Collecting Wisteria Question

[GrimLore]

I have an opportunity to collect a rather old wild growing Wisteria soon. Need to know if I can chop down to 24 inches or so and how well they take root chop. The plant hase been growing all over a 30 foot Oak for over 40 years so the base is rather heavy and I will leave it rather then kill it if I should not try.

 

[rockm]

You can reduce the roots to almost nothing and trunk chop at the same time. Wisteria grow like weeds and can be aggressively collected. I'd wait until after flowering to collect.

HOWEVER, if you do collect it all at once, expect some portions of the trunk to die back, sometimes extensively. I've found that wisteria tend to have to reorganize themselves after collection, that is they can abandon large sections on trunks, as they re-establish new living paths to new shoots.

If you can collect it over two years, you might experience less trunk loss.

In any case, you will probably get some dieback on sections of the old trunk. Also, wisteria doesn't produce stable wood. Cut and chop wounds will rot quickly...Sealing large new cuts can help, but it's not going to stop rot completely...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

It should survive pretty easily if you can dig it out with any roots attached. Plant it in sand and bark and set it in a pan of water in the summertime. The worse the soil and treatment, the better they do. Then, after about 5 years of neglect, it will flower. It's important to avoid repotting, feeding, and ever letting the roots up for air. Good luck!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

You can reduce the roots to almost nothing and trunk chop at the same time. Wisteria grow like weeds and can be aggressively collected. I'd wait until after flowering to collect.

HOWEVER, if you do collect it all at once, expect some portions of the trunk to die back, sometimes extensively. I've found that wisteria tend to have to reorganize themselves after collection, that is they can abandon large sections on trunks, as they re-establish new living paths to new shoots.

If you can collect it over two years, you might experience less trunk loss.

In any case, you will probably get some dieback on sections of the old trunk. Also, wisteria doesn't produce stable wood. Cut and chop wounds will rot quickly...Sealing large new cuts can help, but it's not going to stop rot completely...

Good points, I have yet to collect one that didn't die back on sections of the trunk...and the wood is terribly punky.

 

[ABCarve]

I collected an American wisteria that was essentially a piece of firewood. It had no branches, buds or roots. Chainsawed on both ends. I put it into a bucket of peat and it grew. Have in the yard but it's not a good flavor. It flowers after the leaves come out.

 

[mcpesq817]

I would probably try to keep a longer section of trunk than 24" if you can. I also echo what others say about the dieback and the punky wood.

I collected one with an 8" base that that was growing over a trellis (about 10' in overall height and 6' in width. There were two sub-trunks that came off the main trunk - I could only keep green on one of the sub-trunks (the other, the first leaves were a very long distance away). Wouldn't you know it, but the sub-trunk without any green ended up dying, and rotted down through the main trunk to ground level - it's fine, but I'll have incorporate that into the design.

So, if you end up having the trunk split at some point, it might be worth trying to cut it back to where leaves or at least buds are to maybe have a better shot at avoiding significant rot issues.

 

[Beng]

I think it depends what kind. I was emailing with Dan Barton the potter about my wisteria. You all may not know it but he is quite a bonsai artist as well. Anyway he mentioned wisteria does not like it's roots pruned. Perhaps some types of wisteria are less tolerant to root pruning then others.

 

[dick benbow]

probably goes without saying that most know, once a wisteria is accepting pot life, they do thier best blooming when REALLY pot bound.

I'm a BIG barton fan, wish he'd get his second book out here soon.

 

[GrimLore]

Great responses! I think based on all everyone has said here I will take Several green cuttings off the extended parts because this creature is BIG. I will then chop it 3 foot or more and try to save a decent amount of root. It should come up and out pretty well if i make sure the clay it is growing in is wet. I think that will give me a few more options having both cuttings and the main base.