The majestic weeping willow, Salix babylonica, is a deciduous tree for Zones 5 to 9 that shows gracefully arching branches and delicate, lance-like foliage subtly adorned with pendant yellow catkins within the spring.
We hyperlink to distributors that will help you discover related merchandise. Should you purchase from certainly one of our hyperlinks, we could earn a fee.
Cultural necessities embody a full solar to half shade location, ample moisture, and acidic to barely alkaline, well-draining, sandy loam.
Mature dimensions can attain as much as 80 toes tall and vast.
Our information to rising weeping willows has all it is advisable domesticate this beautiful panorama tree in your out of doors residing area.
This text discusses whether or not or not you need to prune weeping willows.
Right here’s what we’ll cowl:
Pruning Weeping Willow Timber
Let’s start.
Why Prune a Weeping Willow?
Seven widespread causes for pruning S. babylonica are:
Enhance Structural Integrity
Remove Crossing and Scale back Density
Set up a Central Chief
Promote Balanced Development
Take away Branches that Hinder
Restore Winter Injury
Reshape for Aesthetics
Let’s speak about every.
1. Enhance Structural Integrity
Weeping willows develop shortly, placing on about three to 4 toes every year, till they attain maturity, which takes about 20 years.
Sadly, speedy development usually leads to brittle wooden and weak department collars, the place the branches be a part of the principle stem.
Gardeners who start trimming yearly on the sapling stage, beginning on the age of three, enhance structural integrity, cut back the chance of breakage, and prolong the lifetime of the branches.
2. Remove Crossing and Scale back Density
As a weeping willow sapling grows, many branches sprout to type a dense cover.
Some cross over one another, rubbing and opening the outer cambium layer, rendering the wooden beneath susceptible to breakage and the ingress of pathogens and pests.
The elimination of crossing branches eliminates rubbing and improves airflow important to inhibit the event of fungal pathogens that thrive in moist areas with poor air circulation.
3. Set up a Central Chief
Throughout the early years, a weeping willow sapling could develop a number of trunks.
And not using a single central trunk or chief, the tree won’t take a look at its greatest, however extra importantly, the principle stems could break up off from one another, inflicting deadly harm.
Trimming branches to determine and preserve a single central chief leads to a well-balanced, aesthetically interesting show.
It is usually essential to snip off any suckers that develop on the chief to keep away from the expansion of competing trunks.
If suckers are a persistent downside, chances are you’ll have to seek the advice of an arborist to find out the trigger.
4. Promote Balanced Development
Establishing one central chief and horizontal limbs in addition to spacing cover branches to stop rubbing and enhance circulation go a great distance towards selling balanced development in younger specimens.
For mature specimens, the elimination of previous, heavy limbs is important.
An arborist can be sure that weight is evenly distributed by the well-balanced reducing of limbs and cover thinning.
5. Take away Branches that Hinder
A weeping willow usually grows on the banks of streams, idyllically brushing the water’s floor and sinking its roots into the moist soil it craves.
Sadly, different specimens discover themselves in yards the place their sweeping branches block sidewalks and driveways, and require trimming to stop inflicting obstruction.
To keep up a naturalistic look, resist the urge to gang-cut with loppers and as a substitute, use shears to shorten every stem in a extra random trend, sustaining the pure “weeping” look of the branches.
6. Restore Winter Injury
Winter situations, together with chilly, wind, and the burden of snow, could trigger wooden to interrupt or die and require elimination.
Broken and lifeless wooden is susceptible to pests and pathogens which might hurt the tree. Take away it earlier than the rising season resumes within the spring to keep away from infestation and an infection.
7. Reshape for Aesthetics
As soon as a tree matures, gardeners could want to prune periodically to take away wayward branches that detract from the general steadiness.
{Photograph} the branches when they’re leafed out in season and withhold trimming the offending ones till the next winter when the sap is dry.
When to Prune Weeping Willows
It’s greatest to prune a weeping willow in late winter. With development at a standstill, the sap is dry and the foliage is absent.
Trimming presently doesn’t shock the tree, the gardener can see the branches clearly, and there’s no sticky mess from the sap.
Should you miss the late winter window of alternative, it’s also possible to prune in early spring, however the longer you wait, the extra sap can be produced.
Equip your self for the job by carrying a hat, lengthy pants, long-sleeved shirt, security glasses, and durable footwear or boots.
You may additionally want a stepladder, relying on the dimensions of your weeping willow.
