The willows before cutting them.
An odd thing happened this spring with one of my math and science students. Their mother took her gardening to the next level and learnt to prune trees so she could cultivate the shape she wanted with them.
In her front yard are two very gorgeous upright willow trees which were growing a little haphazardly and wild. Ms. Harris loves the distinctive vase shape that the trees have, but wanted to emphasis it’s natural beauty a little more.
So, at the beginning of April Ms. Harris armed herself with a saw, some wound paint, and an idea of where she wanted to prune the trees along the bottom to enhance the vase shape.
Between the rain storms that come through Indiana during spring, the tree took a trimming, and her and the boys moved the limbs out of the way where they may decay and feed the next plants.
Except, that’s not what happened.
Ms. Harris happened to cut the branches at a prime time of the year when the willow had started to feed the branches nutrients in order to set forth it’s first buds of the season. So, the willow branches, heavy with nutrients and water, started to propagate and grow within just two weeks of being placed them on the ground amid last year’s fallen leaves and mulch.
Rootlets can be seen growing out the underside of the log in just a couple weeks.
In just two weeks Ms. Harris has at least two more willow trees taking root in the mulch pile in the back yard — not exactly where she planned for a grove of upright willow trees.
Here’s how you can do this too:
- Cut the limbs after the weather warms up so the nutrients are already in the limbs when you cut them.
- Put the cut limbs in a place where they will get daily warm sunlight, yet stay moist enough to feed the roots as they grow.
- Wait a few weeks until the roots are formed, then separate into chunks for individual trees if you want less of a grove.
- Allow the trees to grow a few more weeks before replanting them elsewhere, especially if the place is not as ideal (harsher sun, not enough water, etc.