Willow trees are towering beauties that grow rapidly and can be found frequently around bodies of water. Due to their unique shape, willow trees require special care. Knowing the right techniques to care for your willow tree will keep it healthy and help to minimize any lawn frustrations.
Pruning Younger Willows
In young willow trees, you want to prune the tree to develop a strong central leader. This central leader is the future trunk for the beautiful cascades of leaves that willows are so well-known for. Pruning an older willow excessively to shape it may harm the health of the tree, so it's best to shape the tree while it's young. To keep your growing willow tree safe, you will want to put a collar or barrier around it. This will help to ensure your young willow tree isn't eaten by deer or rabbits.
Caring For Older Trees
Willow trees grow quickly and are in need of regular trimming to look their best. It's best to prune willows during the winter while they're dormant, otherwise the willow tree will bleed sap. The branches of willows grow very quickly and can drop twigs and small branches at an equally fast pace. You should prune the branches frequently to keep them from touching the ground. To shorten the long whip-like branches, use pruning shears to cut just below a leaf bud. You can even grow new willow trees from the cuttings.
Keeping Pests And Disease At Bay
Willows are relatively hardy trees, but they can succumb to a disease or two. Willow scab and black canker are two diseases that can infect your willow trees. These two diseases tend to infect a tree at the same time, though not always. Willow scab will appear as masses of green spores along the bottom of a willow's leaves. Black canker will appear as a dark brown or black spots on the surface of the leaves. If you have to prune an infected tree, make sure you disinfect your pruning shears between clippings so you don't spread the disease.
Willows are also susceptible to pests such as worms, moths and beetles. In order to tackle both pests and diseases, you will want to have your willow sprayed. Spraying your willow will help to keep it pest and disease free.
If caring for your willow becomes difficult, you should consider hiring a tree trimming service. Many of these services will not only keep your tree trimmed to perfection, but they can spray for pests and diseases too.
Share26 October 2015
After we moved into our house, we knew that something had to be done about our trees. The branches looked off-kilter, and we could tell that someone had pruned them incorrectly at one time or another. Unfortunately, we weren't really sure how to repair the damage. A family friend talked with us about hiring a professional tree trimmer, and so we called them the next day. The difference that they made was astounding. They removed dead branches, trimmed up the shape, and let more sunlight through. My blog is all about improving the look of your trees by hiring a professional.