I do it wrong.
I take cuttings from willows, sometimes 3-4 feet long, usually in the spring. I either put them in mud, or put them in water until they root well. Then plant them.

they'll keep leaves for a couple weeks. Or grow leaves if I cut them right before they should put out leaves. But within 2-3 weeks, the leaves die and fall off. They look dead for a while until the roots start growing. Then leaves come back.

In 2020 I did some I started in a bucket.


I planted them late June, right before Kansas went to 100 F temps. But I burried a 1 gallon jug with each one, and ran a 1/4" tube from the sprinkler system to each jug. So when i watered the lawn, a burried jug filled with water beside each tree. Even newly planted, they were very happy in the 100 degree weather.



1 year later:


2 years later:


tonight:

If your gonna plant right into dirt, get some rooting hormone.

Do you mix it with water?

I bought some rooting hormone at the local farm store.

Auxin is the most common roofing hormone. If it's a powder, you dip the freshly cut and scored cuttings in it and then put them in soil, usually after poking a hole wit something else, so you don't knock the powder off. If it's a jel, you dip and plant the same way. I've only worked with the powdered Auxin.

Keith

The cuttings I planted last year appear to have failed. It wasn't for lack of rain. Maybe I planted at the wrong time of year.

What did you try cloning?

I have around 3000 cuttings growing now. I need to do some more still.

Keith

Red osier dogwood, basswood, maple, aspen & willow.

I've only ever did some willow, was pruning some branches and stuck a 3/8" branch in the dirt and forgot about it, darn thing took off....dug it out to move, lost most of the roots and replanted it, took off again, wife didn't like where I put it, (imagine that), re planted it, about 2" thick then, off it goes and is now 15'.....all that to say this, I don't think you can kill a willow, lol,