galettojm

Before introducing the willow branches:



8 days after inntroducing the willow branches:



Bye !

Juan

Iceterran

I just grabbed some willow branches (weeping I think) Its cold up here so their dormant, should I pull the buds off? Thanks

SKSuser

Iceterrain,
I believe that it would work better if you waited until the buds started to grow. Its worth a try, and please report back with your findings, but I think it'll work better if the branch isn't dormant. I think it works best with the new branches.

galettojm

Iceterran,

I never tried the method with dormant branches. Please let´s us know how it develops. I guess it is not advisable to pull the buds off.

Bye !

Juan

Iceterran

I didn't pull the buds off, after about a week I noticed small roots, and the buds began to open. I pointed my lights in my room at the opening buds for about 12 hours on day 9, I came home to a CRYSTAL clear tank. This is magic.

Jeff.:P:.

Thats awesome I'm glad it worked out for you.

questor

I've read through this whole thread with great interest.

Back in the day, I used to use willow water to root cuttings for a high tech horticulture enterprise I had.

There are rooting hormones available, but this was an alternative that is organic.

The process was to take willow branches, twigs actually, and cut them into aprox 4" pieces and soak them in a pail of water for a couple weeks. I would use this water to start the cuttings in rockwool. Worked fantastic.

I suspect what is happening here with the GW is what one person suggested. The willow branches are adding this natural rooting hormone to the water. It not only causes the willow to root, but I suspect it adds to the root mass of the existing plants.

Perhaps the cases where this method didn't seem to work is because there were either little or no other plants in the tank.

I saw one picture posted claiming failure, and it didn't look like a lot of plants in the tank with the GW and willow. ???

If I had a fully planted tank with GW, I would be tempted to make the tea, and add some of that elixir to the tank for a couple weeks. The idea is to assist the plants in the tank to develope more roots, and thus add to their uptake ability.

Just a thought.

I will have to induce GW to try it out.

hoppycalif

Plants absorb nutrients as well through the leaves as through the roots. So, growing more roots isn't much of an advantage to the plants, except for anchoring them. I think willow cuttings are just good at absorbing ammonia from the water, as a nutrient. It is, in my opinion, ammonia in the water, in very small quantities that causes green water.

questor

I agree except, don't plants absorb nutrients through leaves and roots, not one or the other?

Why bother with ammended substrates if not?

Just curious.

hoppycalif

Yes, both roots and leaves are used by plants to get nutrients.