Willow has many species, among which there are shrubs, trees and creeping species. They grow well, perfectly adapt to urban conditions and are easy to trim. The decorative properties of these plants make them the favorites of landscape designers. The most popular is the weeping willow, which this article is devoted to.
Types of weeping willow
In nature, there are more than 600 species of willows. They grow everywhere, are found even in the tundra and the Arctic.
Weeping willow grows to 25-30 meters and can live up to 100 years. The trunk of the tree is powerful, covered with gray bark. The crown is wide, spreading. The leaves have a dark green color, from the bottom they are lighter and as if covered with a whitish fuzz.
Weeping willow species amaze with their magnificence and diversity. Here are just the most popular ones:
- White willow. The highest (its height is 25-27 meters) and unpretentious view. Named in connection with the silver-colored leaves. It tolerates frosts and can grow in shaded areas. Looks great among trees with dark green foliage and serves as an ideal backdrop for red-leaved trees.
- Willow goat (bredana). In spring, when flowering on the shoots of this species, fluffy flowers bloom, and goat willow looks like a huge dandelion. Such a weeping willow is planted at the dacha in group plantings, although it looks more effective in combination with plants of excellent foliage color.
- The willow is prutovidnaya. Large tree (up to 8 meters) with a large number of branches. When flowering on the branches, small cylindrical catkins (up to 6 cm) are formed, and the shrub becomes fluffy during this period.
- Willow is the finest. Differs from the rest of willows in brilliant brown stems. This type of weeping willow is valued for good rooting of cuttings and for how fast it grows (it takes no more than 2 years to grow).
- Willow of Babylon. The tree grows no more than 15 meters in height with a crown of up to 9 meters in diameter. It grows quickly, effectively looks in group plantings at reservoirs.
Selection of seedlings for planting
Under natural conditions, willow can breed seeds and in the culture of willow weeping multiply grafting or getting a seedling.
First of all, the seedlings choose winter stem, with good mature wood. It is desirable that the age of young animals was one to two years and they were harvested either in early spring or late autumn.
Before budding seedlings are placed in wet sand or in a container of water.
Did you know? Willow appeared on earth a long time ago - its remains are found already in the Cretaceous period, and some modern species (ashy, white, prutovidnaya) grew in the Quaternary era.
Place to plant willow
Weeping willow should be planted in light, sandy, medium loamy soils. The plot should be open, well lit, sunny, possible with light penumbra.
In addition, on the site where it is planned to grow willow, groundwater should be located close to the surface. If you have a place on the site that is constantly buried as a result of snow melting, then it is precisely this that is comfortable for willow.
Important! When fully shaded, weeping willows do not grow. Even in natural conditions, willow trees are not found in the wilderness.
The optimal time for planting willow
Wanting to plant a tree on your plot, it is important to determine with the right time when it is better to plant a weeping willow in a permanent place. The best option - in the spring, when the snow melted. Moreover, the root system of the seedling must be fully formed. You can plant willow in the fall, after the end of sap flow, only on those areas where there is a lot of snow.
Rules for planting willow seedlings
In the ground seedlings are placed at such a depth that several buds remain on the surface. Before planting a weeping willow, they dig a hole 60 cm in diameter for tree species and 50 cm for bushes. The depth of the fossa should be 40 cm. If the seedling has a closed root system, the fossa should correspond to the diameter of the earth clod. In the case when the willow is planned to be planted in the form of a hedge, then dig a trench 40 cm deep and 40-50 cm wide.
Did you know? In folk art, willow is associated with sadness and at the same time is a symbol of beauty.For heavy clay soils, drainage is required. To do this, sand or crushed stone in a layer of 20-30 cm is poured at the bottom of the pit for planting.
In order for a willow weeping better to settle down, you need to prepare a nutrient mixture of land, peat and compost, taken in equal proportions. You can add 200 g of azofosca to this mixture. This composition fill the planting hole 1/3 and place the seedling.
Then the ground around the seedling is tamped in such a way that a watering pit is formed around it. At the end of planting, 2 buckets of water are poured under each seedling.
If the dates of cutting willow fell in the autumn period, the soil should be covered with straw or dry leaves, and the seedlings themselves should be covered with spruce leaves.
If the cutting is high, for the first time, a support peg is set to fix the vertical position next to it.
