Collected Wisteria

will0911

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This is the biggest wisteria vine i have ever seen! i collected it on my dads property last year in fall. I have pruned it about three times this year to start branch structure and im gonna repot it into a grow box so i can see what itll look like without anything blocking the view. Im not gonna cut any living roots probably just a big slip pot to a better suited container. im also gonna introduce bonsai soil rather than mostly garden soil. I know this isnt a great picture but its what i have right now.

this vine was growing up an oak tree and was about 1/5 the size of the tree it was growing on, and the oak tree wasnt small. Well here it is. ill try to get a better picture after it stops raining.

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plans are to carve it. ALOT! and preserve the deadwood. like always any comments and info welcome!

thanks

Will B.

P.S. It gave me one little sign of flowering after i cut it back severely! but i know after i repot it it wont flower for awhile. after i repot it in the better grow box i plan to change the angle and plan on keeping it in there till it flowers hopefully!

here is the flower

2011-08-30_07-51-50_219.jpg
 

will0911

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i found this picture of this plant when i collected it last fall

WisteriaFall2010.jpg


it was fun digging this guy up!
 

rockm

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"plans are to carve it. ALOT! and preserve the deadwood. like always any comments and info welcome"

I wouldn't make too many plans for this. Your big trunk is likely going to experience significant die back on the trunk. That happens with bigger wisteria trunks dug quickly, even with trunks that are collected over a period of a couple of years. I've seen it time and again with big trunked collected wisteria. The plant throws out a lot of new growth after collection and seems fine. But over the next couple of years, large sections of trunk will die back in patches. I think this is due to the loss of so much root mass upon collection. It eventually stabilizes and the die back stops, but usually at a big cost to the big trunk, which can become a shadow of its former self.

Wisteria wood is not durable. It rots VERY easily, even with the addition of lime sulphur. You won't need to carve the trunk. Nature will do that for you. I'd sit back and wait until the trunk stabilizes.

Also use a bit of potting soil in the mix. Straight bonsai soil is generally too lean for wisteria, which likes a lot of moisture, especially in the summer.
 

mcpesq817

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I'd echo what rockm said. I collected a pretty big wisteria last fall that has been chugging along all year. A few weeks ago I noticed that the bark near the base of the trunk was turning a whitish color, and ended up having to carve out a pretty large section of rotted wood. So, it's probably best to let it get established before you start carving it, as nature might help you with the carving decisions :rolleyes:
 
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will0911

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So should I not repot it? Im trying to get more of the branches developed but I can't since it is angled like that. Or should I wait another year? Thanks for the in depth information! It has already started the rotting part which right now is making good taper but hopefully it wont go too far...
 

rockm

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Let it alone. Branch development is a couple of years off at this point. To minimize die back, it should be allowed to grow unhindered for at least a couple of years. The sustained growth will strengthen growth areas on the trunk. Allowing as many branches to form as possible will also help that process.
 

rockm

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BTW, the plant you're working with looks (from the ring count) to be less than 10 years old, yet has grown very quickly in that time.

That means the "wood" in the trunk is more prone to quickly rotting away. It is extremely soft and porous and will likely turn "punky" very easily when it remains wet. Be careful to water the soil when you're watering and not the wood...
 

will0911

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well thats why i wanted to repot it more upright because some of the trunk is in the soil and i wanted to get it out of the soil so it wouldnt promote even more rot.
 

rockm

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Repotting it again at this point will not really help all that much.
 

will0911

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So I slip potted this big thing into a grow box today. I just didn't feel good about leaving the trunk in that soil for the winter. We get pretty wet winters and I don't think that would've helped the tree any. I didn't cut any roots or anything just got it upright and outta the soil. It will stay in this box until I can hopefully get it to flower one day.

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I think it will look great one day if the trunk doesn't entirely go. If so it was free...well I paid with sweat but I still ate that day!

Will B.
 

fizhgurl

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That looks like a beautiful beginning! A wisteria bonsai just like that is on my wish list. Please keep updating with pics!
 

will0911

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Thanks! I just hope the rot doesn't take all the girth away....I will definately post more if it makes it!
 
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