The corkscrew willow presents itself undemanding and decorative in the garden or in the tub. The cultivated form can be recognized by the intertwined branches. With the right care, the willow becomes an ornamental highlight.
Characteristics
- Plant family: Willow family (Salicaceae)
- Genus: Willows (Salix)
- it is the variety 'Tortuosa' of the Chinese willow (Salix matsudana)
- Origin: Mediterranean area: France, Spain, Italy and Greece
- Growth habit: slender, twisted, decorative
- Height: 800 cm to 1,500 cm
- Growth per year: 100 cm
- Flowering period: mid-March to the end of April
- forms inconspicuous, white fruit catkins with a length of up to 2.5 cm
- Leaves: 5 cm to 10 cm, long, twisted, green
Location and soil
Corkscrew willows are among the undemanding ornamental trees that tolerate a large number of different locations. The most important thing is enough light, because the trees are true sun worshipers. They prefer a warm, full sun spot, but can tolerate light partial shade if there is enough sun throughout the day. Make sure that the tree grows up to one meter a year and should therefore have enough space upwards. Due to its strong roots, there should be no building structures, paths, terraces or the like within three to six meters of the pasture. For this reason, the corkscrew willow is not suitable for small plots. Once you've chosen a location, the soil should be like this:
- no specialization
- must function as a moisture store in summer
- acidic or alkaline soils are tolerated
- sufficiently moist
Note: Due to the large amount of space it takes up, Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa' is ideally suited as a solitaire. You can make the ornamental plant an eye-catcher in the garden.
plants
To successfully plant your corkscrew willow, choose a day between the beginning of October and the end of February. The ground should not be frozen and a not too cold day is recommended so that the tree does not freeze.
The following points will help you with planting:
- Dig the planting hole
- The planting hole must be twice the size of the root ball
- loosen heavy soils with drainage material
- Drainage material: lava chippings, gravel
- Incorporate compost into excavated earth
- Drive in the support post
- Insert corkscrew willow
- do not insert too deeply (based on the planting height in the pot)
- Align the tree straight
- fix to the support post
- Fill the planting hole with excavated earth
- start well
- water sufficiently
Repot
If you have decided to cultivate in the bucket, you will have to repot the corkscrew willow at regular intervals. Since the location does not differ from the specimens planted outdoors, the trees grow extremely quickly even in the tub. The roots in particular are a problem. As soon as they can be seen on the substrate surface, repotting takes place over the summer. The following substrate is suitable for pot cultivation:
- Potted plant, garden or compost soil
- humus
- clayey
You also need a container with a volume of at least 80 liters and gravel or lava chippings as drainage material. The bucket must have a large drainage hole and be made of clay so that the corkscrew willow does not fall over.
Then proceed as follows:
- Remove the corkscrew willow from the pot
- Use the same or larger pot
- Remove old substrate from roots
- Thoroughly shorten the roots by several centimeters
- Completely remove dried out or rotten roots
- Establish a drainage layer at the bottom of the bucket
- Insert the plant
- fill up and press down lightly
- water thoroughly
to water
To be watered Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa' only in dry season. The soil should be sufficiently moist. Container plants are watered as needed. Use the finger test to check the soil for moisture and water accordingly. You don't have to worry about chalky water. Corkscrews can graze
be poured with hard or soft water.Note: If you are struggling with persistent moisture in the garden, mulch the tree. The mulch layer stores moisture over the hot summer days.
Fertilize
Specimens planted outdoors do not need fertilization. Work a portion of compost and horn shavings into the soil in the spring to supply the pasture for the coming season. From spring to autumn, potted plants are supplied with liquid green plant fertilizer every two to four weeks. The fertilizer is only administered via the irrigation water.
Cut
To keep a corkscrew willow as young and healthy as possible, it has to be thinned out and cut back annually. Outdoor specimens are cut either in spring or in late autumn, when there are no more leaves to be seen on the tree. Container plants are thinned out in spring and autumn, depending on their growth. In most cases, secateurs are sufficient for the cut. Proceed as follows:
- Disinfect and sharpen the tool
- Completely remove sick, dried up, weak and dead shoots or twigs
- Completely remove shoots growing inwards or transversely
- the oldest main shoots every 2nd Remove season close to the ground
- Cut the remaining branches back to the desired shape and height
- Trim potted plants by a third
Note: The corkscrew willow tolerates radical cutbacks without any problems. To do this, shorten the plant by two thirds or put the tree completely on stick.
