Bubbling Willow Water

I made some willow water to soak some hardwood cuttings in that I'm trying to encourage to root.

After planting the cuttings, I refilled the bucket leaving the willow cuttings to soak in water and left it for a few weeks until I used it again.

It was emptied, and when I refilled it a second time with water, it started bubbling/foaming a whole lot. It did this a small amount when I was refilling it the second time, but just a little. The willow cuttings were still green and fresh.

Was this possibly just fermentation? Has anyone else ever experienced anything like that with willow water?

Fermentation is acidic.   I am no expert but I think that if the PH level of the bubbling water is acidic, then you're probably right about it being fermentation.

It has been 2 weeks since you posted this.   Have you seen signs of rooting?

May I ask your method used to make this willow water rooting solution? Have you checked, as Wesley brought up, the pH of your willow water?

Willows contain lots of sugars (much more than something like beech, elm, ash, etc.) when the sap is flowing and this can lead to wild yeast settling in and starting the fermentation process.
Willow sap can ferment in pH's near the neutral 7.0, as the ferment moves along the acidity should drop to the 6.0-5.0 range and might end up near 4.0. (working from a feeble memory of what an elder told me many years ago about the uses of willow water)

Wesley Kohn wrote:Have you seen signs of rooting?

I haven't checked yet actually. They were planted in the ground so I hated to dig them up and disturb the rooting process.

Bryant RedHawk wrote:May I ask your method used to make this willow water rooting solution?

I cut up a lot of willow shoots and soaked them in water for a few hours.

Have you checked, as Wesley brought up, the pH of your willow water?

I haven't checked the ph yet.

Willows contain lots of sugars (much more than something like beech, elm, ash, etc.) when the sap is flowing and this can lead to wild yeast settling in and starting the fermentation process.
Willow sap can ferment in pH's near the neutral 7.0, as the ferment moves along the acidity should drop to the 6.0-5.0 range and might end up near 4.0. (working from a feeble memory of what an elder told me many years ago about the uses of willow water)

That's interesting Bryant!

The water wasn't bubbling until I poured in new water.

hau Steve, that might have caused a restart of any yeast that had settled on the willow water. (your method of making is the same as mine)

I have had grain ferments stop only to restart when I added water to the mash, that might be what happened there (or it could be something else)

Redhawk