[Matt S] Salix babylonica

[Matt S]

I use wire over winter/early spring and then change over to weights during summer. As long as I've removed all wire before Autumn I've never had any problems.

I've used many materials for weights; plasticine is pretty good except on really hot days when it can slide off and leave a mess on the benches. Now I use small plastic craft pegs with a lead weight attached. I have a variety of weights for different sized branches and they can be reused each season for many years.

Can you contain that energy long term ?

Although this is the smallest Willow I've tried, I have one that is only slightly bigger and it's been going for 10 years without any problems. However with such a fast growing species there is always a compromise - in this case branches get too thick and taper is lost quite quickly and the whole tree needs a major reconstruction about every 5 years. Never a dull moment!

Matt.

[Rory]

Wow, awesome job so far.
Its looking great, Matt.

[FruitFly]

This looks awesome. I'm keen to try a willow and we have one local that I've been meaning to take cuttings from.

What's the best season and size for success with cuttings on this Tree?

Cheers
Gail


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[Matt S]

Hi Gail,

Willows will strike from cuttings anytime the parent tree is showing growth, so early in the growing season is best. Put the cutting in a container and fill with water 1 third of the way up the cutting and then wait for a few weeks while new roots and shoots grow. Plant up once you're happy it's alive, there's no hurry as it will grow happily in just the water for months. As a bonus the water the cutting has been sitting in is supposed to promote root growth, so spread it around on your other trees whenever you change the water.

Take big, thick cuttings. Don't waste your time on finger thin sticks, go for something as thick as your wrist. Even thicker will work too, it just depends on what size tree you're after.

Matt.

[FruitFly]

Thanks for the advice Matt. I'll start eyeing off the branches as I walk by over the next few weeks.


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[Matt S]

Over the weekend I gave the Willow a root prune and put it promptly back in it's training pot. The shoots have started to move so I didn't want to wait too much longer and I still don't have a pot but I want at least one final surge of growth before I give a final root prune and defoliation for the end of the competition. As a bonus I get 2 last chances to work on the nebari.

Willow aug 1.JPG

Willow aug 2.JPG

Willow aug 3.JPG

Tuesday night I'll be meeting up with Luke Parsons to design a pot.

Matt.

[CraigM]

Nice tree, really like the movement and roots.

[melbrackstone]

That's really impressive, well done!

[Matt S]

Final Submission:

My Willow has been growing in it's final pot for the last month which caused it to finally slow down a bit, although there was a touch of dieback when the weather got hot. I'm hoping to convey an old willow that's growing by the side of a deep, dark pool, leaning out over the water. Summer isn't a good time to be showing Willows so I defoliated most of it so you can see the structure. The leaves I left are on shoots that will be important later in the season.

I really like the strong trunk and nebari, and the patterns in the bark. The strong growth has been a bonus in getting it to it's current state from the original stick 18 months ago, but my usual strategy of leaving trees alone while they do their own thing for a while doesn't cut it with this species as they need constant attention otherwise you can quickly lose taper. In a couple of years I'll probably be cutting of all the secondary branches and starting again.

The next step is to put some better movement and ramification in the lower ends of the branches. I'm looking forward to seeing the bark mature on the main branches and losing the current green colour.

Thanks again for the competition, I've enjoyed seeing the other entries and been inspired to try some new species. Thanks to Luke Parsons for the pot, he's doing some great work.

willow final.jpg

willow measure.jpg

[melbrackstone]

Wow is all I can say!

[Jdceng]

Hi Matt

The tree is very nice ad the display tables are awesome

[boom64]

Hi Matt , I will second that wow , a very interesting tree. Cheers John.

[trident76]

Looking good Matt!
Glad to see the tree and (custom made) pot fit together well in terms of size, and style.
Hard to believe this tree has been in training for such a short amount of time.

Cheers, Luke.

Luke Parsons
Adelaide Bonsai Pottery
https://www.facebook.com/AdelaideBonsaiPottery/

[MJL]

Just got referenced this thread from Greg's post. Wow Matt, excellent stuff. Is the little Shohin still powering along.

[Matt S]

Is the little Shohin still powering along.

Short answer is yes, this tree is still powering along. Long answer is yes, after a few setbacks.

A couple of weeks after the competition ended my youngest knocked the tree off it's bench and the apex snapped off. Since it's a Willow it kept growing strongly but the following winter a large shari appeared down the front of the tree. Since then I've had to completely regrow the apex and reposition some branches to allow for the new shape.

Willow Nov 2019 1.jpg

Willow Nov 2019 2.jpg

Willow Nov 2019 3.jpg

Last week I cut most of the new growth back hard to encourage a second burst of shoots, so it's looking quite bare. I keep it in the waterwell pot to maintain health and vigour so it only goes into the bonsai pot when it's being displayed.

Despite the setback I like the way the main branches have matured and the shari will now add some interest, but having to start the apex from scratch was annoying.

So my question to everyone is now - how should I proceed with the shari? Hollow it out? Although Willow wood is hard enough to make cricket bats out of it's still going to rot.

Matt.