Overwinter
Wintering corkscrew willows works without any major problems. Planted trees are absolutely hardy and do not need winter protection as long as they are not the 1st Stand year after planting. In this case, you should cover the site with sticks, leaves or straw and wrap the branches. Jute bags or a garden fleece are ideal for this. Specimens cultivated in buckets also need winter protection. You don't have to bring the plants indoors, but they still need suitable protection from the cold:
- Cover the substrate with brushwood or leaves
- Pack the container and the plant
- use bubble wrap or garden fleece for this
- Set fertilizer additions completely
- do not water over winter
Multiply
Propagating a corkscrew willow is very simple. To do this, cut off slightly longer branches on a frost-free winter's day and put them in a container with water. Roots will develop over the next few weeks, which is a sign of planting outdoors. The propagation of cuttings can also be implemented without any problems. The cuttings must be 15 centimeters long and free of leaves to within five centimeters.
Plant the cuttings in a mixture of quartz sand and potting soil and place the container in a warm but not sunny location. As soon as shoots and leaves develop, the plant is either repotted or planted outdoors.
Pests
In order for the corkscrew willow to do well in the long term, you need to know the possible diseases and pests that can cause the
Tree can infest. Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa' is quite susceptible to pests and fungal diseases, which makes additional measures necessary. The larvae of the willow borer are particularly dangerous (Cossus cossus), the infestation of which can be recognized by the following symptoms:- The bark smells like vinegar
- Feeding tunnels recognizable
- adult specimens recognizable
- Tree weakens to the point of complete death
Older trees can withstand infestation by the willow borer better than young ones. Try to contain the infestation by removing the affected shoots and branches, as well as the caterpillars. However, depending on the severity of the infestation, this is hardly possible since the larvae are only noticed very late. In this case, you must remove the entire corkscrew willow from the garden and dispose of it properly. Infestation by the spotted willow leaf beetle is not so severe (Chrysomela vigintipunctata), which looks like a bright ladybug. An infestation can be seen on completely balding branches and the animals that stay on them in midsummer. Older corkscrew willows will recover from the beetles on their own. You can help young specimens in the following ways:
- remove infected shoots
- Collect beetles and release them far away
- use insect repellants in an emergency
Diseases
Diseases are also a major threat to the corkscrew willow, especially fungal infections. With the willow scab (Pollaccia saliciperda) presents one of the most common fungal diseases on the corkscrew willow, which manifests itself in the following symptoms:
- The shoots and leaves turn brown
- The shoots and leaves dry up
- individual parts of the plant turn completely black
- ulcers grow in black areas
The fungus can cause a lot of damage and is difficult to control, but in most cases adults will not perish. You have to completely remove the affected parts of the plant (only dispose of them with household waste) and fertilize the plant with a little more potassium and phosphorus in the coming months. The stronger the plant, the lower the chance of another outbreak in the coming year. Since the fungi overwinter in the plant, you have to expect an infestation every year. In addition to the willow scab, you may also be dealing with Marssonina disease on the corkscrew willow. This is triggered by Marssonina salicicola- or Drepanopeziza sphaeroides-Mushrooms. An infestation shows up as follows:
- Leaves, shoot tips, twigs and flowers wither
- Leaf discoloration up to 3 mm in size can be seen
- affected parts die off completely
In order to get the fungus under control for the next season, you need to collect the autumn leaves, because this is where the mushrooms hibernate. The more thoroughly you remove the foliage, the less chance there is of re-infection. You can fight an acute infestation as follows:
- Remove infected parts of the plant
- Dispose of in household waste
- optionally use fungicides (in case of severe infestation)
Tip: The healthier your corkscrew willow, the less chance there is of an infection with the fungus. Above all, do not fail to cut the trees, as branches that are too dense and barren increases the risk of infection.