Flowering and Harvest Time of the Woody Plant Silver Willow (Salix argyracea) and Indoor Care Methods

Silver willow is a common woody plant in northern regions, generally flowering in May-June and fruiting in July-August, and its flowers are covered with fuzz, very beautiful; even kept dry indoors, it can last a long time. So when does silver willow bloom? When is it harvested? How do you care for it indoors?

Flowering time:

In late March the sap begins to flow, in mid-April budding begins, from late May to early June it enters the flowering period, which lasts about 3 weeks; young fruit appears in early July, the fruit takes shape in late August, and the fruit ripens in October, with the fruiting period lasting about 100 days. ** and Ningxia have phenological periods similar to those of the Hexi Corridor, while central Inner Mongolia has a slightly later phenological period.

Harvest time:

The winter leaf-fall period is the suitable harvest time for silver willow, roughly from mid-December to January of the following year. Generally, after farmers cut silver willow cuttings in the field, they often pile and accumulate them until a certain quantity is reached, then send them to a collection yard for grading and packaging work; after removing branches with poor growth or too many dropped flower buds, grading is carried out according to cutting length, and after grading the cuttings are tied with straps, packed into boxes and then loaded into containers.

Winter cultivation tips:

Silver willow has the advantages of strong adaptability, liking light, cold resistance and moisture tolerance. Silver willow is more suitable for cultivation in the ground, and is suited to fertile soil with deep soil layers and moist conditions.

In southern regions it can overwinter outdoors, but in northern regions we need to cut off all the silver willow flowering branches before winter. The cut flowering branches can be taken to a cold room and heeled in on a moist sand bed; the indoor temperature must be kept between 1 and 3 degrees, and then no further attention is needed.

In January of the following year, transplant them to a greenhouse at between 5 and 10 degrees, put the flowering branches in water to force sprouting, and once the flower buds open they can be sold.

Notes on home cultivation

After buying silver willow, you can use scissors to cut silver willow branches about 10 cm long, then insert them as cuttings into the chosen pot. You only need to water the silver willow branches thoroughly, then place them in a shaded spot for about ten to twenty days, and you will see the silver willow taking root and sprouting leaves.

However, after silver willow matures, the flower buds open and then fall off, which not only makes a mess everywhere but also means the flowering period is very short. So people who buy silver willow are advised not to add water and to insert it dry in a vase. Usually this state can be maintained for about a year.