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Ordering willow cuttings?

 
gardener
Posts: 5169
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio,Price Hill 45205
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I've had willow cuttings before.
The ones that did best were abouth 3/4"  or bigger, 4 foot plus long, and driven directly into the ground in late fall.
Unfortunately,  these willows were murdered by a  neighbor, and I no longer have access to these cuttings.


I can sometimes get smaller cuttings, that I place in water and never seem to take, but rot instead.
Im guessing they might have needed more attention than Im up for giving them, but thriving on neglect is one of the selling points for willow

I'm interested in buying willow cuttings that will live up to the hype.
Any suggestions?
 
gardener
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Location: Pembrokeshire, UK
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I regularly take willow cuttings from the current year's growth and leave them standing with one end in water until they root. I probably lose 30-40% but, given that I'm harvesting them for free, it doesn't concern me much. The cuttings that I take are usually 6-8" in length and maybe 1/4" in diameter.

Larger willow logs will also regrow, particularly when left in contact with damp ground or even floating in water - willow will spread this way in the wild, with older branches breaking and floating downstream to regrow. You might have more success with larger logs (as long as they are fresh) if you can find a source.
 
master pollinator
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I've been trying to root cuttings from supersize pussy willows. Using well water, the rootlets would rot before they were viable. This year I used rain water from a drippy eavestrough. Total neglect. They rooted beautifully.
 
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Location: Coastal Somerset, UK
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I've had 100% success with my last few batches of willow cuttings - my process is:

Cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness branches into 4-6 inch sections with sharp secateurs. Soak in water for an hour or so. Make a hole in wet soil/compost with a metal bolt. Gently strip the leaves off the cutting then push it into the soil so it's 1/3 underground. Keep the soil damp but not waterlogged in the first growing season. After a few weeks they'll be pretty hardy.
 
pollinator
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We had really good  luck doing will cuttings direct planting them.  Shallow trench with 2 to 3 foot sticks laid in it with about 4 inches of leaves sticking up.(strip all leaves before burying the rest.)  Water regularly.  Now the ones we did started well this way.  Tends to end up with a directional root that blows over when the tree gets bigger.  So towards the end of season 1 cut most of it without digging forcing other root growth and transplant to final location end of season 2 there again forcing more general root growth.
 
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