If you want to plant your own willow in the garden, you don't have to incur any costs or long journeys to the nearest tree nursery. The impressive deciduous tree can be easily propagated by growing it with cuttings. Find out in this article what you need for propagation and how exactly to go about it.
How can I propagate a willow with cuttings?
The propagation of a willow can be achieved simply by growing cuttings. In June or July, remove slightly woody shoots from an existing pasture, place them in loosened soil at the desired location and water well. Alternatively, the cuttings can also be grown in water.
Preparation
If you previously thought that propagating such a large deciduous tree would be a complex undertaking, you will be surprised at how easy and, above all, quickly the reproduction takes place. In reality, it's the planning that takes the most time.
Procurement of cuttings
If you have a willow tree in your own garden, you can take a few cuttings from it at any time. The summer months of June and July are best. If you have to use a pasture on public land to obtain the cuttings, you may only prune them from October to February for animal welfare reasons. If you don't want to wait that long, you can of course also get willow cuttings from the tree nursery or online.
The amount of cuttings depends on the intended use. A tree thrives from one shoot, so a single purpose is usually enough. However, if you want to plant a willow hedge, you will need more shoots. So that your self-propagated willow grows as quickly as possible, slightly woody shoots are recommended. It is not advisable to use very young, still very green specimens.
Selection of location
You should not start propagation without first finding a suitable location. Take into account both the requirements of a willow (a lot of light is essential for he althy growth) and the enormous spread that the deciduous tree achieves after a short time. If you don't want to plant a hedge but want to propagate the willow as a free-standing tree, you should only do this if there is enough space.
Instructions
- Take a few cuttings from an existing willow.
- Loose the soil at the desired location.
- Put the willow branches in the ground.
- Water the substrate well.
- Mulch the soil around the willow cuttings.
Alternatively, you can also prefer the willow cuttings in the water container first. To do this, simply place the branches in a container with water. With this method you can even track how quickly the roots form. If they are big enough, put the willow outside.