Black Stemmed Willow

[MoGanic]

Hey all,

Aquired said black stemmed willow in pic below. Never worked with a willow before! Any advice? Tips? (Also the current shape and structure look really.. twiggy... help??)

Cheers,

-Mo

[Watto]

Doesn't look like there are any willow people out there Mo? Unfortunately this tree is not familiar to me so I can't assist but the shape looks good.

[Phoenix238]

Looks like a cool tree, my advice is "Send it to me"

[Guy]

too many in the first bunch of branches- I'd remove a couple -----also looks like die back after pruning could be a problem- or remove center trunk above the lower branch group and broom style it - any offcuts would probably strike ok..

[MoGanic]

yeah, i think die back will be a bit of an annoyance haha but ill learn my way around that. I dont like to remove branches until i absolutely know what i want it to look like. any one want to help out with a few rough virts, just to get the juices flowing? I think a quick look on the google machine will reveal most of this trees growing secrets heh heh!

ps phoenix... no. that is all. (just kidding haha)

[Craig]

Willow roots absolutely love water. If they don't get enough during the growing season then branches will likely suffer dieback, and when it hits it can hit hard.Branches can also suffer if hard pruned during the growing season, best left till Autumn. The roots of willows are still very very active in Autumn and can benefit from being slipped into a bigger pot without root disturbance at this time(autumn)to allow root run and repotted early Spring before budburst. :yes:Good luck with it.

[bodhidharma]

To have any success with Willows it will have to be on a drip system and fed continuously. Even then you are going to get dieback. It is just the way it is, Willows have a hard time surviving in a pot. There is info here on how to build a irrigation system for Willows.

[MoGanic]

This tree seems to be in good health, cant see any die-back.

I think that the color of new branches may be a little misleading as it is naturally a dark almost black color.

Currently watering this baby efficiently and often enough it seems!

I havn't decided yet how I want to style this, perhaps awaiting some inspiration .

Thanks everyone! Will keep posted when the buds start to pop!

[GavinG]

It looks to be a really interesting species. The bark colour contrasting with the leaves should be a real highlight. Willows can be touchy in pots, but it can be done - plenty of water, and watch that the roots don't choke it, they grow very quickly.

I can see why you're uncertain about the design - for me, it's too early to start making "a bonsai". There are large scars in the low trunk to heal over, then there's a large whorl of branches, then there's a straight bit, then there's another set of branches, all going upwards. It's all a bit confused.

So. Deep breath. This might seem like going backwards, but bear with me. Would you consider cutting back to that low, tapering branch going backward-ish, and then cutting back to the first branch that goes upward? Cut everything else off, all the whorl branches, and the trunk from there up, and seal all the wounds. Then put it back in the ground to grow on strongly. What you will get is a trunk that has movement, that thickens further, heals its scars, and can do something really interesting. It will take longer than you want. Next year, dig it up, root prune again, pick one clear trunk line to continue with, maybe keep one branch if it's where you want, cut everything else off, seal the wounds and do it all again. Repeat for several years until you have a seriously killer trunk. It should bud back at the base of sacrifice branches when you are ready to build branch structure.

If you want, you could layer the top half of the tree, but that would delay an already slow process. You could also make cuttings of everything you've cut off, and go mad in a few years time because you have TOO MUCH STUFF like the rest of us.

Please understand that this is just my opinion - you can certainly make something pretty from what you have when the leaves come out. But when the leaves drop, you'll still be faced with the confused structure. As Pup and a lot of other bright people have said, look for the smallest tree within. Get the trunk to make an interesting shape, then get the branches arranged gracefully.

I'd like to see how it turns out in a few years - it could be very dramatic.

Best of luck,

Gavin

[MoGanic]

I have the best soil my wallet would allow me to buy and I have to say, it's pretty good. Drains excellently.

Would you mind perhaps whipping up a virt? It's a difficult task to come by a finished bonsai in this species haha.

[GavinG]

No virts, don't do'em.

The second branch on the left, going backwards, has a nice taper, and comes off the trunk at an interesting angle. I'd tend to cut all other branches off, and the trunk from there up, and grow the new, angled trunk thicker in the ground. But it's the slow way. Possibly carve the scars back a bit smoother and seal them with something Japanese, or with Outside Aquadhere, so they heal over.

Do you have a club? It's sometimes easier to sort this stuff out in 3D, with real people, and coffee, cakes and the like. Take your time.

Good luck,

Gavin