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Getting started with willow

(Click to enlarge photo)

On the right of the photo are some 3 inch shoots in their pots in the greenhouse. The photo was taken in late April (my fields were 1,000' above sea-level so the season was later) and by July they will be 4 feet high and ready to go into the field. By the time the growing season is over, I expect each tree to be around 6 feet high and strong enough to defend itself through the winter. In the 2nd year, if not before, the trunk is pruned to about 5 feet to promote greater growth and multiple whips. Don't worry, its almost impossible to kill a willow! Serious protection from rabbits is needed when they go into the field, I use 75cm tall by 35mm diameter protectors that are made from recycled plastic. No tree protectors are particularly cheap but it's better than having the trees eaten at the base. Don't worry if there are snow drifts in the winter and the rabbits chew the trunk above the protector, the tree will recover quite happily in the spring and, in any case, the whips are pruned in the winter ready to be turned into wood-chips for the next season's fuel.

All you need to get started is a supply of pots, a bit of soil and some fresh willow cuttings about six inches long. Cuttings just a bit fatter than a pencil will do. Flower-pots are not ideal as there is a hole at the bottom and the water leaks away. Remember we are working with willows here and they like their roots to be very wet. I use 4 litre plastic milk bottles cut in half as the lower half makes a lovely pot. Using a small penknife make a hole about halfway down on two sides, this will allow excess water to drain away. Another advantage of this sort of pot is that it is oblong in shape and they can be stood together with no wasted space. I often had hundreds on the go in the greenhouse at the same time.

Fill the pots with soil and push it down a bit so its reasonable compact. Push a willow cutting down in the middle making sure it is the right way up (willows will grow upside-down if you insist but it won't help!) Water them very well (you can't over-water them) and continue to water well every day until planting them out. I arranged an automatic watering system so they didn't suffer if I had to go away.