Anyone here ever planted austree hybrid willows before?

[bbhaag]

So I've got 75 of these little miracles of nature rooting right now in water and will eventually bump them into 1gal containers(2-3 per pot)once the roots are ready. I'm planning on using them as a privacy screen/windbreak around the edge of our property. The reason I chose them is because of their rapid growth cycle because from what I've read they can grow up to 15-24" the first year and once established can reach 40 FEET within 5 years!

So has anyone ever used these before with the intent I plan on using them for? If so anything to look out for? I've read quit a bit about them already but hey first hand experience from members here is always appreciated.
Anyway, how about some pics! I got these in the mail about a week and a half ago and they are already starting to push out! Amazing! Hard to beleive in 5 years these little guys will be 40 feet tall!

 

[herm0016]

too dry here for willows. I cut down the one that was on our property. it looked terrible. we get about 15 inches of rain a year though. haha.

 

[bbhaag]

too dry here for willows. I cut down the one that was on our property. it looked terrible. we get about 15 inches of rain a year though. haha.

Oh yeah that amount of rainfall is not good for willows. You must be somewhere in the southwest with so little precip? We get considerably more than that here in Central Illinois especially in the spring and fall but the summers here can be on the drier side.
I've got a plan for that though. The drip irrigation planned for the garden will also be ran out to these little guys to help get them through the summer. I'll use city water when necessary but my hope is to irrigate both the garden and the willows with the 500 gallon stock tank we just bought but we'll see. Never know till you try right?!

 

[BoomerD]

Probably wouldn't last here...the frickin deer will devour them in minutes.
(we buy plants/trees/shrubs that are listed as "deer resistant...gone in days. I guess the deer don't read the lists)

 

[herm0016]

do you use rooting hormone?

 

[bbhaag]

Are you asking me? If so then no I didn't use any rooting hormone mainly because these didn't need it. Just stuck them in water and waited for the roots to start forming which most of them did quit nicely. I've got a handful of stragglers but I have no doubt they will form roots along the stems.

Here's a couple of updated pics. A lot of them were ready for transplanting so I spent some time after work today bumping them into 1 gallon containers. I'm still amazed at how fast these are growing its really mind boggling because I've never seen anything like it.

This is how the roots on most of them looked after only being in water for a week.


This what they look like after I transplanted them earlier today. I ended up putting two per pot so I should have around 27 pots ready to go this spring. I know they don't look like much now but I've got a pretty good vibe when it comes to plants and I can tell already these little guys are going to take off quick. Can't wait! haha

 

[bbhaag]

Been awhile since I posted an update but I thought it would be cool to show you guys how much these little six inch sticks have grown over the past few months.
I transplanted them from their one and two gallon containers back in early June. I've even topped them twice since then to encourage branching but nothing seems to slow them down. haha
Anyway how about some pics!

This is a pic of the front row. I planted the largest and healthiest ones toward the front.


Here's a pic down the center of the rows. I spaced them eight foot on center in a zig zag pattern


And this last one is for size reference. I'm 6 foot tall and most of them on the front row a foot or two taller than me!