Distinctive characteristics and recommendations for growing willow in your garden, reproduction, pest and disease control, interesting facts, types.
Willow (Salix) is a woody plant that belongs to the Willow family (Salicaceae). Most of all, specimens of this genus of the same name are found in cool regions of the Northern Hemisphere, climbing even beyond the Arctic Circle. There are, however, those who do well in tropical climates. In total, this family has up to 500 varieties. They choose damp lands for their growth, but they can settle on slopes or sands, only some of the species are found in swampy areas. They also mix in forests with other tree-like plants.
There are many names in the Russian language for this green beauty, which are attributed to various species, but many have heard of them: willow, vine, willow, willow, willow and willow, as well as many similar ones.
The external image of the willow is very diverse and directly depends on the species. These specimens of the willow family can take tree forms and reach up to 10-15 meters in height with a trunk diameter of up to half a meter, and also grow as shrubs, not exceeding indicators of one and a half meters. There are also dolno small varieties, in which branches creeping along the surface of the earth. In mountainous areas, you can contemplate dwarf willows or small shrubs, the height of which barely exceeds 2.5 cm. Such specimens almost do not rise above the mosses, among which they grow.
The foliage also depends on the variety, so in some varieties it curls and has a green color and great density, while in others it is completely rare and its color can be either grayish-green or gray-whitish. The leaf plates are located on the branches in the next order, the shape of the leaf can be wide and elliptical or narrowed and elongated. The edge of the leaf can be either solid or, in most cases, with fine or coarse serration.
The stems of the willow are branched, the branches are thin and twig-like, easily bend and break. They are covered with a matte or glossy bark painted in purple, greenish or other shades. The buds on the shoots also vary in color: dark brown, reddish yellow, and the like.
Many varieties begin their flowering even before the foliage appears or at the same time as it. Basically, this time falls in early spring or early June. The flowers are heterosexual (willow is a dioecious plant), small and not very noticeable, and all their beauty is visible due to the fact that they gather in dense inflorescences that have the shape of earrings. The color of the flowers against the background of bare shoots looks quite elegant: whitish-green or yellowish-green.
After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a box, which has a pair of opening valves, small seeds are placed inside, which are covered with a whitish fluff. With this cover, the seed is easily carried by the wind over long distances. It is interesting that once in fresh air, germination is lost after a couple of days, but once at the bottom of the waterways, the seeds can wait "in the wings" for several years, therefore, when they clean ponds or rivers, very soon all the dredged mud or silt is covered willow shoots. However, young sprouts are very weak and even grass drowns them out easily, but they have a high growth rate and stretch out very quickly in the first year.
Due to the fact that the willow has the ability to form adventitious roots, it easily propagates by cuttings and even pegs. Seeds, on the other hand, very quickly lose their germination properties, and only a variety of five-headed willow (Salix pentandra) can multiply with seed next spring.
Rules for caring for willow, growing in the garden
- Choosing a landing site for a wakita. In order for your willow to be comfortable, you need to choose a place with sufficient moisture and a nutritious substrate. It is better that the latter is light and sandy. You should take a one-year-old rakita seedling with well-developed roots. Landing is carried out in early spring, as soon as the snow has melted. If the variety is shrubby or undersized, then a hole is prepared for it with parameters 50x50x50 cm. If it is planned to plant a tall tree, then the hole is made larger. After planting, the seedling should be well watered and the trunk circle should be mulched. If planting is carried out in a heavy substrate, it is recommended to lay drainage material at the bottom of the hole - about 20-30 cm of sand or gravel. When subsidence occurs, humus or matured compost is added to the hole, and the soil mixture is prepared from garden soil, peat soil and compost, parts are taken equal. Azophoska is also introduced there, expecting that there should be 200 grams of the drug per plant. The mixture fills a hole by 1/3 and a seedling is placed in it, straightening its root system. Then the hole is covered in such a way that a pit is formed around the seedling, which will facilitate watering. Up to 2 buckets of water are poured under each plant. If the seedling turned out to be high, then for the first time a peg is placed next to it and with its help the position is fixed. The place where the willow will grow should be well lit, but it will feel good in partial shade.
