Large Wisteria Air layer

[ConorDash]

Hello,

I thought I would get some peoples thoughts on air layering a few parts of this large, older Asian Wisteria that my neighbour has but is very much wildly growing over my side.
Neighbours will be cutting it back but anything on my side, I can do whatever with and I have some rather large bits bursting through. The thing is just wild! Looks lovely at the moment, its green leaves are bursting out and very large flowers about to open up.
Some pics of it.





So here are the areas I could air layer some bits. Speaking to @lieuz he suggests these places for layering, which I quite like too. Thanks for the annotations again David..


(Green squares being the girdled area)

This is the before pic:


(Hand for scale)

So, finally, what do you guys think about propagating this? Where would you, is it even worth propagating, etc.

 

[Steve Kudela]

Hello,

I thought I would get some peoples thoughts on air layering a few parts of this large, older Asian Wisteria that my neighbour has but is very much wildly growing over my side.
Neighbours will be cutting it back but anything on my side, I can do whatever with and I have some rather large bits bursting through. The thing is just wild! Looks lovely at the moment, its green leaves are bursting out and very large flowers about to open up.
Some pics of it.

View attachment 140513

View attachment 140514

So here are the areas I could air layer some bits. Speaking to @lieuz he suggests these places for layering, which I quite like too. Thanks for the annotations again David..

View attachment 140516
(Green squares being the girdled area)

This is the before pic:
View attachment 140518 View attachment 140519

(Hand for scale)

So, finally, what do you guys think about propagating this? Where would you, is it even worth propagating, etc.

Most definitely, I usually wait until the first flush hardens off, then do the layer. That's just one way. Bonsai nut has a good post about layering. I have a white from a layer. I'm really intrigued by the color of the flower buds, please post pics when the buds fully extend.

 

[lieuz]

@Steve Kudela This is most likely a wisteria sinensis.

 

[ConorDash]

Most definitely, I usually wait until the first flush hardens off, then do the layer. That's just one way. Bonsai nut has a good post about layering. I have a white from a layer. I'm really intrigued by the color of the flower buds, please post pics when the buds fully extend.

Yeah I have seen the post, and I've done a few air layers before, read plenty, the technique itself I have no problem with.
Just asking what people think about its possibilities, locations for air layering.
I will post once they open up fully.

 

[Steve Kudela]

@Steve Kudela This is most likely a wisteria sinensis.

Yes I agree, it appears to be non purple though. There are a bunch of varieties of sinensis, just thought this one might be a different one from the norm.

 

[LanceMac10]

See if your neighbors will let stuff on your side keep growing. Put up something that you can wrap young growth around. Like cheap wood lattice work or some kind of material you can break apart easily. Let that grow for a couple seasons and get some character. Then try an air-layer. Your just layering a pool cue, boring.

 

[ConorDash]

Yes I agree, it appears to be non purple though. There are a bunch of varieties of sinensis, just thought this one might be a different one from the norm.

I know that this one blooms purple, or light purple/pink flowers. I have watched it bloom every year for past 6 years.. Only really paid attention for past few years though

 

[ConorDash]

See if your neighbors will let stuff on your side keep growing. Put up something that you can wrap young growth around. Like cheap wood lattice work or some kind of material you can break apart easily. Let that grow for a couple seasons and get some character. Then try an air-layer. Your just layering a pool cue, boring.

Hmm interesting.. Im not sure I can picture it though. These are definitely not interesting looking, you are right. I would just layer for the sake of doing it, long term project. Would at least be an old specimen.

So when you say wrap around, are you picturing like a spiral stem going round and round and hardening off?

 

[LanceMac10]

Hold on a sec, lemme' load some pics........

 

[LanceMac10]

Shoots will fuse together pretty easy....




Even a little twist around something will give you some movement....


This chunk looks like a good candidate.....

 

[ConorDash]

Shoots will fuse together pretty easy....
View attachment 140526

View attachment 140528

Even a little twist around something will give you some movement....
View attachment 140527

This chunk looks like a good candidate.....
View attachment 140529

Lol, you are that guy with random bits of rebar sitting in your garden. Lol.

