How to Plant Willow Beds

1). Dig down to a depth of 6 inches with a shovel. Remove 1 tsp. of dirt and place it in a clean food storage container. Repeat this step in six to nine random locations across your willow planting bed. Mix the dirt completely. Close the container, and tape it closed with masking tape. Label the tape using a marker with the date and location of the soil sample.
2). Take the soil sample to a soil testing facility. Your local county extension service can recommend a good soil testing facility. The laboratory test will determine your soil's pH as well as the nutrient content. The test results will also indicate which soil amendments you can add to a willow bed to improve the soil for healthier trees.
3). Break up the soil of the willow bed to a depth of 12 inches. Spread soil amendments over the bed as recommended by the soil test. Generally, compost and peat moss should be spread over the bed at a rate of 3 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet. You can use elemental sulfur to lower the pH of soil or dolomite lime to raise the pH. Willow trees prefer soil at a pH between 6.6 and 7.5. The amount of sulfur or lime you add will depend on your soil's current pH level.
4). Mix the soil amendments into the soil with the rototiller. Wait at least two months before planting willows to allow the soil time to change.
5). Open a planting hole in the soil for each willow tree that is twice as wide as the tree's root ball and about 1 inch shallower than the root ball. Space your planting holes far enough apart that the trees will not crowd each other as they reach mature height. Willow trees grow very fast and may attain their full height within 20 years. The mature diameter, or spread, of a willow tree may be up to 25 feet.
6). Examine the roots and canopy of each willow tree, and cut back any broken, diseased or damaged roots and limbs. Place the root ball of each tree into a planting hole. Fill in the space between the root ball of the tree and the walls of the planting hole halfway with soil. Water the soil to remove air pockets. Fill in the rest of the space with soil.