- Watering willows will have to be carried out often, especially if there is no rain for a long time in the summer. One adult tree or shrub should have several buckets of water. To maintain the "young growth", spraying of the crown is also carried out.
- Fertilizers for raquita, they are introduced to increase its decorative effect. With the arrival of spring, the soil in the trunk circle is loosened and mineral fertilizers are embedded in it. It is recommended to use organic matter, alternating it with mineral dressings, they are used throughout the growing season, depending on the type of willow.
- Crown formation. This plant tolerates all kinds of pruning well, and some craftsmen manage to give the rakita a wide variety of shapes. For the first time, you can trim the crown of a tree only after several years have passed after planting a seedling, when its height becomes equal to a meter. Pruning is carried out after flowering. It is recommended to shorten young branches by 20 cm. The cut is made above the bud, which is directed outward. When the tree is already large, then its branches are cut at a height of 2 meters from the ground.
Recommendations for breeding willow at home
To obtain a new tree or rakita bush, vegetative methods are used - cuttings, layering and grafting.
When grafting, use green twigs, cutting out their middle, the length of the stalk should be 15–20 cm. The bud at the top should be removed and the leaves from the bottom of the stalk should also be removed, the upper ones should be shortened in half. The stalk is planted in a nutritious substrate and wrapped in plastic wrap or placed under a cut plastic bottle - this will create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse. It is important to periodically ventilate and moisten the soil. However, rooted seedlings are planted only in the second year, so that they spend the first winter in the greenhouse.
In order to propagate willow by layering, you need to dig out the root shoots in early spring, which have already formed their roots. Then they are treated with a fungicide and planted in a new place according to all the rules.
There are varieties that should be grown on a trunk - choose a plant with the required height and then graft a varietal willow scion.
Willow pests and diseases
The plant can be affected by powdery mildew, rust or various types of spots, as well as scab. All these troubles arise as a result of high humidity due to long rains. For the fight, they are treated with fungicides. Cytosporous and diplodine necrosis occur, which, with timely treatment, once in August or May, will help save the willow.
Aphids and silkworm caterpillars can be distinguished from pests. The former suck out the juices of the vine, and the latter devour the foliage. When aphids are damaged, insecticides are used, and the caterpillar will have to be destroyed by hand, collecting the hatched white larvae and butterflies.
Interesting facts about willow
The plant appeared on our planet a very long time ago, as evidenced by the imprints of leaf plates that are found in the sediments of the Cretaceous period.
Willow wood is very light and soft, because of this, it quickly deteriorates and begins to rot. Often wooden dishes or crafts are made from it. For a long time, branches covered with foliage were used to feed pets, especially goats and sheep. The varieties of willow are also famous for their melliferous properties. The bark of varieties such as gray willow, goat or white is used in tanning. If some areas do not have extensive forests, then wood was used as a building material.
Also, the craftsmen did not ignore the flexible willow branches, from which wicker products of various formats have long been made - from dishes to furniture. The most popular in this matter were twigs of purple willow or rod-shaped willow. If we talk about church rituals, then often the branches of young pussy willow are used instead of palm branches according to the Orthodox and Catholic traditions on Palm Sunday.
There are many popular beliefs and sayings associated with the green beauty:
You will see down on the willow - and spring will come under the sixth; - If the willow is covered with frost early, then the winter will be long for you
Willow is very much loved by landscape designers who use it to strengthen the loose and sandy substrate found on the banks of natural and artificial waterways or basins. All this is possible due to the well-developed root system of the rakita.
Willow bark has long been known to folk healers for its antibiotic and anti-inflammatory effects. And the substance salicylic acid was found in willow, which is why it bears this name.
Willow species
White willow (Salix alba) is a large tree with thin and flexible branches hanging beautifully to the ground. On them there are densely arranged leaf plates of elongated outlines and dark green color with a silvery sheen. With the arrival of autumn days, they change their color to yellow-green. The crown is formed lush, spherical and with the help of a haircut it is easy to give it the desired shape. It is used for planting as a specimen plant. When flowering, fluffy yellowish-green flowers appear, which are popularly called "cats". The process of their formation falls on April-May. In five years, it can reach 3 meters in height, and its maximum parameters in height are equal to 25 meters, while the tree at that time may be 15–20 years old. The crown diameter of such a specimen increases to 20 meters.
