I made some cuttings from a weeping willow tree we had to cut down a few weeks ago. They have sprouted good roots. We took the cuttings from new growth, about 4 inches long or so. They are now around 8" high now. I have them growing under lights, but am not sure if i should plant them outside, coming up on winter now, or try to imitate the daylight. I know that some trees need to go into a dormant state, but not sure about willows. Any help would be appreciated. I also have several other types of cuttings going, Azaleas, Euonymous, Trident maples, Hydrangea trees, Plum trees, weeping cherry, Hollys, several others. Brad
With willows, the simplest is to take some logs from the cut tree, and half-bury them in the ground (better, 3/4 bury them). Larger cuttings work better than small ones as they have larger energy reserves; the optimum size is branch sections around a metre long and 3-5cm diameter. Ram them 70-80cm into the ground where you want the new tree to grow. Next spring they'll put out shoots that will be 2 metres tall by the end of the summer.
Thanks for the advice. Ill try that next year. This tree has sentimental value, and all that was left was a lot of small branches. It was kind of an afterthought to take cuttings off of it. I have around 10 of them, but not sure how to treat them now that its getting cold. I have the lights to grow them inside, but need to know how to duplicate what weather they need. Maybe it would be better to put them outside now, to get acclimated to winter. Thanks again. Brad
rooting new cuttings i have just purchased and planted a weeping willow and i took a cutting off - it was a branch that was growing out of line. so i have it in my dwc system and root growth hormons. it has been in there for about a week and a half. is it normal that the leaves turn yellow and fall off? there went many leaves on it to begin with but now there are like 3 left and im thinking its not going to work out but figgured i would ask
I'm no expert on willows, but you might consider putting some of the cuttings out for the winter and growing some under lights. The experimental method. Ray