Content
Goat willow Pendula is a beautiful low tree with a compact drooping crown. Unpretentious and undemanding to care - it can be grown in almost any region. Gives a very large growth, requires regular pruning. Basic planting rules and care recommendations are described in detail in the article.
Description of goat willow Pendula
Goat willow Pendula is a species of perennial tree from the Willow family. It is a low, compact tree with a spherical crown. The branches are thick, the shoots are drooping, making the plant look attractive throughout the season. Young shoots are gray-green, then become olive. In old trees, the branches become grayish and lose strength.
The foliage of the white willow Pendula has a classic oval shape and is dark green in color. At the same time, the surface is smooth on the outside, and a little velvety on the other side. Flower buds are visible in the axils. There is a sharpening at the end of the leaf plate.
The flowers of goat willow Pendula are yellow in color, flat in shape, small to medium in size. Appear from the last ten days of April to mid-May.The flowering period lasts 10-15 days. Women's catkins consist of several flowers, quite dense, reaching 10 cm in length. Men's catkins are tightly pressed to the branches, they are no more than 6 cm in length. Both of them give a pleasant smell, Pendula goat willow is an early honey plant, attracts beneficial insects for garden.
After the formation of the ovaries, fruits are formed. They reach 8 cm in diameter. Each box contains from 16 to 18 seeds with fluffy elongated legs. They do not have high germination rates, so goat willow is most often propagated by cuttings.
Height of Pendula goat willow
The tree reaches a height of only 3 m, but lives up to 30 years. It produces a small, compact crown up to 1.5 m. It grows quickly, with annual growth of 7-10 cm in height and 10-20 cm in width.
Growth pattern of the Pendula variety for 3, 5, 10 years
Planting goat willow Pendula
Planting is planned for April, when the ground has already thawed and warmed up. Seedlings are purchased from nurseries. To purchase high-quality planting material, pay attention to several features:
- bark without damage;
- several healthy shoots;
- height not less than 50 cm.
It is equally important to find out how the Pendula goat willow seedling was obtained - by grafting onto a standard or by pruning. If it is on a standard, then you need to especially carefully consider the grafting site. It should be without damage, without dry flakes. If the seedling is obtained by pruning, it is enough to make sure that it has a healthy trunk without mechanical damage.
Pendula goat willow can be planted in open, well-lit places with sufficiently moist soil. At the same time, you should not choose lowlands, since rain and melt water accumulate here, which can damage the root system.
Before planting goat willow Pendula, dig up the soil, and if the soil is depleted, then fertilize it with complex mineral fertilizer 50 g per 1 m2 or organic matter (compost, humus) - 8 kg for the same area. When landing, proceed as follows:
- Dig several holes 60x60 cm at a distance of at least 1 m.
- Then a layer of small stones is placed at the bottom.
- Place the seedling in the center and cover it with soil.
- Tamp down a little so that the root collar remains flush with the surface.
- Then water the seedlings with settled water - 1 bucket at a time.
- Mulch with sawdust, straw, hay.
Caring for Pendula goat willow
You need to take special care of the seedlings in the first year after planting. Pendula goat willow trees are watered twice a week to keep the soil slightly moist. Mature trees are given water 2-3 times a month, but if there is a drought, they continue to water weekly. In this case, the liquid is first settled so that it is not too cold.
Thanks to regular watering, goat willow grows by 10-20 cm annually
After heavy rains, it is advisable to loosen the soil, otherwise a dense layer will form through which the air needed by the root system does not flow. To keep the soil moist longer, the tree trunk of the Pendula goat willow is mulched. A layer of straw and hay also inhibits the growth of weeds and repels pests.
If the soil was fertilized before planting, it is not necessary to apply additional fertilizing in the first season. You can only sprinkle the tree trunk circle with wood ash at the beginning of autumn at the rate of 150 g per seedling.
Starting from the second season, for goat willow Pendula, urea or ammonium nitrate is given every April in the amount of 20 g per 1 m2. In mid-summer you can additionally feed with azophoska 20-30 g per 1 m2 and in the fall, dust the tree trunk circle with wood ash.
Trimming
To get a truly beautiful Pendula goat willow tree, you need to regularly prune it according to this pattern:
- In the first season after planting, you should remove all long shoots, pruning them so that only one bud remains on each. Moreover, she should “look” up.
- In early spring, remove all dead, frost-damaged, broken and dry branches.
- After flowering, another pruning is carried out, removing the stems by 2/3 of the length. Thanks to this, the crown will be thick, the branches will droop beautifully, forming a classic “fountain”.
For decorative purposes, you can take up the standard formation of Pendula goat willow.
Diseases and pests
Willow Pendula has satisfactory immunity, but can suffer from various pests:
- willow leaf roller - at the caterpillar stage;
- flower fly - the larvae are especially dangerous;
- aphids - the invasion can be very strong in warm summers;
- spider mite - not noticeable to the naked eye, but its appearance can be determined by the cobwebs on the leaves.
For prevention and treatment, willow is treated with insecticide solutions, for example:
- "Fufanon";
- "Inta-Vir";
- "Colorado";
- "Karbofos".
Also, black spot and powdery mildew can pose a danger to the Pendula variety. These are fungal infections that affect the condition of the leaves, respectively, with black dots and a powdery coating. Fungicides are used for prevention and treatment:
- "Maksim";
- "Tattu";
- "Ordan";
- "Skor" and others.
For prevention, willow is treated with fungicides every spring.
Goat willow Pendula in landscape design
Goat willow looks quite beautiful almost anywhere in the garden. It is characterized by very fast growth and produces an attractive drooping crown. Often used in single plantings on the shores of reservoirs, garden paths, and open lawns. But willow can also be planted in combination with ground covers.
Below are several options for using wood in garden design:
- Sit next to the bench.
- Single occupancy.
- Purple willow Pendula on a trunk.
- Landing next to the path.
Conclusion
Goat willow Pendula is one of the best ornamental trees that you should definitely plant in your garden. It does not take up much space and gives a beautiful shape in the form of a drooping “fountain”. The foliage is dark green, there are many shoots, which makes it possible to choose different pruning options.
