General Gardening

Re: pruning willow trees

The Hedge Folk — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:18:51 GMT

Thank you both!

Scott's right about the tree bushing out after a good pruning, willow makes new shoots from old wood very easily.

You can control this by "nipping it in the buds"- if you see lots of new shoots appearing and can imagine them becoming a problem when they get big, just wear a glove and use your fingers to firmly rub them off the branch or trunk while they are still new.
Leave one or two well placed shoots here and there to discourage the willow from making even more.

Re: pruning willow trees

Garden novice — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:12:59 GMT

Hi Hedge Folk - I have just looked at your details and guess what - you grow them! I bought them from you as saplings along with the rest of my hedge! I will be in contact soon as I want to put in some fruit trees as my next adventure. Thanks for my lovely trees.

Re: pruning willow trees

Garden novice — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:07:27 GMT

Thanks for the help it is really useful. I am trying to stop them growing too high so will just go for it this weekend!

Re: pruning willow trees

Scott — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:14:44 GMT

Loving the website The Hedge Folk. I am wanting some native hedging pretty soon, so will be in contact.

Re: pruning willow trees

Scott — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:12:48 GMT

As mentioned by The Hedge Folk. Willow trees can take anything you throw at them. But beware, for every branch you prune, you will probably end up with 6 or 7 new shoots. Soon making the tree a mass of tangled branches...

Re: pruning willow trees

The Hedge Folk — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:01:09 GMT

Hi novice, welcome to the forums!

When: Anytime. Winter is ideal but summer is ok too.

Where: It depends what you want to do! Are you removing branches, shortening them, trying to make them grow another direction, taking cuttings?

As for the bud thing, this is relevant to ornamental shrubs like roses, climbers and fruit trees, where fine shaping is desireable, not to pruning a large tree's branch off.

I can't think of any occasions where the advice is to cut just before a bud (I'm sure someone here will!), it's usually after a bud.

The key point about the cut in relation to the buds is that when the branch is shortened, it should regrow from the last bud or buds (I'm generalising here: most trees behave this way if you cut growing tip of the branch, willows included).

If the last bud you leave on the branch is facing downwards and towards the trunk, that could encourage an ingrowing or otherwise less than ideal branch.

If the last bud is facing up and away from the trunk, the new branch should grow straight out.

But if you are cutting most or all of the branch off, this is not an issue.
Just read up on how to cutt off a tree branch and go for it: willow can take anything you throw at it.

Have fun,

pruning willow trees

Garden novice — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:15:19 GMT

Can anyone tell me when I should prune my willow trees and where am I supposed to cut the branches? For example after or before a bud etc.

Thanks