Wisteria bonsai

[centaura]

Does anyone around here have a wisteria bonsai? Any advice about their care, maintenance and pruning? I collected two large ones this spring, and they are doing well so far. Right now I've done nothing other than digging them up and potting them. One started to send out long, new tendrils and I've trimmed a couple of them back. My question is - I want to let them grow and recover this year from being collected this spring, but I've been told that they don't back-bud well, so I'm uncertain of how much (or if) to trim them this summer. Anyone's advice or recommendations would be appreciated. I will try to get some photos of them this afternoon.

-Cat

[plantmanky]

Does anyone around here have a wisteria bonsai? Any advice about their care, maintenance and pruning? I collected two large ones this spring, and they are doing well so far. Right now I've done nothing other than digging them up and potting them. One started to send out long, new tendrils and I've trimmed a couple of them back. My question is - I want to let them grow and recover this year from being collected this spring, but I've been told that they don't back-bud well, so I'm uncertain of how much (or if) to trim them this summer. Anyone's advice or recommendations would be appreciated. I will try to get some photos of them this afternoon.

-Cat

Cat,

Yes, I have a wisteria, albeit a large wisteria that I collected out of the woods some number of years back. As long as your vines are growing strong it's a good idea to do some selective pruning on them this summer. Newly colleted wisteria will be rather slow at producing new buds on chopped trunks but they will. They will be heavly inclined to produce sucker sprouts around the base of the vine which should be removed at the earliest opportunity when ever you see them. Newly formed branches on the upper part of the trunk should be allowed to grow out vigorusly for 3 weeks then be cut back to the first or second bud. The reason for this is to keep the plant in the bud breaking mode which will enhance your odds of more spouts appearing on the upper trunk which will eventually form your design. Would love to see a pic or two of your vines. Here are a couple of pics of my vine the first, shows it freshly collected and the second in it's current state

Summer of 2010

W_sinensis_0403.jpg (107.04 KiB) Viewed 2956 times

Freshly collected 2003

W_sinensis_0510.JPG (178.75 KiB) Viewed 2956 times

[centaura]

Here's the bigger of the two - the slanting one.

-Cat

[lewisjk]

If I were you, I would chop just above that lowest small branch. That trunk will never be more than a pole and if you chop it you can hope that more sprouts pop out lower on the plant so you can chop it at about 6-8 inches. The shorter you chop it, the larger (relatively) the trunk will look.

[centaura]

That was the current plan - to chop it off approx. right above the black bulb tray that's supporting it in the picture, and working with the small branches there. Believe it or not, this is the vine after having the top half already cut off. Everyone was laughing at me - I loaded the rootball into my car, shoved it up against the back of the driver's seat, and then stood at the tail end chopping everything off at the back door of the car, so that I could close the hatchback.

I still see it primarily as a slanting tree, to show off the blooms in the spring, but I have a lot of work ahead of me working it down.

-Cat

[plantmanky]

Everyone was laughing at me - I loaded the rootball into my car, shoved it up against the back of the driver's seat, and then stood at the tail end chopping everything off at the back door of the car, so that I could close the hatchback.

I still see it primarily as a slanting tree, to show off the blooms in the spring, but I have a lot of work ahead of me working it down.

-Cat

Cat,

Remember that old saying, "he who laughs last, laughs best" It's true here for sure. I'd advise you to cut that little puppy back to where you want it right now. It's the middle of the growing season, the spring push of growth is getting more mature and the vine has gainded pleanty of strength in the preceeding months to push more new growth. Don't wait too long, you want to make sure that the vine has time to push new growth, get bushy and mature for you in just the next 3 months. Give it a good feeding and then play the part of the butcher.

[lewisjk]

In Indiana, he may be pushing it by chopping this "late" in the summer. ???????? Wisteria in a pot will require a LOT of protection up there, I suspect.

I don't live where it's that cold, but mine here have lost their leaves by late October, sometimes earlier. I'd suspect that by late Sept - mid October , the leaves would be pretty non-functionl in Indiana.

[shipsquartersfarm]

I have a related question. I have a wisteria potensai that I intend to style as a literati. First, I would like to take several cuttings from it, plant then next to an old silo, and (largely) forget about them for several years, allowing them a develop some girth and taper.

When is a good time to take wisteria cuttings? How thick should they be, and do they need to be from new or old wood?

[centaura]

Cat,

Remember that old saying, "he who laughs last, laughs best" It's true here for sure. I'd advise you to cut that little puppy back to where you want it right now. It's the middle of the growing season, the spring push of growth is getting more mature and the vine has gainded pleanty of strength in the preceeding months to push more new growth. Don't wait too long, you want to make sure that the vine has time to push new growth, get bushy and mature for you in just the next 3 months. Give it a good feeding and then play the part of the butcher.

Thanks, that's what I was curious about. I wanted it to recover from being collected, so far its been growing like nuts, so I figured it had health on it side. But, since I am only starting with how far I wanted to cut it back, it still needs to be chopped back a lot. I will take some more off this weekend, and then see how it goes.

Wisteria in a pot will require a LOT of protection up there, I suspect.

I cheat, I have a root cellar that stays around 30F and fairly humid all winter long, and that's where I over winter most of my stuff. I keep crepe myrtles, which are definitely not hardy to my area, there and they do fine every year. I also have good luck with japanese maples and azaleas in the root cellar. So, I'll be able to give it a mild winter.

-Cat

[plantmanky]

I have a related question. I have a wisteria potensai that I intend to style as a literati. First, I would like to take several cuttings from it, plant then next to an old silo, and (largely) forget about them for several years, allowing them a develop some girth and taper.

When is a good time to take wisteria cuttings? How thick should they be, and do they need to be from new or old wood?

John,

For traditional cuttings, now is the time to strike them. They should be taken from the the current seasons growth which has matured and be about half the diameter of a pencil. The cuttings should be at least 4 nodes in length with the bottom cut right at base of the bottom node. Strip the leaves from that bottom node, dip in a medium strenght rooting compound and put it into a container filled with medium sized perlite. If your not going to be around to spray the foliage during the day, cover the cuttings and container with a clear plastic bag and put a rubber band around it to keep it like a mini-greenhouse. Place the cuttings where they get filtered light and the temperatures stay around 70-80 Degrees F. Don't crowd the cuttings or they will start to rot which is not good. Take 10 or so cuttings to ensure you at least get some to take. They are relatively east to propagate but become harder when you don't have the right setup which is the reason to take more than you think you'll need. Another way to get additional plants is to ground layer them. That requires that you be able to put your plant on the ground for an extended period of time to accomodate the rooting process.