How do you replant a willow tree?

Betty...Is there any way it can be lifted and placed back where it came up? You can temporarily use ropes or cable as a guide but not good to use them too long.

If the root system is still mostly intact, Betty, you have a good chance of saving it. Dig the hole where the tree belongs another foot deep. Gently place the tree back in place, spreading the roots out all around. Shovel in enough topsoil to fill the rest of the hole. Tamp down the topsoil but don’t pack it so the roots won’t get broken. Go ahead and use root stimulator according to directions. Then spread mulch over the ground over the whole root system. Stake the trunk with cords or chains tied to the tree and the stakes. They ought to keep the tree from falling again. Best wishes ☺️

My grandfather had one of these in his yard.

It was placed over 100 feet from the home.

Why?

You cannot use a weeping willow to solve a Drainage Problem

They are notoriously messy.

They leech the soil.

He also had a large 48" Stake he used, and had marked at 12 inches. Why?

The stake was used as a Very Big Spike, to keep packing soil away from the 3 inch diameter holes all around the perimeter of that tree, and he did this regularly, devoting 5 minutes, at least once weekly so he never had to again, drive a 48" Steel Rod into the Soil with a 10lb sledgie all around the perimeter.

And boy did he ever curse whenever that stake did not go all the way down to the mark, whilst he was walking to the basement for a Sledgehammer.

So you need realize facets of these:

Firstly, the reason yours fell in the first place is because the initial hole had soil that was too wet and the hole itself was not deep enough to sustain growth of the roots and the weight of itself in the four seasons. So...

Better it fell now than it leaned annually for 50 years then fell.

You need to start digging and digging until you create a large enough pit for it to no longer have heavily exposed roots and do this before the tree weighs a Ton.

Secondly, because 1. may create some minor shock to the tree, you cannot just bury it deeper without creating also a gateway for anti-shock solution to get to the roots rather than absorb by the soil and go to waste.

Because shock is due to Roots inable to accustom to the state of being Nonexposed, you will need to feed it more regularly [with a manure+Water mix] until those no longer exposed roots more accustom to the ordinary everyday of nonexposed behaviors.

Thirdly, as you may need to accomodate the Shock Prevention or you will end up needing 400lbs of Anti-shock, at a great expense indeed, you will need a Stake or a 1.5 inch diameter Steel tie rod 36" to create at least 10 very large 'miniwells' placed at 36° each so you can nourish it around the perimeter where the roots are, and just pour a Water+Manure mix in those Holes, now and then, as those holes are never ever filled.

This is because: you cannot mound fertilizer on a willow like you can mostly anything else from the tree out.

Unless you want a Stump, You must fertilize after those perimeter Holes, and create a means that all runoff can travel back to the centralized tree by landscaping it High at the perimeter, low at the tree.

Fourthly, willows 'leech the soils and take alot more water to maintain than other trees, mor than many initially believe' is a bit of a myth or mistruth.

Discard of what should be compost to a city dump in hefties, rather than to a compost heap with burlap, and around the garden is where those mineral losses mostly originate.

It is not due 100% to the tree, but rather due: 90% Dumb Homeowner, 10% Tree.

So...you need to be a smart homeowner, and organize the compost in a 'use against discard system' secures: everything the willow creates and yeilds returns to the perimeter from where it was initially ingested by the tree.

Otherwise the Discard of that will transfer those composts to a City Dump and That will leech the soil.

Lastly, If this place where the willow was planted is near a home that had preexistent drainage problems, [that solved by the weeping willow planted nearby, to suck it up] you just cannot move the Resolve for Problem A far away from a Source of Problem A and expect Problem A to not return when you move the Resolve too far away from the problem.

[A.k.a: Mr. Plus Sign alike Mr. Subtract Sign does not go the distance very well, and is quite limited]

So, if there was preexistent Problem A you need to either:

A. Inch the Tree away from the ProblemA, about 8 inches annually for 5 years, by going through this ritual, as the tree grows.

Or

B. Create a Water dispersion system and Tank, [pour concrete over large items that are removable after the concrete sets, so you do not get that runoff into the basement, but instead it disperses to the pipings and tank]

Of course B is recommended so you can just move that tree far away from any Flowerbeds it will indeed over 20 years overtake if you only move it 3 to 5 feet.

Either way, if the initial intent was to over time, watch a great deal of your drainage problem A become 'larger but in a good way: in the growth Of your tree' move will not be an easy one, because the inherent problem A returns, and 'one thing leads to the next' is only due facts that the person did not think nor research well before doing, to learn what the doing will predictably arise, enough to prevent that Problem from Recurring.

My parents did same with two Green Apple Trees.

Upon removal of the Apple Trees, they wondered where the > 20 gallons Drainage problem came from...

Water was no longer contained in Fruits, the Drops and he juice in Home Made Pies.

Water no longer went down the john to the Sewage Treatment Plant where it belonged.

The Drainage problem came less from the sky than it came from they not respecting the reason why exactly Great Grandfather James shrewdly placed two Trees with moderately Juicy Fruits, less than 2 years after the house was constructed [and Delivered from Wales].

He did not want the mess in the Basement.

Not placing a Large 120 Gallon Dispersion System in the place that the trees formerly were, [and not taking the advice of their Son who knew better] was the cause of the water in the basement.