Did you know? Willow in different regions is called differently: willow, vine, blacktail, willow, waddle, delusional crop, vine, rakita.
How to care for a weeping willow
To willow quickly grew and looked graceful, you need to know the subtleties of growing and caring for these plants. More attention should be paid to the care of a weeping willow for the first time after planting.
Watering
Since the willow is a moisture-loving plant, it needs frequent watering and regular spraying.
In the early years, young trees grow quickly, giving a gain of up to 3 meters per year. Therefore, during this period they need to be watered at 2-5 buckets per unit (the tree will absorb as much as it needs). Willow is watered either early in the morning or in the evening after sunset.
Water must be poured not only at the root, but also on the crown.
Did you know? Willow bark has long been used as an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agent, and salicylic acid got its name from the Latin salix - willow.
Top dressing
When you plant a tree in your plot, think about how to feed, since growing a lush and healthy willow willow will hardly work without them. Feeding must be carried out in spring or autumn, while digging the trunk circle.
Any fertilizers (mineral and organic) are suitable for weeping willows. Their introduction throughout the season serves as a guarantee of plant health and elegant look. In the spring and summer make complex feeding, and in August - superphosphate and potassium sulfate. The amount of fertilizer depends on the age of the plant.
In spring, it is advisable to loosen the soil near the tree and add mineral dressings. In autumn, fallen leaves and wild shoots are removed from the site and in October-November they cover varieties resistant to frost.
Important! Do not leave fallen leaves under willow - they contain tannins that have an undesirable effect on the growth of the plant.
Haircut and crown formation
If weeping the willow tree in time is not cut, then the natural formation of the crown will occur - the branches will randomly grow, and the tree will lose its decorative effect. therefore haircut - a mandatory procedure. After pruning, you can get willows of unusual shape and beauty.
In the first years of life (up to 5 years), the plant does not need a haircut. Willow is gaining strength, gaining strength, growing and developing. When the branches grow to a meter, it is worth starting the first pruning.
Basically, the willow is clipped in spring, but you can perform this procedure in the summer. The tips of the branches are shortened by 30-35 cm. The cut is performed directly above the upward bud.
Important! You can not cut willow during flowering.Regular pruning of willow branches will allow you to form a luxurious tree with a gorgeous crown 5-6 years after planting.
Dangerous diseases and common pests of willow trees
Particular attention when growing weeping willow should be paid to pests and diseases that can affect this beauty. So, most often willows can be threatened:
- leaf beetles;
- caterpillars;
- spider mite;
- elephants;
- flies;
- aphid;
- mouse-like rodents.
Of the most common diseases of willow is necessary to highlight:
- powdery mildew;
- rust;
- necrosis;
- spotting;
- scab
Besides, bark and branches should be regularly inspected for necrotic signs, in time to take measures to prevent the development of the disease. The affected branches are cut to a healthy area, and cut points are processed.
Important! Try to protect willow bark from mechanical damage - disease carriers penetrate through them.Necrosis preventive treatment of willow is carried out in August or May, for the next season.
If grayish specks appear on the leaves of willow, the plant must be treated with copper preparations.
Reproduction of willow cuttings
The easiest and most convenient way to reproduce weeping willow is cutting. The little seedling quickly turns into a delightful tree. There is nothing difficult in how to grow a tree from cuttings.
Cuttings harvested in autumn or early spring. Choosing young shoots that have turned no more than 2 years old - so more likely that the twig will start.
For growing suitable butt or middle part of the plant, which can quickly form the roots. The cuttings should be 20-50 cm in height and 5-20 mm in diameter.
Prepared cuttings are planted in a container or in a greenhouse at a distance of 20-30 cm. During care, special attention is paid to soil moisture, constantly loosening the ground and removing seedlings of third-party plants.
The cuttings grow pretty quickly, but hurry with a change in the open ground is not worth it - the young must overwinter. Only a year later, the cuttings are ready to quickly adapt to a new place and begin to actively develop.
Willow is the most famous wild-growing tree, which is easily recognizable by its long branching shoots. Due to the unique simplicity of this plant, many gardeners are happy to grow, and the knowledge of how to trim a weeping willow and how to properly care for it will make it possible to have on your site a healthy tree of the most diverse and bizarre forms.
