Collecting wisteria in winter

[WNC Bonsai]

My neighbor has a cabin up a mounain north of Asheville with a coulpe wisteria that have been in the ground a decade +/- a year or two. The vines have run out 40’ or more and are taking over the hillside so I volunteered to lift at least one if not both of them. Since when I saw them it was late summer/early fall I decided to wait until spring. However, in the meantime my neighbor pulled a change on me and is now planning to have a guy with a bulldozer carve up the hilside next to the cabin which will waste the wisteria in the process so I have to act soon. That may be in the next couple weeks or couple months, depends on the digger’s schedule and the weather but I should get at least a weeks notice.

My question concerns the best approach to digging them. On one hand I could dig them and clean the roots of native soil relpacing it with an organic heavy mixture. However, I am afraid this will result in the plants starting to grow new roots and I will need to protect them from freezing. The second option is to dig them, leave the native soil on them, shove them into big plastic nursery pots, and pray for an early spring. I am also afraid that even using the second approach they will need freeze protection so I am trying to figue out how to find more room in the unheated garage which hasn’t dipped below 45 degrees this winter. I may have to just put them in a wagon and move them inside on nights when a freeze is predicted.

So the question is of the two options which seems best? Also is there a better option I have not considered?

 

[Cajunrider]

Do it when you must but I think you should delay as much as you can. Since you will get advanced notice, do it when you are notified. If I were you, I'd do the second option.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I won’t move until the bulldozer is pushing dirt. Maybe I can get him to dig the plants for me! Wish I could get a backhoe in for the trio of yews in my neighbor’s back yard that I hope to dig this spring. They will be bears to get out.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Well today was the day to dig the wisteria. Our temps seem to be moderating again and we really aren’t looking at many freezing nights after this point. Besides I can just add them to the menagerie in the bed of the pickup and move them in and out of the garage every day. These were fairly easy to dig in spite of the 4x4 posts next to each and the gravely soil. But the combination of a Root Slayer shovel and battery powered reciprocating saw did the trick. Had them out in only about 30 min. Tomorrow both get a hosing and then into a nursery,pot and bonsai soil mix. I am hoping to get flowers in a year or so since I know they have been in the ground at least 10 years.

Ok, so here is the first one—about 1.5” diameter. A little bit of a change in direction but mainly just a stick in a pot. Have to see what develops when it buds out.



The second one has a lot more movement and potential. The root was just a big knot about 8” in diameter but came out easier than the smaller one. It is about 2.25” diameter below the lower limb flare. I especially like the muscle like patterns on the trunk. Not sure I’ll keep the lower limb. The two at the top should be nice for displaying the pendulous flowers. The trunk has some nice movement as well. With my luck the smaller one will live and this one will croak.

 

[Shibui]

These are wisteria. Difficult to kill (though I have found it can be done). Your timing is great I think and expect full recovery of both.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Ok, so today I got the native soil washed off these two, reduced the roots a bit, and then stuck them in cut down nursery pots for the recovery. I really am hoping to get them into bonsai pots next year assuming they survive. They are potted in my standard mix of pumice, haydite, and pine bark but with about 50% pine bark since they like water so much. Once they start to bud out and grow a bit I’ll added water trays for theim to stay hydrated. More to come once the buds start to appear.

First the little guy—still just a bent stick in a pot. You can see the swelling of the root collar.



And now for the big boy. The roots on this one looked like a Gordian knot. I chopped it back a bit but didn’t reduce the bottom much. I exposed the upper root collar above the first big side root since there was so much root down in there. Once I find a pot deep enough I may cover up that big root. Maybe I can get the wife to throw me a nice pot by next spring.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Well as they say you can’t kill a wisteria. Here are a couple photos showing the progress since 2 months ago. The big one is taking off and I already have had to lop off a coulpe very large shoots that were coming up from down near the base. I also removed the gangly side arm in favor of a new shoot that formed at its base. As of today it appears that they both have finished sending out new shoots and are concentrating on growing. I am a bit disappointed that the smaller plant has only put out 2 shoots, both down near the base. I am still hoping for a coulpe buds to appear up near the top but as long as the big boy makes it the small one will be a club auction item. Here are photos.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Well, both survived and are doing well, especially the larger one. Although it didn’t bloom this spring I gave it a radical prunnig around July 4 and it looked pretty dispirited, but it was way overgrown. Then it came back at me with new growth and 7 flower buds. So they have now started to open so I thought I’d grab a couple photos before they all drop off in this late July heat. I’m just going to let it finish blooming and then grow its little heart out until winter without any N fertilizer in hopes it will develop more flower buds for next spring. It was good to see it can bloom if it wants too!

After the pruning



And out come the flower buds



New foliage and flowers



The best of the flowers, not really big this year but they should eventually get down to about 12”

 

[Trueblackpercula]

Wow what a story. Amazing I wish you all the luck with them as they are one of my all time favorites.
Michael