Curly willow tree....

[2468Gardeningisgr8]

I have a curly willow tree ....sometimes called a corkscrew tree...about 5ft high.Sometimes you see the branches in flower arrangements or bunched together in a pot for decoration. I have had it for maybe three years now and It has been transplanted two times.I think the last transplant did some damage because i noticed the branches turning black in the summer.I was wondering if anyone has heard if you cut this type of tree drastically back in the spring that it will regrow more branches?...thanks in advance....

 

[Reinbeau]

How dramatic is dramatic? If it's Corylus avellana 'Contorta', many of them are grafted, so don't prune past the graft.

 

[grove.in]

The Corkscrew willow is different then the Contorted Hazelnut (Harry Lauder's Walking stick, that is almost always grafted ). Corkscrew Willows are usually easy to start from cutting . That's how I started mine. It always has dead branches that I have to cut out, just seems the way it is...But I blame the poor , dry sand that it's growing in. I would imagine if it was in a moist area with decent soil, it would do a lot better.I would call it a scrubby tree/shrub that should be planted out behind the barn or along a wet hedgerow lol. I've never hacked mine down to the ground (yet) good luck

 

[Buff Shallots]

Grove.in, I have a curly willow in a big pot on my deck. I can't think of the Latin name right now, but its branches are yellow.

Anyway, I have the same problem with new growth turning black and dying off in the spring, and again in the late summer. Not all, just some of the new growth. I attribute it to uneven, or insufficient, watering. But I haven't been able to get it right.

I was thinking of chopping it back to about 2' high. Bad idea?

 

[Reinbeau]

The Corkscrew willow is different then the Contorted Hazelnut (Harry Lauder's Walking stick, that is almost always grafted ). Corkscrew Willows are usually easy to start from cutting . That's how I started mine. It always has dead branches that I have to cut out, just seems the way it is...But I blame the poor , dry sand that it's growing in. I would imagine if it was in a moist area with decent soil, it would do a lot better.I would call it a scrubby tree/shrub that should be planted out behind the barn or along a wet hedgerow lol. I've never hacked mine down to the ground (yet) good luck

Ah, well as I've said before, I really don't like common names for that very reason. Thanx!

 

[grove.in]

Shallots, I'm no authority on willows, but if it was mine and I wasn't very happy with it, I'd trim it down to a size that would work.Two foot sounds like a reasonable tight . Also, can't help but wonder, if there is a way to put that pot in something that would hold water for a while longer? I know my Brugmansias suck up a lot of water from their trays, especially in the hot summer months, and they do just fine.

Reinbeau, I know what you mean about "local" names ! Reminds me of the time a guy called me wanting "banny" chickens....I asked what breed he was looking for...he said " Bannys, you know... them lill chickens!'' un

 

[mikesprague_1]

I have a large 18' x 20' curly willow that was partially pushed over during a strong early fall wind storm. I pulled it upright with a couple trucks, staked it, and cut it back at least 6'. No remaining branch was less than 3" in diameter. I worried that we had cut it back too far, but by late spring it was full once more. I'm getting ready to trim it back again this winter, but no where near as severly. If a willow could survive this, I think your tree could take a good trimming. It will grom back thicker.