You can find a piece of new growth on a willow tree, cut or break it off and just put it in a pot of soil or into the ground and it will grow. This is very possibly, the easiest tree to grow. Just be mindful and don't put it too near your house. These trees will invade your septic system and cause major problems with your home.
I once visited a yard sale with several willows in the yard. While talking with the seller, they said that they just choose a good branch, cut at an angle, and just planted that stem. He said that it would readily root itself if kept watered.
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Q: How do you start new trees from an existing Weeping Willow tree?
Jeff James
A: Jeff,
Willows contain a plant hormone that promotes rooting so they are easy to propagate. A cut branch can actually be stuck directly into moist soil in the summer and roots will develop after only a few short weeks. To root other times during the year, you can start them in a vase of water and transplant them outside in the spring. Use cuttings that are about 1/2 to 1 inch thick in diameter and about 12 - 16 inches long. You can pound them into the ground with a rubber mallet until only a couple of leaf nodes (1-2 inches of the cutting) remain above the ground. You can also tie bundles of cuttings together (each about as thick as a pencil and about 3 feet in length) and lay them horizontally in shallow trenches. This will create a dense "fence" effect as the cuttings sprout. Remember that willows are invasive and grow massive roots. Keep new cuttings well away from driveways and sidewalks, foundations and septic systems.
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Feedback:
RE: Propagating a Weeping Willow Tree
I started a willow tree from a limb that had been broken from the original tree. I stuck it in the ground and before I knew it, that limb was growing. I now have a beautiful willow to grace my yard. (06/15/2004)
By Sandy
RE: Propagating a Weeping Willow Tree
Just cut off a good sized branch and plant it in the ground, keeping it well watered. It will grow and develop roots. I had a Curly Willow that was too big to dig up and move, so I just sawed it off at the ground and planted it in a deep hole. Watered every day and it already has 4' sprouts on it.
(06/15/2004)
