Help! Air layer wisteria-what now??

[Chesca22]

Hello! I am a newbie to bonsai & any help is soo greatly appreciated. I did an air layer on a mature wisteria. I did it about 5 weeks ago and it has quite a bit of white/yellowish roots in the moss bag. I know I should have done it in the spring, but I was excited to try it & to my shock it did grow roots. My question is, what type of pot should I put it in & what type of soil? The layer is about 20 inches long, 20 inches wide at the top & a little less than 3/4 inch wide at the trunk. I have a round pot that is 14 inches in diamater at the top. It is 8 inches on the bottom & 6 inches tall. I have seen wisteria in shallow pots but have read they need a deep pot. I would like to eventually have it in a much smaller diameter & shallow pot. I have also read where you should pot bonsai on a tile to have the roots grow horizontally. I'm not sure exactly how to do that. On the soil, I have read so many things on the best soil that I really don't know what to use. Also, once I cut it & pot it I was going to put it in my window that faces the south & gets plenty of sun. Please any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you so much!!

 

[sorce]

Pics or you lyin!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Chesca22]

Hello! Thank you, glad to be here!
Here is a picture of the little beauty!

 

[AlainK]

There doesn't seem to be much soil in the plastic wrap. You didn't mention your location in your profile, but if you live in a region where temps can go below 0°C (32 F), the risk that the tender new roots can be damaged by frost is quite high. The leaves are still green so you may still have a couple of weeks before they fall, photosynthesis will continue.

So I would severe the air-layer now and put it in a pot. A regular pot with a slightly acidic mix for one year so that it can develop more roots.

 

[Shibui]

Wisteria will grow far better outdoors. Overwintering will depend on your location - add that to your profile so you don't have to keep repeating and members can offer advice suited to your area. In my area wisteria winter outside just fine.

Shallow pots are more difficult to manage. Better for a deeper pot for beginners and the one you mention sounds good.

Tiles are overrated. Don't believe everything you read on internet. Root pruning is much better to manage roots. You won't need to worry about that for a year or 2 after potting up your layer.

Everyone has the 'best' soil for bonsai. Really best soil is what works for you. Bonsai can grow in just about anything provided you manage watering and care to suit the soil you choose. For starting out I would recommend a generic premium potting soil from a commercial supplier. That will be perfect for the deeper pot you have mentioned and will suit wisteria just fine. Ask at your preferred plant nursery.

 

[Chesca22]

There doesn't seem to be much soil in the plastic wrap. You didn't mention your location in your profile, but if you live in a region where temps can go below 0°C (32 F), the risk that the tender new roots can be damaged by frost is quite high. The leaves are still green so you may still have a couple of weeks before they fall, photosynthesis will continue.

So I would severe the air-layer now and put it in a pot. A regular pot with a slightly acidic mix for one year so that it can develop more roots.

Hello, thanks for your reply. I live in Ohio zone 6a, so it does get down to 0F sometimes. My wisteria have always made it threw the winter just fine but I have never had one in a pot. You're right, there isn't much dirt in the bag . It is actually seed starter soil which is mostly peat moss. It kept falling out of the bag as I was trying to fill it. The roots have not filled the bag yet. - I do have a 10'x8' greenhouse. It is just a backyard greenhouse but it does have electric. I don't know if it would be better to over winter it in the house in a sunny south window or In the greenhouse. If in the greenhouse would be better, is there anything special I should do? I mean like put the pot in a box of mulch or something. I also have commercial electric propagating heat mats. I was thinking I could put the wisteria pot on one of them. They are 10'x2' so I think they would use too much electric causing my electric bill to go up. So there you have it. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Chesca22]

Wisteria will grow far better outdoors. Overwintering will depend on your location - add that to your profile so you don't have to keep repeating and members can offer advice suited to your area. In my area wisteria winter outside just fine.

Shallow pots are more difficult to manage. Better for a deeper pot for beginners and the one you mention sounds good.

Tiles are overrated. Don't believe everything you read on internet. Root pruning is much better to manage roots. You won't need to worry about that for a year or 2 after potting up your layer.

Everyone has the 'best' soil for bonsai. Really best soil is what works for you. Bonsai can grow in just about anything provided you manage watering and care to suit the soil you choose. For starting out I would recommend a generic premium potting soil from a commercial supplier. That will be perfect for the deeper pot you have mentioned and will suit wisteria just fine. Ask at your preferred plant nursery.

Thanks so much for your advice! - I am in Ohio zone 6a. I have a greenhouse that is 10'x8'. Do you think it would be better to over winter it in the greenhouse, or in the house in a south window? Any special care over the winter besides water? Thanks so much!

 

[jerzyjerzy]

It is not exactly true that roots in the air layer are more susceptible to frost. Because the air layer part does not return sugars back to the trunk and the main root system (which is the reason why new roots form on the line where bark and cambium were cut off), the sugar level in new roots is significantly higher, which makes them much more frost tolerant than the rest of the tree.

If the main tree can survive winter in your location, also these new roots will survive, and you do not have to necessarily separate the air layer this year.

 

[Shibui]

Thanks so much for your advice! - I am in Ohio zone 6a. I have a greenhouse that is 10'x8'. Do you think it would be better to over winter it in the greenhouse, or in the house in a south window? Any special care over the winter besides water? Thanks so much!

I am a very long way from Ohio so I have no concept of how cold is too cold for a wisteria. Never having to keep one in a greenhouse I also have no idea whether that's a good idea either but I suspect it would probably not hurt your new tree to have a slightly warmer winter.

 

[Underdog]

Thanks so much for your advice! - I am in Ohio zone 6a. I have a greenhouse that is 10'x8'. Do you think it would be better to over winter it in the greenhouse, or in the house in a south window? Any special care over the winter besides water? Thanks so much!

I'll offer my advice to sever the layer and put it in the ground for the winter. Up against the house foundation. Dig a hole and you could use potting soil or I like DE (oil dry) Mulch over it. Dig it up in the spring and pot if that's your plan. Prep your hole, gently unwrap and drop it in. Backfill with what I mentioned above.

a little less than 3/4 inch wide at the trunk.

I have one this size growing I stuck only as a cutting in a bad location and forgot about.

Looks like you could get another in the spring if this one bites it.
I'm betting it will make it.

 

[Chesca22]

Thanks for your advice! I need all the help that I can get. Yeah I have a few well established Wisteria I can practice with. - I have a large Japanese maple that was here when I moved in 16 years ago. I'm not sure what kind it is but it looks like a Crimson Queen Japanese Maple, I accidentally broke a branch off of it yesterday. The main part of the branch is a little over 1/4 inch thick & it's about 20 inches long. I put some .8% rooting hormone on it & potted it, what do ya think? Think it will live? I have it in my greenhouse on a heated grow mat. I have the heater on in the greenhouse also. Crossing my fingers & holding my breath. When I get home today I will take some pics. & post them. Thanks a bunch!