If you’re looking for fast-growing trees to quickly establish privacy or a windbreak, hybrid willows deliver These vigorous trees shoot up by around 12 feet per year once established Their exceptionally rapid growth transforms them from small whips into 30-40 foot high specimens in just 3-5 years. Let’s take a closer look at the impressive growth rate of hybrid willow trees.
Understanding Hybrid Willow Tree Genetics
The hybrid willow tree results from crosses between various Salix species notably S. matsudana and S. alba. Willows are naturally fast growing trees and hybridization intensifies their vigor. Hybrid willows combine the best attributes of their parent plants into supercharged trees.
Nurseries like Fast Growing Trees have bred custom hybrids that thrive across diverse climates. Their hybrid willow cuttings produce tall, straight trees rather than spreading forms. This makes them ideal for screens and windbreaks versus cascading landscape willows.
First Year Growth Expectations
In the first year after planting, a 3 foot cutting can shoot up 6 feet or more of new growth if properly cared for. Given full sun, consistent moisture, and good soil preparation, expect at least 4-6 feet of height gain.
Landscapers space new hybrid willows just 3 feet apart when creating instant privacy screens. Planted at this tight spacing the whips quickly merge into a solid wall of foliage through rapid first year growth.
Rapid Vertical Growth in Years 2-5
Once established after the first year, hybrid willows really take off. Their growth rate averages around 12 vertical feet per year in years 2 through 5. You’ll literally see them growing before your eyes!
Of course, the exact growth depends on growing conditions. With ample moisture, sun, and nutrition, hybrid willows commonly hit 15 feet or more of yearly vertical growth. Even in poor soils or drought, they generally muster 8-10 feet per season.
Within just 3-4 years of planting, most hybrid willows will stand over 20 feet tall. Give them 4-5 seasons, and mature heights of 30-40 feet are common. This rapid growth makes them ideal for fast privacy or wind protection.
Slowing Down After Maturity
The hybrid willow’s astronomical growth rate naturally starts to taper off once trees reach maturity. Their maximum height range is typically 30-60 feet.
After the initial growth spurt in the first 5 years, height increases slow to just a few feet annually. At this point, willows focus energy on developing a dense, spreading canopy versus rapid upward growth.
Pruning and coppicing (cutting back) can help maintain a faster juvenile growth rate. But in general, hybrid willows transition to slower mature growth after those first several years of incredibly fast development.
Growth Habits of Hybrid Willow Trees
Beyond rapid height increases, understanding the willow’s growth habits helps explain their vigor:
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Abundant leaves – Lots of foliage drives growth through photosynthesis. Hybrid willows are covered in leaves all along their tall stems.
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Roots lack inhibitors – Lack of growth-inhibiting hormones allows very fast root establishment. This supports their fast top growth.
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Secondary shoots – Many buds along stems expand new shoots, multiplying growth. Coppicing takes advantage of this.
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Cell division – Fast cell replication in growing tips and cambium results in speedy lengthening and thickening of stems.
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Minimal flowering – Energy goes into vegetative expansion rather than fruit and seed production.
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Pharmacy in bark – Chemicals like salicin in bark may stimulate growth by interacting with hormones.
Caring for Fast Growing Hybrid Willows
Here are some tips for maximizing growth rate of your hybrid willow trees:
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Give them full sun – the more light, the faster the photosynthesis fueling growth.
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Keep soils moist – consistent water prevents any drought stress slowing growth.
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Allow ample root space – their fast-growing roots need elbow room.
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Add organic mulch – maintains soil moisture and nutrients around the root zone.
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Control weeds – reduces competition for water and nutrition.
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Prune sparingly – coppicing too often compromises height gain.
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Stake if needed – supports vertical growth on windy sites.
Benefits of Hybrid Willows’ Vigorous Growth
The incredibly fast growth rate of hybrid willow trees provides some nice benefits:
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Create privacy and windbreaks within just a few seasons.
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No waiting years and years for shade and screening like with other trees.
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Requires less pruning and maintenance than slower growing screens.
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Helps prevent soil erosion with their rapidly developing, soil-anchoring root systems.
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Offers useful material for various crafts and living structures via coppicing.
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Provides bird habitat as they quickly grow dense branching.
