A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Shrubs and Trees Weeping Cherry Willow

I brought home a piece of a Weeping willow Cherry Tree and it has begun to Bud green,, tho no roots yet at the base of the twigs that's in water,,



Okay so here is my question..

Can I pot this up in a huge( meaning at least one that holds 100 lbs of soil) pot?? will it grow as usual??? or does it have to be in the ground

You can start it in a pot, but I wouldn't use one so large...start with a one gallon size so the roots won't dry out in such a vast amount of soil. I would also use rooting hormone to help get the roots growing. You can transplant it later into the larger pot once the roots get established.

Thanks Alan,, as I graduate to larger pots eventually placing it in the largest, will it grow as the tree should??

It depends on your weather. I know with tulips in large pots (in my experience) they won't survive because the whole pot of soil froze. But I'm assuming that you seldom get so many freezes. As long as the container never gets frozen solid I'd say it's ok. Also willows have VERY extensive root systems and their roots can find even the tinest amount of water. If they're planted too close to your house, they can grow through your foundation or grow into your water pipes (if they're clay). I think most things grown in pots will only grow as much as the space their roots get (I had a castor bean in a 2 gallon container and it didn't grow more than a foot tall but still flowered, whereas the one I had in the ground grew taller than me)

Yeah Kenny My yard isn't big enough to place in the ground, with out the worry of the roots, and the huge pot it will eventually go in is on rollers so I can move it around with ease,, I'm hoping it will grow nicely and with the shaping it would as natural as it would in ground,, the huge pot is made of clay should I use a plastic one instead?????

No roots but blooms, interesting. In my previous life my inlaws had a gigantic pond in their yard with beautiful weeping willow trees planted around one side of it. They were right at the edge, almost in the water. I always wondered why the tree roots didn't break the edge of the pond or grow into the water. Very interesting these willows.


Personally I like clay pots.

I've been reading up on them.. Apparently weeping willow are grown in containers in roof top gardening and do fairly well,, So I will give it a shot and see what happens.

I think is should do well, Diane, just as long as you do not let the pot freeze, or really dry out in the summer-----I roll my large pot into my garage by a window in the winter, and treat it as it went dormanrt--((I only water like 1 time a month)) (a lilac bush remember)--it works out well, although this last transplant was a dickens to accomplish I must say----.

I wish you luck!!!

If you are able to take a few more cuttings I would do so...hardwood and semi-hardwood cuttings can sometimes be difficult to get started. Hopefully at least one of them would grow. I would also use a smaller cutting...they are usually easier to get started.

Alan I can't take any more cutting they are from KY I'm in TX,, I do have two soft wood and the longer one is hard wood, in water now,, the soft isn't doing anything,, the hard has set buds as you can see But not developed roots, weird huh??

Diane - in my experience, I have gotten pussy willow cuttings to bud and bloom, but not to root, or grow as a plant. I don't know why. Many people take willow cuttings indoors in February to get some pretty blooms inside the house, but they usually do not make it to produce another plant.

ohhhhhhhhhh Shoooooot ,, well all's I can do is try!

Glenda just told me the starters I have from KY are the miniature cherry willow,, I wonder if that makes a difference in the root system in my yard

I finally Planted the starter I brought back from KY in January,, I guess time will tell if it takes root or not

it still looks okay we're expecting rain all week maybe that will be good for it,