Ross

Have you ever tried a cutting from that big Willow tree in the background? I have heard that even very large branches and stumps will send out roots in a bucket of water, but have not yet tried.

sandman

ya when ever i get bored i climb up in there and take some cuttings. but that is no longer and option as we just cut it down as it was all rotten and falling down everytime the wind blew. but ya i did manage to take a couple that are as big as an average forearm and about a hundred little ones just to mess with. so if u would like some i can send some your way next spring when i prune the others.

Ross

I think I'm gonna grab a saw and get a couple extra-large "cuttings" from a willow in an apt. complex being torn down nearby. If it doesn't work I might hit you up though, thanks.

Prowler

Most willows love water, they will grow in a bucket of sharp sand, plenty water, and i do mean water, but there is always the exception.
Down South they grow in that droopy? style but not where i come from.
I can buy them from a garden centre but they are always in what i call a standard form, 3ft tall and everything on top. Cheers.

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centaura

I've been eye balling the neighbor's curly willow for some cuttings this spring. I figure this spring I was going to try for a nice branch for rooting - the house has been reposed by the bank so they shouldn't care of a branch goes missing. Its a large tree that drops branches all the time.

-Centaura

JLDoggett

I seperated these posts so folks could keep track of things and the discussion could develope further.

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centaura

Sorry that I helped in taking the old thread off topic, and thanks for splitting this off. I've heard over and over again that you can get willow cuttings to root in naught but a bucket of water, but had never tried. Since moving into this house and having that curly willow hanging over my backyard I've been tempted to try it. I need to trim it anyway, as its growing around the phone line coming off the pole in the alley. I think it was the recent Bonsai Focus that had a whole article about willows as bonsai, where he showed a constant drip system that he said you needed to keep willows going in bonsai pots.

Anyone here have a willow bonsai that they've tried?

-Centaura

Mattbonsai

I've practiced my grafting techniques on willow sticks this last winter, and to see if they took, I put them in about 2 inch of water, put them on kitchen windowsill and waited, sure enough they put out roots, then shoots, I succeeded with 90% of my grafts, once I had seen how many succeeded I just threw the lot in the compost bin , no space for willow, especially if they're going to start self seeding!

-Matt-

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Ross

"Willow" is also an excellent movie. Just throwing that out there.

sandman

not any that i call bonsai as of yet but in time i will have a few. ya i have a few that i do all my technique practicing on and i swear u couldnt kill it if u tried. also learned that u cant keep willows in pots on the ground cuz within a month they are growing out the bottom and then u have some major digging to do. also give yourself some time every couple of days to pinch new buds off or your tree will get over grown really fast. also tryin some fusing to see what will happen and quicken the finished product. keep in mind that they just started budding maybe 2 weeks ago and i have pinched buds a few times already. heres the cuttings that i took and here are some of my practice trees lol. quite a few pics

the cuttings




couple i have in the ground to mess with.




2 in half a wine barrel usually in about 1-2 of standing water.


just another one


gonna try fusing these



the rest of my small prebonsai collection


all comments welcomed