5 Tips on Growing a Healthy Weeping Willow ...

Getting a weeping willow to grow correctly all begins with proper planting. If you don’t start your willow out the right way, it will take it a long time to adapt to its surroundings. They are hardy trees, but it is still possible to kill them without meaning to. Here are 5 tips on growing a healthy weeping willow tree.

5 Make Sure the Roots Have Room to Spread

When planting a new weeping willow tree, you need to make sure that there is plenty of room for it to grow properly. The roots like to spread through the soil in all directions. Soil that is filled with air pockets works against the roots, since it allows them to dry out quickly. Make sure to start your plant in loose, but quality soil.

4 Use a Fertilizer with High Nitrogen Content

Be conservative when you fertilize your weeping willow. There are plenty of organic fertilizers available that contain a high ratio of nitrogen. Make sure that you apply the fertilizer to the soil around the tree and not to the tree itself.

3 Eliminate Pests as Much as Possible

As long as your tree has a healthy start, then disease shouldn’t be a problem. Adequate fertilizer, water, and good soil are all key components in keeping diseases at bay. Deer can be a pest that affects your willow while it is very small, but putting a fence around the young tree will protect it from these animals.

2 Keep Weeds Cleared Away

It’s best to keep the weeds pulled around the weeping willow for at least the first year. As long as the weeds are eliminated within a two to three foot radius around the tree, the willow should do just fine. Weeds tend to suck up a lot of the water that should be going to the tree roots.

1 Provide Plenty of Water

The first year is often a rough one for a new weeping willow. It’s important to make sure you monitor the amount of water the tree is getting. Willows are known for loving water, but it is still possible to over water them as well. If the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off, this is a sign of both under-watering and over-watering. Check the level of dampness around the tree before you water.

Willow trees are able to grow in just about every type of climate and their roots continue to grow even when they don’t have leaves during their dormant period. Do you have a new weeping willow tree that you are trying to grow? Do you find any of these tips helpful?

Top Photo Credit: Alec Pozner