pussy willow

[paul pachowicz]

decades ago while growing up in Wisconsin my Pa & Ma would "root" [me] willow. I'm not sure how they did it but, I think they simply took cuttings and put them in a jug of water until little shoots developed and then planted them in wet areas. I brought some small clippings back from "another place" with hopes of getting them to take off. Anyone know how to do that?

[Tom7227]

Since you haven't had a direct response I will tell you that when trying to root cuttings of plants I have had better luck when putting a rooting powder on them. Of course I don't know what the name of the stuff is but I am sure just about any nursery would have it. Of course since you're in SD that may mean a 100 mile round trip and I doubt that I'd bother just for this stuff. Other thing I would try would be to put them into a bucket with moist peat moss and see if that helps get them started. Too much water is bad, and so is too little.

Great advice I' ve offered isn't it.

[Jackpine Rob]

I've not done this with [me] willows, but I created a thicket of willows on a point that I like to duck hunt. There was no cover to make a decent blind in, so I grew my own cover! Simply cut some branches off of a nearby willow, stuck them in the moist ground, and they took off like a champ.

You can do the same thing with several varieties of maple.

Between Tom's and my oh-so-learned advice, you've got it made!

[katoguy]

I have 3 [me] willows on my yard. I don't have room for more, but found this info:

Propagating [me] willow trees is easy. They root so readily that cut branches can simply be inserted into moist soil in summer. Roots will develop within a few weeks. A few planting tips for [me] willow trees to remember:

Take the cuttings from the new growth on male [me] willows, not the older, gray-colored branches.

There's a right and a wrong end of the cutting to stick in the ground. The end that you want to insert into the ground is the end that you cut -- in other words, the bottom of the stem as it was growing in the wild.

Take a cutting that is about as thick as a pencil and at least one foot long. It needs to be long enough for a few inches to be underground (for stability), while a couple of nodes should still be showing above ground.

If you don't wish to wait until summer, bring your [me] willow cuttings inside and root them in water; then transplant outside when danger of frost is past.

These trees have invasive roots. Consequently, plant your cuttings far away from septic tank fields, sewer lines or water lines.