Willow will root easily at any time of the year. Take your cuttings now. Select a large clear glass and cover over the top with a piece of plastic wrap with enough overhang around the glass to hold it securely in place. Poke holes in the plastic wrap (I use a ball point pen) and insert a cutting in each hole. Make certain that each cut at the end of a cutting has been made just below a bud. Change the water if it begins to look cloudy. Due to the time of year that the cuttings were made you may notice leaves beginning to sprout below the water line. If this happens remove each cutting and strip off that leaf growth.

When you move remove your rooted cuttings from the glass, wrap them in dripping wet paper towels and place in a plastic bag with tops extruding. Secure. Return to water as soon as you can until you are able to pot them. Before potting fill pots with soil and stand them in a tray of water until they are super saturated, at least 24 hours. Then pot. I read all sorts of methods of rooting in water on this Forum. Much of it do not agree with. My suggestion outlined above has worked for me the better part of 60 years. Should work for you.

all i have done is take 6 to 9 in. of a twig and put it in a jar of water or put the twigs in very wet soil until it roots are coming out of the stems.

Well it worked so far! I put stems in water and they did sprout leaves and also little roots are growing out of the stems. About an inch long maybe -- how long should the roots get before I put them into pots with soil?

Anytime after they are an inch or more.