Choose small, young branches that are no thicker than a pencil. The highest concentration of hormone exists in the youngest branches. You can also use bark from live older willow branches or trunks. If you go this route, you need to use more bark because it contains less hormones. Do not gather old dead branches from the ground, as they will contain very little indolebutyric acid, if any.
Soak the tips of your cuttings in the rooting tonic for several hours before planting them. In addition to encouraging the growth of a strong root system, the willow rooting tonic inhibits the development of bacteria, fungus and viral disease. [2] X Research source