Sanitize the blades of an extension noticed, long-handled pruners, a pruning noticed, and pruning shears with rubbing alcohol or a ten % bleach-to-water answer (one half bleach to 9 components water) earlier than and after use to keep away from spreading backyard pathogens.
In case your tree is simply too giant to achieve the highest comfortably, or the boughs are unwieldy, schedule pruning with knowledgeable arborist as a substitute of attempting to sort out it by yourself.
Trimming Ideas
Discuss with the next seven ideas when planning to trim your timber:
1. Comply with the One-Third Rule.
The primary rule of pruning isn’t take away greater than one-third of the full quantity of a tree to keep away from extreme shock and a attainable failure to recuperate.
Do that by eradicating each third department or reducing off one-third of the terminal twig development. Your alternative will rely on what your tree wants.
2. Use the Proper Instruments for the Job.
Use shears to chop slender branches at a 45-degree angle just under a leaf or twig node, a pure rising level.
For thicker wooden, use an extension or pruning noticed. Begin reducing upwards from beneath the department, then make a second minimize from the highest reducing downward.
After the limb falls, clear up the jagged stump by slicing it off as near its level of origin as you possibly can with out scraping bark off the principle lateral or chief.
3. Attempt to Enhance Airflow
In case you are eradicating some branches to aerate the cover, you possibly can take away each third department to its level of origin.
Ideally there can be a number of inches between branches to advertise good airflow.
4. Minimize Selectively for an Irregular, Pure Look
To shorten twigs that brush the bottom so you possibly can set garden chairs within the shade, you’ll need to take away not more than the underside third of all branches.
To keep away from the “umbrella” look, minimize particular person twigs with shears quite than utilizing loppers to chop a number of directly, and range the lengths a bit.
5. Retain Reliably Robust Horizontal Limbs
After you have a central chief established in a sapling you possibly can start to scout for lateral branches that may present steadiness.
The most effective ones to encourage are those who be a part of the chief with extra of a “U” form than a “V” form.
The extra horizontal the crotch at this junction, the stronger the lateral limb.
These formed like a “V” usually tend to cleave and snap off in sturdy winds, and these must be eliminated.
You probably have a mature specimen, study it for “V” limbs which may be heavy and more likely to break. An arborist can take away them and skinny the cover to distribute the remaining weight evenly.
6. Retain Downward-Pointing Crossed Branches.
With an upright central chief and predominant horizontal boughs established, you’ll want to handle branches crossing each other.
Take away those who have develop into broken from rubbing collectively by reducing them at their level of origin.
If they’re crossed with no bark harm, retain those that time downward within the straightest trend and take away the extra horizontal ones.
7. Take away Broken, Diseased, and Pest-Infested Wooden
Don’t anticipate late winter to chop away wooden that’s damaged, lifeless, contaminated, or infested. Ready too lengthy to take away it might result in extra in depth harm.
Along with the ideas above, there’s one other, extra drastic kind of pruning referred to as “pollarding.” Let’s talk about that subsequent.
What Is Pollarding?
Pollarding is an excessive type of pruning that removes all crown branches and retains simply the central chief and predominant lateral limbs.
It creates well-sealed “knuckles” that stop moisture from penetrating and rotting the trunk.
When younger timber – 15 years of age or much less – are pollarded, the brand new development is eliminated to the knuckle yearly. They regrow shortly.
For mature specimens, pollarding ought to happen each three to 5 years as a result of regeneration is gradual.
The method permits gardeners to reduce undesirable encroachment over sidewalks and roads, create a smaller shade-casting cover in residence landscapes, and preserve a constant, manageable peak and width.
Seek the advice of knowledgeable earlier than trying the pollarding methodology your self.
Pruning to Profit Saplings and Seniors
You probably have a younger tree, you need to prune it usually to develop a single central chief, secure horizontal limbs, and a well-balanced, aesthetically pleasing type.
Relying upon the early care acquired, in case you have an older tree you’ll have to prune it to take away aged limbs and preserve the specified peak and form.
Within the case of very giant mature specimens chances are you’ll want to contemplate hiring an arborist.
Ensure you all the time take away broken, lifeless, diseased, or pest-infested wooden.
Does a weeping willow grace your panorama? Have you ever pruned it because it was younger? Did you come to look after it when it was older? Please share your expertise within the feedback part under.
Should you discovered this text informative and need to study extra about panorama timber and their care, we suggest the next guides subsequent:
© Ask the Specialists, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for extra particulars. Uncredited images: Shutterstock.
