Goat Willow Bonsai Care

Goat Willow is a small deciduous tree that is found throughout the UK and Europe.

It is also known as Salix Caprea or Pussy Willow and is a pioneer species. This means it grows fast, but is not as long lived as some other trees.

I have been growing one from seed for a while and you can follow its development in my Goat Willow Progression.

What Is The Natural Habitat of A Goat Willow?

Goat Willow is native across the whole of Europe and central Asia. As it is a pioneer species it can grow in a variety of conditions and be commonly found in ditches and wasteland and often near rivers. It is one of the most popular willows in the UK.

It has also been introduced to the Eastern side of North American where it has become naturalised.

What Soil Do Goat Willow Bonsai Need?

Goat willow bonsai prefer a moist, well draining soil. I use my standard mix of equal parts Perlite/Molar Clay/Compost and have had no problems with this.

Being a willow you could very easily get away with using a soil that is slightly more moisture retentive and contains more organic material.

These trees can happily grow in marshy bog lands, so they can handle wet soil, but if you are growing one as bonsai, a moist soil is always best as this will encourage better roots, which is more preferable for us and our aesthetic goals.

(For more info on soil read – A General Guide To Bonsai Soil)

How Do you Water A Goat Willow Bonsai?

Like most other Willows, Goat Willows love water. However, they can also grow in slightly drier conditions if needs be.

When I say drier conditions, I mean still moist, They can handle a little drought, but I would not expose them to this if you are growing them as bonsai as it can cause die back. They will be much happier with constant moisture …so always keep the soil damp.

You could also treat them like weeping willows and keep them pretty much submerged in water, but again, I avoid this. I find they are more than healthy enough when kept just moist rather than constantly wet. Just because they can handle extremes does not mean you need to take them there.

(For more info you can read –How To Water A Bonsai)

How Much Sun Light Does A Goat Willow Bonsai Need?

Goat Willow bonsai can take full sun. They are often found growing alone in open areas, so they are totally fine to take the full sun, they are not normally found in shaded conditions.

As I mentioned they they grow across the UK, Europe and Central Asia, so this will give you a rough idea of how much sun they normally get. Basically you can just leave them outside and that should be more than enough for them.

How Hardy Are Goat Willow Bonsai?

Goat Willows are fully hardy in the UK and Northern Europe.

In the ground they can handle temperatures as low as -15°C/ 5°F. In a bonsai pot you should not let them get exposed to this low of a temperature.

For most of us, we are probably not going to experience this level of cold, but if you do, just keep them somewhere that will be sheltered from this extreme level of cold. I just leave mine outside all year round.

I probably wouldn’t worry about them unless its going to go below -10°C / 14°F. If you are getting close to this, I would start looking for some shelter.

(For more info you can read – Working Out How To Over Winter Bonsai Trees

How Often Do You Feed A Goat Willow Bonsai?

I feed my Goat Willow bonsai once a month during the growing season with a general all purpose fertiliser which is more than enough to keep them healthy and happy. This should be all you need to do.

(For more info you can read – Do You Need To Use “Bonsai” Fertiliser?)

How Do Goat Willow Bonsai Respond to Pruning?

Goat Willow bonsai respond well to pruning. Clip and grow works very well and you can easily build up a great branch structure form this.

They will also back bud very easily and send out new shoots everywhere on the tree. This means you can easily grow them out to get thickness and chop them back and start building your tree from there.

I have found the new growth is very thin and the leaves do reduce a lot, so over time, you should be able to build a very compact tree with fine branches.

(For more info you can read- How To Prune A Bonsai Tree)

Repotting A Goat Willow Bonsai

Goat willow bonsai should be repotted in spring, just as the new buds are starting to open.

They can handle a hard root pruning if the tree is healthy. Like all other willows they do root very easily, but they maybe a little more sensitive compared to the other willows.

I would say they act more like a regular deciduous tree, rather than a willow. If you treat them like this, you should be fine. However, if you know what you are doing you can get quite drastic with deciduous tree roots so you can still do a lot of work on them.

(For more info you can read – How To Repot A Bonsai Tree)

Wiring A Goat Willow Bonsai

Goat Willow bonsai can be wired into shape. They can grow quickly so make sure to watch out for the wire cutting in as this will leave scaring.

It is probably best to wire the main structure of the tree then build out final ramification with clip and grow. The branches can get really fine, so they will become hard to wire and pruning them is going to be the easier way to control their direction.

(For more info you can read – When To Remove Wire)

What Is The Leaf Pattern Of A Goat Willow Bonsai?

Goat willows have an opposite leaf pattern.

What Pests Does A Goat Willow Bonsai Suffer From?

Aphids, scale insects, caterpillars are the main pests that you might see on a Goat Willow bonsai.

They are tough trees so if you catch these problems early enough and deal with them every thing should be fine and the tree will not struggle.

I have not had any issues with my tree and if you keep yours healthy they shouldn’t really suffer from anything too worrying.

Can You Propagate A Goat Willow Bonsai?

Goat willows, like all willows will propagate from cuttings very easily as well as air layers.

You can just place some cuttings in water and they will root in no time. They also grow from seed very easily. This is where mine came from, the seed magically appeared in a pot and grew on its own. Pioneer species like this are very good at spreading and taking over an area with little effort.

What Is The Growth Rate Of A Goat Willow Bonsai?

Goat willow bonsai are very fast growers. being a pioneer species means they will come to an area and establish themselves very quickly.

This is also helped by the fact that they are able to grow in less than ideal conditions, although if you actually provide them with care and good growing conditions they will reward you with rapid growth.

Should You Get A Goat Willow Bonsai?

Goat Willows are very vigorous and easy to care for. they are also very easy to find growing wild in a number of places.

They are not often seen in bonsai. I am not sure why, they don’t have the smallest leaves, but then again their leaves are not huge. Weeping willows also have a bad habit of dropping branches, but I have not see this happen with this particular species of willow (yet), but maybe that has some impact on why people are not interested in them.

I would recommend them to anyone. They are fun little trees. Maybe after a few years I will identity some sort of issue, but for now, I like them a lot.

You can read more information about their sutibility in Are Goat Willows Good Trees For Bonsai?