Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

We have received several requests for help with the non-native weeping willow over the past few years. Rather than repeat ourselves, let us refer you to this previous answer on the endurance and lifespan of weeping willows. This USDA Forest Service article, "Weed of the Week", on the Salix x sepulcralis or weeping willow will give you some more information on the undesirable characteristics of this tree. There are a number of pests that cause problems in the weeping willow. The tree can be very invasive and its mats of roots can be damaging to waterways.

However, we believe that your present phenomenon of "cotton all over the grass" is actually the tree seeding. The small seed capsules have long silky hairs that attach to one end like a parachute, and the seeds begin to drop in late Spring or early Summer. And, the leaf loss may be due to the unusually high temperatures and low rainfalls we have been experiencing this year in Texas. Remember, the willow is basically a "water" tree, often growing at the very edge of a stream or lake. If you want to keep the tree alive, you should probably do some supplemental watering. Or, you could let Nature take its course, and if the tree indeed dies, replace it with native trees and/or shrubs that will require less maintenance, water, and fertilizer because they are native and adapted to the conditions where they grow.