By Julie Christensen
If you love willow , you just might want to try a bottle screw willow tree ( Salix matsudana‘Tortuosa ’ ) . Unlike weeping willow tree , these tree diagram have an upright contour . The branches and twigs ab initio raise almost vertically before moving to a more horizontal ontogenesis . The branches have a distorted appearance and are often used in dried flowered displays . In the summertime , the branches dance and quiver in the idle words . During the winter , their curving shape provides stake in the landscape . Another dear thing about corkscrew willow is its fast growth . Like most willow , it grows 24 inches or more in one twelvemonth , reaching a fledged height of 25 to 30 foot with a scatter of 15 to 20 foot .
Now for the bad newsworthiness : like other willow , corkscrew willow tree is short - lived . Mostfast - growing treeshave brittle branches and are prostrate to breakage . Corkscrew willow is no exception . Although bottle screw willow tree is fearless in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8 , if you populate in an domain prone to high winds or frosting storm , you ’re go away to always battle ramification breakage and deal with lead dead branches . disregarding of where you live , avoid planting bottle screw willow tree near the house or over the driveway or street where fall branches of the willow tree can cause damage .
Another challenge with bottle screw willow trees is their aggressive root . The tree has shallow , moisture - search roots that can work mayhem in sewer melody and make damage to patios and sidewalk . Plant them well off from any plumbing strain and unvoiced surface and keep the soil slimly moist to discourage the root from wandering .
In the right localisation , with the right aid , a corkscrew willow tree tree with its twisted branches take in a beautiful specimen . set it carefully and look to supercede it in about 15 days .
Planting Corkscrew Willow
Corkscrew willow tree are generally propagated from thinning . Buying a nursery transplanting is the easiest way to get started . engraft your willow tree tree in an area with full sun to partial shade . While bottle screw willow are adaptable to most soil types , they do good with a more or less moist loam . In sandy stain , the water supply leach too quick and you ’ll have to water them ofttimes . In mud grime that drain poorly , they ’re more prostrate to root guff diseases .
flora bottle screw willow anytime from early natural spring through late summertime . In mild climate , you may be able to engraft corkscrew willow almost class - round . compass a hole as deep as the ascendent ball and twice as wide and set the tree in the gob . The top of the root orchis should pose about 1 inch above the surrounding soil . Fill the hole midway with grease and then add 2 gallons of weewee to the hole . Allow it to drain and fill the hole with the remainder of the soil . Tamp it down light with your foot .
Leave an area 2 to 3 ft in diameter bare under the tree diagram and mulch it with 2 inches of mulch . Corkscrew willows are very susceptible to damage from lawn mowers and trimmers , which can open up the trunk to disease . Keeping an surface area grass - loose eliminates this danger .
Corkscrew Willow Care
Water corkscrew willow at least weekly during the first season so the stain stays systematically moist 1 column inch beneath the surface . Thereafter , you may water slimly less often . Unless your soil is very pathetic , you likely do n’t require to feed corkscrew willow tree . If increase is dull and the leafage are wan , fertilise it in the leaping with 1 cup 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer spread over the soil under the canopy of the tree . If the corkscrew willow tree tree is planted within a fertilized lawn , it in all probability gets enough food .
Prune corkscrew willows every year to murder any branches that are diseased or that rub against each other . you’re able to also remove branches to open up the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree up to more clean . After a violent storm , get rid of any broken branches quick .
Pests and Diseases of Corkscrew Willow Trees
A telephone number of pests and diseases plague corkscrew willow , although most of them cause only cosmetic hurt . Aphids infest willow by the drove in bounce . They suck the juices from the parting and stems , causing wilting . They also will a sticky means hollo honeydew , which can appeal sooty mold – a slightly muzzy , black growth . Aphids can be treated with a dose of insecticidal oil , although treating orotund trees is impractical . In most case , predatory insects will move in and control aphid populations .
Gypsy moths , imported willow tree beetles and borer can also be a trouble for corkscrew willow tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( salix matsudana ) . The best defensive measure is a good offense since tidy trees can normally stand off these attackers . found the tree in full sun and allow for regular lachrymation . fecundate it if growth is slow .
The most serious disease to afflict the bottle screw willow is galls or antecedent rots . You might remark sinister or brown growths at the foot of the luggage compartment . Over metre , these galls can rise and induce tree decease . Removal of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is normally finally necessary .
Corkscrew willow tree is susceptible to leaf berth and powdery mildew . handling is rarely necessary .
For more information visit the following link :
Corkscrew Willowfrom the University of Florida IFAS Extension
Julie Christensen teach about gardening on her grandfather ’s farm and female parent ’s vegetable garden in southern Idaho . Today , she experience and gardens on the mellow plains of Colorado . When she ’s not digging in the dirt , Julie write about food , education , parenting and horticulture .
