Planting Willow Cuttings

If you want to spruce up your yard by planting willows, you can easily start planting willow cuttings so that you will have lovely willows that will grow into beautiful trees in your yard. Houses with trees in the yard have a higher market value and will let you enjoy the fresh life that trees bring to the home.

After You Get The Cuttings

Once you receive your willow cuttings, you will want to take immediate action in order to give them the chance to grow and prosper. If you are not ready to plant them yet, you will want to store your willow cuttings in the fridge.

Put them in a loose plastic bag and they will keep for a few days until you are ready to plant them. This action only needs to be taken if they arrived to you in cool temperatures.

If you are dealing with willow cuttings that have already been exposed to hot weather, you will have to plant these cuttings immediately. You will either need to plant them into pots for future planting in your yard, or you can plant them directly into the ground as soon as you receive them.

Willow Cuttings in Pots

If you want to get the best results for your willow cuttings, you will want to start them in one gallon pots. This will allow for the cuttings to get well rooted before you plant them into the yard.

The soil that you should use for the willow cuttings is a 50% mix of soil and sharp sand. Rich soil mixes should not be used because they can sometimes cause your willow cuttings to rot. What is most important when the cuttings are in pots is good drainage. Never allow the soil to dry out completely.

When the roots are able to hold the potting soil into place, you are ready to plant your willow cuttings in the yard.

Planting in the Yard

Before you plant in the yard, soak the pot in a bucket of water. This will allow for all of the soil to get soaking wet. Remove when all air bubbles have ceased.

Now all you have to do is dig the hole in the yard and plant the cuttings. You will want to firm the soil around it and keep the cuttings wet for at least a year after you have planted them.

If you want to plant your cuttings directly into the yard without rooting in a pot first, you will follow much of the same steps although you will have to watch the cutting carefully for the first few weeks to make sure that your willow cuttings will take to the soil.

When you plant them, make sure that the weather is favorable. Do not try to plant willow cuttings in frozen ground. Spring and early summer are the best times to plant your willow cuttings directly into your yard, giving you the shade and plant life that you want.

Photo by David Morris, Creative Commons Attribution License