2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
White willow (lat. Salix alba) - a representative of the glad Willow of the Willow family. Other names are Silvery Willow, Belotal, Beloloz or Vetla. Natural area - Europe, Asia Minor, Western Siberia and Iran. Currently, the culture has become widespread in Central Asia and North America. Highly decorative and relatively durable look. Typical habitats are the banks of rivers and reservoirs, floodplains, roadsides.
Characteristics of culture
White willow is a deciduous tree up to 30 m high with a powerful trunk reaching 3 m in diameter and a weeping wide-rounded crown. The bark is dark gray, coarse longitudinal cracks are typical for old trees. Young shoots are reddish-brown or olive-green, old ones are yellowish-brown with shine. The buds are flattened, lanceolate, silky, sharp, reddish-yellow in color.
Leaves are whole-edged or finely serrate, lanceolate or narrow-lanceolate, dark green above, silvery pubescent below, arranged alternately, equipped with stipules. Stipules are small, glandular, pubescent, silvery, fall off early. The flowers are small, collected in loose, thickened cylindrical earrings. The fruit is a capsule, length 6 mm. White willow blooms simultaneously with the blooming of leaves in late April - early May. Seeds ripen in early June.
Growing conditions
White willow cannot be called a whimsical plant, but it grows better on medium or light loams with a sufficient amount of organic matter. Plants are neutral to the close occurrence of groundwater. The location is sunny or semi-shaded. The culture does not accept heavy clay and saline soils. When planting in heavy soil, coarse sand is preliminarily introduced. White willow is sensitive to frost.
Reproduction
White willow is propagated by seeds, cuttings, pneumatic shoots and layering. The most common way is grafting. Cuttings for rooting are planted in fertile moist soil. By the way, fallen branches are also easy to root.
Landing
Planting of white willow seedlings can be done from April to October, the main thing is that their roots are not overdried. It is advisable to plant seedlings with open roots in early spring. When planting a willow in autumn, the leaves of the seedlings are removed. In the fall, it is not recommended to plant low-winter varieties, they can die in severe winters even under cover.
The planting pit is prepared in 2-3 weeks, its dimensions are 50 * 50 or 60 * 60 cm. 1/2 or 1/3 of the pit is filled with a soil mixture consisting of fertile soil, peat and rotted manure, taken in a 1: 1 ratio:one. The introduction of complex mineral fertilizers is not prohibited. Immediately after planting, the plants are watered abundantly, then watering is carried out once every 2-3 weeks. After 3-4 years, willow is watered only during drought.
Care
White willow has a positive attitude to feeding. During the season, it is necessary to carry out 2-3 top dressing: the first two - with complex mineral fertilizers, the last (in August) - potassium sulfate and superphosphate. Thinning pruning is also welcome. White willow hedges also need a haircut. Non-susceptible varieties require covering with spruce branches or any other non-woven material. The grafted specimens must be freed from overgrowth.
Application
White willow is a very decorative and at the same time unpretentious look. It differs from its "congeners" by the spectacular silvery color of the leaves. Horse chestnut, elm, linden, red-leaved maple, plum, barberry, pine, yew, etc. can become excellent allies for white willow. The plant looks good alone and in groups, it can also be planted close to water bodies (both artificial and natural).
White willow wood is used as an ornamental and building material. The bark of plants is used as a dye for wool and silk, as well as a leather tanning agent. In addition, white willow is an excellent honey plant. The honey obtained from such pollen has good taste characteristics and a fine-grained structure.
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