I see what you mean, gnarly looking things. Given the nature of how wild this thing grows, I might be able to find a few interesting bits like this to be honest. Although, I am fairly new and Im just getting to grips with how a tree will look in the future, working with plain looking trunks. I can't think how it will look or how to work it, with such gnarly looking branches.

Underneath this mess, might be some interesting and thick bits. Ill get a better look tomorrow, in the day light.
Thanks for your info, good idea. I have a wood trellis, you can see in pic 3 and 4, maybe use that... there are a few long vine whips coming off it at the moment, Im gonna tie down over my side so I can do something with them.

 

[ConorDash]

Imagine a literati, twisted and gnarly wisteria branch/trunk, with a 2-3 big old wisteria purple blooms on the top.. @lieuz @LanceMac10
Is that silly? Lol

 

[ConorDash]

Found out that wisteria, looking at it today, it has scale insects on it... in a good many places but not a lot. I've knocked them all off for now, with a hand shovel. Probably only about 20-30 odd. On the bark, not the leaves.
Apparently they are hard to treat cos they have those shells, they protect well against chemical sprays and predators but best thing to get rid is ladybugs and other predatorial insects. Outside of my capabilities, hopefully what I've done will help.

 

[lieuz]

@ConorDash Whenever I do a search on google for wisteria bonsai, I am always drawn to one specific image.

Front:

Back:

With your description, I definitely think of this one. Which leads me to wonder, is this tree only alive partly due to 1 whip? It looks like the rest of the tree is far gone and the one vine is wrapped around a tanuki.

 

[ConorDash]

Had to look up what a tanuki is.. not sure what the difference between tanuki and shimpaku is, but that's going off topic.

Yeah in terms of that pic, I don't think we can see it well enough to know what it is. But yeah, that kind image is what I would like for a wisteria. Seems to be a good way of making its main bonsai flaw (large, non-reducing flower) a feature and not a flaw.

Any way, all of the wisteria I have access to is just smooth barked, and whip like.. Some is tangled up but I don't see any of it having potential to be its own tree and trunk. I could just do it for the sake of it, keep it alive and possibilities in the future but I'm losing motivation really.

 

[Josh88]

Had to look up what a tanuki is.. not sure what the difference between tanuki and shimpaku is, but that's going off topic.

Yeah in terms of that pic, I don't think we can see it well enough to know what it is. But yeah, that kind image is what I would like for a wisteria. Seems to be a good way of making its main bonsai flaw (large, non-reducing flower) a feature and not a flaw.

Any way, all of the wisteria I have access to is just smooth barked, and whip like.. Some is tangled up but I don't see any of it having potential to be its own tree and trunk. I could just do it for the sake of it, keep it alive and possibilities in the future but I'm losing motivation really.

Tanuki is also known as a phoenix graft, where you take an interesting piece of deadwood, carve a groove in it, and grow a living tree into the groove so it adds the appearance of age with a young piece of material. If you search "tanuki bonsai" you can find lots of info on techniques as well as a lot of discussion about whether it's a legitimate technique or just faking age. "Tanuki" is a Japanese raccoon dog that is considered a trickster. They look like fun projects even though they wouldn't be suitable for competition. It seems like a good project for wisteria because of vine growth habit.

 

[ConorDash]

Tanuki is also known as a phoenix graft, where you take an interesting piece of deadwood, carve a groove in it, and grow a living tree into the groove so it adds the appearance of age with a young piece of material. If you search "tanuki bonsai" you can find lots of info on techniques as well as a lot of discussion about whether it's a legitimate technique or just faking age. "Tanuki" is a Japanese raccoon dog that is considered a trickster. They look like fun projects even though they wouldn't be suitable for competition. It seems like a good project for wisteria because of vine growth habit.

Yeah that was what I read when looking it up.
It would probably be a good ideal candidate but not really something I'd want to look in to yet, at this stage.

 

[jeremy_norbury]

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