Willow Trees

[PrairieShadow]

What have you guys found to be the fastest suckering/spreading willow that will live in zone 3/4? I'm looking to create a willow thicket.

 

[H20fwler]

Yellow twig, Silky then maybe ROD.
My biggest setback on willow growing big and fast has been deer browsing...kind of a double edged sword, I want it to come in good for deer food and screen but deer like it almost too well.

I'm going to try some Flame willow next spring along our road front, I just like the look.

 

[Brian662]

As I understand it, silky willow does not root sucker and is also not a preferred browse species. At least that's what I've been told from Tom at Big Rock.

My opinion on the best way to create a thicket would be to cage and water as many willows/dogwoods as you have time for and after two years move the cages onto new plantings. I'm guessing that within 5 years you could have a sizable thicket.

 

[homerj1]

Most of these should do well.

Search: name contains ‘Salix’: Minnesota Wildflowers

www.minnesotawildflowers.info

 

[andrew]

I have alot of laurel leaf willow planted and love them. They like water and they grow fast. I'm in zone 4.

 

[PrairieShadow]

I have alot of laurel leaf willow planted and love them. They like water and they grow fast. I'm in zone 4.

Laurel's are not known for suckering though right? That's what has been drawing me to the sandbars instead. Every sucker they put up is one less tree I have to plant.

 

[andrew]

You are correct, I missed the part of you wanting them to sucker.

 

[bwoods11]

I ordered 50 Laurel Willow to add to my food plot screen so my neighbor can’t see what’s out there . The NDSU variety has great survival. I’m excited to see the growth ?

I’m in West Central MN .

 

[bwoods11]

Anyone have experience with them? Feedback ?

 

[andrew]

Bwoods11, I love my laurel leaf, I probally have 60 of them planted. 10 of them are probally 8 years old and they are well over 20 ft. I spaced them at 10 ft in the row and they are nice and thick. I have them planted in wet ground, reed canary grass, I used 3 ft matting and they took right. Off and grew fast. I'm in SW MN by the way.

 

[andrew]

These were 7 years old.

 

[Foggy47]

I ordered 50 Laurel Willow to add to my food plot screen so my neighbor can’t see what’s out there . The NDSU variety has great survival. I’m excited to see the growth ?

I’m in West Central MN .

Are you buying cuttings? Source?

 

[Foggy47]

Are you buying cuttings? Source?

Did a search on those Laurel Willows at NDSU Forestry. See they have "plugs" that should be planted with a dibble bar. Would those grow better than cuttings? Maybe this is the route for me. Establish quicker? Plant at ten feet apart....and perhaps use some cuttings in the time to come from this planting. I need about 60 to do 100 yards x 2 sides. Price is 1.30 / each....not too shabby. Maybe I can borrow or rent a dibble bar from somebody.....or make one.

 

[bwoods11]

Are you buying cuttings? Source?

Plugs . Minnesota Habitat Management is where I ordered them .

 

[bwoods11]

These were 7 years old.

That looks great ! Thanks for the feedback !

 

[Brian662]

Plugs . Minnesota Habitat Management is where I ordered them .

Jason is a good dude

 

[goatman]

Did a search on those Laurel Willows at NDSU Forestry. See they have "plugs" that should be planted with a dibble bar. Would those grow better than cuttings? Maybe this is the route for me. Establish quicker? Plant at ten feet apart....and perhaps use some cuttings in the time to come from this planting. I need about 60 to do 100 yards x 2 sides. Price is 1.30 / each....not too shabby. Maybe I can borrow or rent a dibble bar from somebody.....or make one.

Foggy if they are plugs all you need is a battery drill and a 1" bulb auger. Use to do this with cedar plugs.

 

[ethan_holzfaller_midwest]

If you can get the plugs I'd probably go that route, unless budget is a restriction. I haven't done too much with cuttings with willows, I do know that willows in general, and in NW MN are prolific, they have a growth hormone that is readily available hence why you see such growth in spring and summer from willow patches.

I've only done cuttings with dogwood and alder. I can try to do some with willow especially diamond willow since it is harder to find. A trick with cuttings that I learned is you could take some of that new willow growth, cut it in small pieces, and throw it in a pail of water. Let it sit for a 24-72 hrs. Drains the pieces out, so your just left with this stained water, should look like a tea. Now take the cuttings you are going to propagate and place them in that solution, what you have made is a growth hormone infused solution. Extra step to take is take a knife and strip the outer layer of bark of each cutting, at the bottom that would be placed into the soil, to expose the cambium (white fleshy layer), and place these in the water solution. Don't cut too deep, just scratch it basically like shaving wood fibers to start a fire, if you go too deep you will cut off the cambium and xylem layers of the cutting and render it useless, or have to make it shorter.

After a few days of water/soaking the cuttings in this solution, you should start to see fine root grow in and around the area that was cut and shaved from the knife. You can know plant these in the ground. And you can even coat them with more growth hormone and some nutrients after planted to really jump start them.

Otherwise you can just coat them with a powdered growth hormone from your local nursery/garden store. But hey, save. few bucks the other way.

 

[andrew]

In my experience willow cuttings do not need rooting hormone. I have grown golden,flame,peach leaf,Bebbs,Streamco,and Laurel Leaf all from cuttings they they do really well as long as there is moisture and you use a weed barrier.