[tucker1931]

Have I gotta story to tell ya'll. We live on the banks of a faily large river here in Canada, 3 years ago among some rather large rocks that were placed to help control soil erosion due to hi speed boats, there appeared a very small shoot. For all apperances there was no soil; but it must have had some. Well, i 3 short years it has become a bit of a wonderment in that it is now a fair sized tree, sorry, it was a fair sized tree of about 20 feet. The reason I say it was, the dang beaver came the other nite and she's half in the river. Here's the funny part, the stump and the trunk of the tree were showing very red when we got up in the morning. After closer inspection there was one dead branch and, FOR SURE IT'S DIAMOND WILLOW. The branches are not large enough to make sticks, but I managed to cut the stump off and got a piece about a foot long and 8 or 10 inches in diameter. I waxed both ends and hopefully when I get to be a little better carver I'll carve a wood spirit in the side that does'nt have the diamonds in it.

[AlArchie]

A wee bit o' serendipity, there Tucker! Maybe more will grow from the root.

Al

[tucker1931]

Al, funny thing I forgot to mention in prev post. There's all kinds of little things on it, they look like miniature pine cones, about an inch or so long. I would hope these are seeds or something. I have another wet area and I'm gonna plant all these things and hope that some of them produce, that to me, would be heaven sent.
Cliff

[AlArchie]

Sounds like those are the "flowers" that bloom into the seed pods. Probably not going to germinate. The seed pods are pointy little husks that develop from those little cones. But hey, give it a try, ya got nothing to loose, and if they take..more power to ya!

I'd keep an eye on that remaining stump and root. Willows are notorious root sprouters, and may put new shoots up early next spring. If you want, try this, it may work. If you find a new shoot, cut it off as close to the root as you can, even taking some of the root bark along with it. Put it immediately in some water taken near the cutting. Then plant the cutting, with as much of the bark from the root as you have taken in soil similar to where you took the cutting from, or if not possible some good loamy soil. Plant it down half the length of the cutting and keep it well watered for at least a month. You should start to see new growth on the cutting within a week or so, but keep the soil moist. I've even propogated apple trees in this manner. It will be important to keep watering the new plant throughout the first summer. After that it should pretty well take care of itself, but if you get into drought conditions, keep watering fairly regularly.

You may even be able to propogate a plant from a new shoot from the trunk or branch of a diamond willow.....sucker branches work best. We used to do this with pussy willows when I was a kid.

Keep in mind that these diamond willows (Bebb Willows) are a weedy shrub and are apt to spread much like tag alder. In fact you may find these two species growing together in marginally damp areas.


Al

[tucker1931]

Thanks Al for your input. Where I'm gonna plant those seeds is right in the wet edge of a spring that runs all year round. In fact in the winter when the river is pretty well froze over we'll see a beaver sitting in the stream (seems to be washing himself in the clear water) the river is very muddy always.
Cliff