Trying to grow a willow tree cutting

[gixxerific]

My buddy wants a cutting. I did a search and came up with a few things but still not sure.

Any good advice?

I already have a small cutting about 1/2-3/4 dia. in a pot of soil. There are no leaves on it. Hoping for the best.

[rainbowgardener]

In general with cuttings a lot of the trick is to keep it humidified while it has no roots to suck up water. Cut the bottom off a 2 liter soda bottle and use it as a humidity dome over your cutting. Before you put the dome on be sure the soil is moist and mist the cutting.

[Marlingardener]

And make sure the 2 liter soda bottle is clear. Willows will root easily (we just cut a wand in the spring, stick it in the ground, and get a tree) so you should be able to give your friend a very nice tree by late spring.

[tomc]

If you have to start with propagating, willow is about as willing a candidate as there is.

Smaller is easier than bigger, and lets you take more cuttings.

A humidity dome (and bottom heat) if you are determined to advance on the season also can be helpful.

Personaly the solstice is right around the solar corner. Impatience will pass with the seasons.

[gixxerific]

First off thanks for all you help.

But let me get this straight. I can be using small twigs to propogate? The FEW things I could find via Google said they should be about an inch or bigger. So waht can I do here?

Thanks

Dono

[applestar]

The size of the cutting is Ok I think.
As long as you've put the correct end in the soil, you should be fine.
I would water from the bottom -- allow to soak up then drain excess -- use the bottle dome as rainbow said, and fine spray from the open bottle top (this is not for watering).

You may not see a whole lot of top growth until spring and it would be better if you don't. I think you want to keep air temp cool-ish.... Like no more than low 60's ... During the winter and encourage root growth. Not sure you really need bottom heat for willow though most cuttings benefit.

[applestar]

Oh right. What are the lengths of your "cuttings"?
You don't want them to be too long because the new roots won't be able to supply a big ol' branch.

[gixxerific]

LOL still didn't answer my question. IS an inch to big? can I use smaller twigs like 1/4 inch or less?

I cut one off about 3/4 inch and it is about a foot long. Correct end down and it is being bottom watered no humididty dome as of yet.

[Marlingardener]

Gixx, the diameter of the cutting can be from twiggy to 1". The twiggy ones will root faster (younger, quicker, kind of like an irritating teenager) but you'll have to wait longer for them to become a nicely sized tree. When we take black willow cuttings to plant for erosion control, we usually don't take any cutting that is taller than 8". We take a dozen or more cuttings, and almost all of them root. But we do have them under a dome, bottom watered, and in the barn where there is only ambient temperature and no bottom heat.

[applestar]

Marlingardener is right. Most of the time, it's not so much the diameter of the branch as the age -- typically, though not always, "this year's growth" with the green soft bark having become somewhat hardened (semi-soft wood) has the right stage inner cambium(? May not be the correct term) layer of cells that are most stimulated to grow roots. That's why when layering, you peel a strip of bark off or snap but not completely break off the branch part where you want the roots to grow.

Hardened bark layer is already in the protective stage and has less of the right cells, but some species are best propagated from hard wood cuttings and take months under closely monitored conditions.

That said, willow tends to be so easy you can just stick freshly cut branches in the ground and at least some of them would grow. A lot of species are easily grown from cuttings in late spring outside, directly stuck in the ground under where the parent trees and shrubs grow.

[gixxerific]

Sorry. But this is for a "Weeping Willow" right? Just sounds too easy. I can see this being an easy thing for "Willows" the really large grass like plants.

[applestar]

Unlike most trees, weeping illow will root in a glass of water. Remember, you can use willow water as rooting aid when trying to propagate OTHER plants.

You lost me with the "grass like plant" you were talking about though....

[Marlingardener]

Sorry if my reference to black willows was confusing. They act and look about the same as weeping willows, just with dark bark/twigs.
When we lived in New York, I inadvertently took some willow cuttings to mark garden rows. Yup, you got it--they rooted and I had a row of willow trees growing in the vegetable garden! I didn't make that mistake twice.

[tomc]

The poster noting that all of his willow boundary stakes rooting is germain.

If it was me propagating wood I'd use twigs. Last years hardened wood.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Dono, A new hobby for you

http://willowweaver.com/living_willow_structures.htm

Eric