The fragile willow (Salix fragilis) is popularly called "rakita". It is a small tree or shrub. Most often it grows in a damp substrate or in flooded areas. Loves bright lighting, but grows well in partial shade. The height of this variety can approach 15 meters with a crown reaching 12 meters in diameter. The crown takes on a rounded soft outline, and can resemble green clouds. Leaf plates from the very beginning of a green color, over time, change their shade to bright yellow. In the period from mid-spring to its end, it can form oblong flowers with a greenish-yellow color scheme.
The purpurea willow (Salix purpurea) is found under the name Yellowberry. It has shrubby outlines. The branches are thin, covered with a reddish-brown bark with a bluish bloom. It is not picky about the soil and shows excellent growth in any case, even on sand. The variety is frost-resistant and undemanding to the level of lighting. The crown is easy to shape with a haircut. It is often used for planting, both as a single species, and in the formation of hedges. It can be measured in height by 5 meters with a crown with a diameter of about 5 meters. The crown has spherical contours, the leaf plates are shaded with a silvery-greenish color scheme. With the arrival of autumn, they turn yellow-green. The flowering process is extended to April-May. The variety got its name due to the fact that purple flowers are formed on the plant.
Goat willow Kilmanock (Salix caprea ‘Kilmanock’) is decorative and medium-sized, height indicators may vary depending on the place of grafting. The branches hang down beautifully. It is often planted near reservoirs, the plant is unpretentious, grows well on wet soil, frost-resistant. The height rarely exceeds one and a half meters, the crown in diameter is close to 1.5 meters. The outlines of the crown are weeping. The leaf plates are painted in a dull green shade with a silvery tone, with the arrival of autumn they acquire a yellow color scheme. The flowering process occurs in April-May, and fluffy flowers of a golden hue are formed.
The Matsudana willow (Salix matsudana) is sometimes called the Matsudana willow. It has a sufficient height, which varies in the range of 10-12 meters. The native area of growth falls on the lands of Korea and China. There is a decorative form in the form of a bush. Branches of often curved contours, the crown is distinguished by a high decorative effect of an openwork look. When disembarking, a well-lit area is selected for her.
All-leaved willow (Salix integra) has a shrubby form of growth and spreading contours. The leaf plates are oblong, they can also grow oval. Branches with reddish or yellowish bark. In appearance, this shrub is very similar to a fern and the same leafy fronds. When blooming, elongated flowers-earrings of a dark red hue are formed. The flowers have a pleasant aroma. Under natural conditions, it can be found in wet meadows and flooded areas.
Varietal varieties:
- Whole-leaved willow Hakuro Nishiki (Salix integra Hakuro Nishiki) can have both shrub and tree-like growth. If this is a tree, then it is not tall. The crown with spherical contours reaches 2 meters in diameter. Foliage and branches are very decorative. The color of young foliage is white-pink-greenish, by autumn the leaves become completely pink. The shoots have a reddish or olive tint. From mid-spring to its end, it blooms with yellow-greenish flowers.
- All-leaved willow Pendula (Salix integra Pendula) possesses creeping shoots and shrub growth. Most often, for decorative purposes, it is grafted onto a stem.
The Babylonian willow (Salix babilonica) is often found under the name Weeping willow. This tree has a spreading crown formed by branches hanging down to the ground. Shoots are thin and long, covered with reddish, yellow or greenish bark. Sufficiently frost-resistant and characterized by unpretentious care. It can be grown as a tapeworm or along the banks of water bodies.
The crown is rounded, the leaf blades are long, the color is dark green on the upper side, the lower one is shaded with a bluish-greenish color scheme. When blooming, flowers appear, similar to earrings of a white-yellow tone. the height of the tree can vary in the range of 10–12 meters, but the crown can sometimes exceed this figure.
Learn more about the willow varieties from the following story:
