able to germinate. If you have won the seeds yourself, you have to do it quickly. The seeds of the harlequin willow cannot be stored or can only be stored for a few hours and must be placed in moist soil immediately after collection.
Propagation through offshoots
Propagation through offshoots is much more effective. Since the harlequin willow has to be cut back regularly, it is a good idea to use the cut branches for propagation.
- fill a vase with clean water
- put the clippings in the vase
- small roots form after a short time
- If these have acquired a sufficient diameter, plant the new plant in the desired location
Further care
In the first few weeks you should water your harlequin willow regularly. Apart from pruning, no further care is required.
Is refining worth it?
Many nurseries propagate the harlequin willow using the grafting process. However, it is uncertain what properties the new plant will ultimately have. Some of their characteristics differ greatly from those of the mother plant. Therefore, it is better to leave this procedure to a professional gardener.
