I just purchased a Wisteria bonsai

Orion_metalhead

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The flowers, after blooming, leave what always is not visually appealing foliage for a bonsai. I think that's what he means.
 

WNC Bonsai

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Actually, that's some of his best stuff!!!;):D:D:D:D:D:D:D


@Adair M practices bonsai on a pretty high level. Best to carefully consider his advice...although none given here. But it'll come if your able to be open and receptive......


…...welcome to the internet.....:cool:

Wisteria are pretty rugged...….Bonsai Boy has, perhaps, not such a good reputation in bonsai circles.

don't aim to water on a schedule, and don't water a frozen tree.....good luck with your tree. Wisterias are nice to look at for a week or two.....until the flowers expire, then it's a mess!!!!!!

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This one seems to be doing very well. What kind of soil mix do you use? I have seen recommendations ranging from well drained bonsai mix to heavy potting soil. Also what species is that one?
 

Driftwood

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This one seems to be doing very well. What kind of soil mix do you use? I have seen recommendations ranging from well drained bonsai mix to heavy potting soil. Also what species is that one?
Hi Cofga, Did you find out what soil to use? I got two wisterias (one large 1.3m/4.2' in a large circular bonsai 0.5m D/19.6'' and.25mH/9.8''. the other in less than half size pot) apparently pot size matters? some recomend substrate, others use a rich compost and in this forum was mentionedioned that doesn't matter what soil... on top of that there is more confusion about what time of the year to repot in order to get flowers... Anybody with experience, please comment.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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When I had wisteria, it was planted in a mix of pine bark and play sand. Dense and retentive.
 
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WISTERIA GARDEN.JPGI have many wisteria bonsai, both in bonsai containers and in nursery pots, and even in the ground here too. It was 0F yesterday and the root balls and pots were all frozen solid!

Wonder if they are all dead?

No, don't worry about your wisteria freezing. They will be fine, especially in NJ, any part of NJ.
NEW WISTERIA.JPGWISTERIA BOB.JPGWISTERIA 1.JPG
 

LanceMac10

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This one seems to be doing very well. What kind of soil mix do you use? I have seen recommendations ranging from well drained bonsai mix to heavy potting soil. Also what species is that one?




Turface, bark, gravel and some peat.
 

rockm

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Hi Cofga, Did you find out what soil to use? I got two wisterias (one large 1.3m/4.2' in a large circular bonsai 0.5m D/19.6'' and.25mH/9.8''. the other in less than half size pot) apparently pot size matters? some recomend substrate, others use a rich compost and in this forum was mentionedioned that doesn't matter what soil... on top of that there is more confusion about what time of the year to repot in order to get flowers... Anybody with experience, please comment.
some people have wisteria that blooms like crazy, others have wisteria that don't flower for a decade or longer. Depends on the maturity of the plant you start with.

Also, pruning is more important than repotting in getting blooms. Hard pruning back into old wood can spur flower bud development. Also, big root mass is also important in developing flowers. Repotting can stall flowering as it reduces the root mass. I've used regular bonsai soil for the wisteria I've collected. Works fine, but in the summer, wisteria use quite a bit of water, so you can use a more water retaining soil, or put the pot in a shallow basin filled with water. The water shouldn't reach up more than a third of the way into the wisteria's pot.
 

Bonsai Nut

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I'm not following you .....what makes Wisteria a mess ?

In case you are still a little confused about his comment...

Wisteria are considered advanced subjects for bonsai, because they are difficult to work with and require specialized care. They are vines and are difficult to keep pruned. They have large compound leaves that have a tendency to grow large. Then, while you are busy trying to prune the viney growth and keep the compound leaves manageable, you have to be careful about when and how you do it, or you will eliminate that season's blooms. In a perfect world, the proper conditions and proper care will leave you with a bonsai that for one month out of the year will be more stunning than anything else in your garden. Even with the best of care, for the rest of the year it won't look like much.