If you need quick foliage density and height for privacy or wind protection, it’s hard finding a better choice than hybrid willows and their vigorous growth habits. Just be sure to give them sufficient space knowing their mature dimensions. With the right planting site, you’ll be amazed watching hybrid willow trees transform almost overnight from whips into statuesque landscape specimens through their astonishing growth rate.
Fast-Growing, Low-Maintenance Tree That’s Perfect for Privacy Screens
- Can grow up to 6-10 feet each year
- Easy to care for
- Disease-resistant and tolerant of many growing conditions
- Deciduous, not evergreen
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| Soil Type | Adaptable |
| Sunlight | Full, Partial |
| Drought Tolerance | Semi |
| Mature Height | 30-40 Feet |
| Mature Width | 6-10 Feet |
| Growth Rate | Fast |
| Shipping Restriction | AZ |
The Willow Hybrid Tree grows quickly and is easy to take care of. It makes a great privacy screen. Plant these trees next to each other to make a “living fence” that keeps your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
It grows between 6 and 10 feet a year, so you can expect it to reach great heights very quickly! You can also plant this tree in a number of climates. It tolerates hot and cold temperatures, wet soils, and even is resistant to diseases!.
Since this tree isn’t evergreen, the leaves will drop during fall. Come inside in the fall and winter to enjoy the warmth of the sun’s rays. In the summer, these lush trees will keep you cool and save you money on your utility bills.
The Willow Hybrid is a low-maintenance tree that also forms a windbreak and controls erosion in your landscape. It can even improve the water quality of your pond, lake, or stream!.
Place your order for the Willow Hybrid Tree right now if you want your own beautiful plant life.
Are the roots of a Willow Hybrid invasive?
This tree won’t take over, but because it grows so quickly, it should be planted away from any pipes or wires that run underground.
How long will this tree live?
Since it’s disease-resistant and hardy, you can enjoy this tree for many decades! Willow Hybrid Tree Care
This tree does well in a wide range of soils, but it likes soils that are slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, between 6 and 8. 5 to 7. 5.
If you put 3 to 4 inches of mulch around your Hybrid Willow Tree, making sure the mulch covers the ground below the branches’ widest points, it will help keep the soil moist.
Your Hybrid Willow Tree will do well in a spot that gets 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight every day, but it will grow faster and do better if you plant it where it gets full sun, or at least 8 hours of direct sunlight every day.
If you space your Hybrid Willow Trees 20 feet apart, when they’re fully grown, their outer branches will touch, giving your yard a more open look. But if you want a dense screen, space your plants 10 feet apart. Plant two rows of trees spaced out apart for an even thicker hedge, especially if you want to block the wind.
It grows best in moist soil. This tree can’t handle drought very well, so you’ll need to water it when it’s dry. Water newly planted trees frequently, until their roots become established.
Since this tree does well in averagely fertile soil, a soil test will quickly tell you if you need to add nutrients to the area where you want to plant it. It will also tell you what the pH of the soil is.
This tree “self-prunes,” which means you won’t have to shape it; the wind will do most of the work for you. Just pick up the dead branches and throw them away.
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Hybrid Willow Growth
FAQ
How fast do willow hybrid trees grow?
What are the cons of hybrid willows?
Do hybrid willows need full sun?
How long does it take for a willow tree to grow full?
How fast does a willow hybrid tree grow?
Willow hybrid trees grow long, upright branches with slim, narrow leaves. The leaves have light green tops and are paler green on the bottom. The trees grow at a fast rate of 6–10 feet per year, with a maximum height of 50–75 feet. Their maximum spread is 20–30 feet.
What is a hybrid willow tree?
Hybrid willow trees are a fast-growing tree with foliage that is a deep green color. They can be used for landscaping, providing shade, and for windbreaks. Fertilizing hybrid willow trees is an important part of their care in order to ensure optimal growth and health.
Can you grow a hybrid willow tree as a shade tree?
Willow Hybrid Trees can, also, be grown as fast growing shade trees. Hybrid Willows make beautiful graceful willow hedges. The willow tree hedge pictured here shows what happened in only 3 years after planting. These trees are over 15 foot tall at the time of the picture. This fast growing willow hybrid is excellent as part of a windbreak.
Can hybrid willow trees grow in cold weather?
Planting during the colder winter months can be risky, as the trees may not be able to establish their root systems before the cold weather arrives. Additionally, hybrid willow trees should not be planted in areas with high winds or drought conditions, as these can damage or stunt the growth of the trees.