THAT is why wisteria is a mess... which is just a playful way of saying - be prepared for a lot of heartache before you learn this plant's secrets. But if you figure them out, you will be greatly rewarded.

And generally speaking, Bonsai Boy is not known for knowing much about bonsai - or giving proper care advice. I wish it weren't so... but it doesn't really seem to bother them or harm their business. We regularly see Bonsai Boy customers on this site who were given poor information, or incorrect care instructions.
 

Smoke

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I only speak truth, Keemosabi!

Lol!

(And, for @Smoke, that’s my opinion! Lol!!!)
Thats the way you do it.

Ke-mo sah-bee
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Ke-mo sah-bee (/ˌkiːmoʊˈsɑːbiː/; often spelled kemo sabe, kemosabe or kimosabe) is the term of endearment used by the fictional Native American sidekick Tonto in the American television and radio programs The Lone Ranger. It has become a common catchphrase.
 

rockm

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Thats the way you do it.

Ke-mo sah-bee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
Ke-mo sah-bee (/ˌkiːmoʊˈsɑːbiː/; often spelled kemo sabe, kemosabe or kimosabe) is the term of endearment used by the fictional Native American sidekick Tonto in the American television and radio programs The Lone Ranger. It has become a common catchphrase.

I found this definition online-- I don't know if it's true or not. :

In Navajo, on the other hand, “kemosabe” translates as “soggy shrub.” If this seems an odd thing for faithful friend Tonto to call the Lone Ranger, perhaps he was just repaying the Ranger's long-standing insult. “Tonto,” after all, is a Spanish word meaning “stupid.”

The Tonto National Forest in Arizona has some interesting history with the name of the area, BTW:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/about-forest/?cid=fsbdev3_018921
", in 1866 in a letter appeared the following statement: "Tontos, a Spanish word meaning foolish, this tribe is the least brave, smallest, and ugliest of the Apache tribes."

so the Tonto, Kemosabe stuff is a mess of silliness.
 

rockm

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I found this definition online-- I don't know if it's true or not. :

In Navajo, on the other hand, “kemosabe” translates as “soggy shrub.” If this seems an odd thing for faithful friend Tonto to call the Lone Ranger, perhaps he was just repaying the Ranger's long-standing insult. “Tonto,” after all, is a Spanish word meaning “stupid.”

The Tonto National Forest in Arizona has some interesting history with the name of the area, BTW:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/about-forest/?cid=fsbdev3_018921
", in 1866 in a letter appeared the following statement: "Tontos, a Spanish word meaning foolish, this tribe is the least brave, smallest, and ugliest of the Apache tribes."

so the Tonto, Kemosabe stuff is a mess of silliness.
And wisteria can be a mess for most of the year. People fall in love with them for their blossoms, but that love affair can be ditched when the plant tries to take over your garden. I've been thinking about getting into wisteria again, however, as I have found a big, old wisteria trunk with some unbelievable twists and turns. I just have to figure out how to get it out of the woods alive...

Here's an old one at the National Arb. and a few on the National Mall in D.C. near the Smithsonian American History museumnatarbwisteria.jpgwisteriaamll.jpg
 

Smoke

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I found this definition online-- I don't know if it's true or not. :

In Navajo, on the other hand, “kemosabe” translates as “soggy shrub.” If this seems an odd thing for faithful friend Tonto to call the Lone Ranger, perhaps he was just repaying the Ranger's long-standing insult. “Tonto,” after all, is a Spanish word meaning “stupid.”

The Tonto National Forest in Arizona has some interesting history with the name of the area, BTW:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/about-forest/?cid=fsbdev3_018921
", in 1866 in a letter appeared the following statement: "Tontos, a Spanish word meaning foolish, this tribe is the least brave, smallest, and ugliest of the Apache tribes."

so the Tonto, Kemosabe stuff is a mess of silliness.

Soggy shrub...maybe The Ranger was incontinent
 
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