Wisteria

[Tachigi]

A wisteria cutting taken in mid-november starting to bloom.( A nice Christmas morning greeting) A little color this early AM in our gray winter enviroment. This cutting came from a wisteria that I aquired from the National Arboretum during an auction. I have included its picture as well. The picture was taken after a major trunk bending.

 

[paddles]

Excellent wisteria, I wish mine looked like that! mine has never flowered! I envy anyone who can get a wisteria to flower!

 

[Tachigi]

Paddles, thanks. Best way "I" know how to get wisteria to bloom is stress it. Root prune, hard prune, all at the right time of course. That will kick in its survival instinct and it will want to procreate. This particular wisteria has put out blooms for the past 14 years by doing just that.

 

[Zappa]

I've heard that wisteria will also flower if you allow it to become root bound...it realizes that it cant go any further...then it will kick in to reproduction mode. I've also read that reducing Nitrogen in your plant food will reduce foliage but increase flowering with this species...I'm new to bonsai...I have 3 wisteria's but none of them are ready to be put into a serious pot...

 

[Tachigi]

I've heard that wisteria will also flower if you allow it to become root bound...it realizes that it cant go any further...then it will kick in to reproduction mode.

Hi Zappa, I've heard that one to. I also have heard that depriving a wisteria (instead of having wet feet) from water in the summer in short bursts, say just a light sprinkle for a week at a time repeated every 3rd week for two months will induce flower buds. I'm not sure about any of these except the ones I use. A pine mix for a potting medium and messing with their toes as often as possible.

 

[koyote1]

Is the wisteria found at the local nursery different than japanese wisteria? My bride-to-be saw a picture of japanese wisteria, and wants one for her b-day(8/13).

 

[Tachigi]

Koyote, The types of wisteria commonly found in your local nurseries are Japanese wisteria
(Wisteria floribunda ) and Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis). The difference between the two is the flower--Japanese wisteria has longer sprays of pink or lavender blossoms that gradually open over a period of weeks while the Chinese version has violet-blue flowers that open in one big splash in spring. There are obviously commercial cultivars of differing colors. One other give away is that Chinese wisteria twines counter clockwise and Japanese twines clockwise.

Other "tamer" types of wisteria are American wisteria (W. frutescens) and Kentucky wisteria (W. macrostachys) which I suspect is a subspecies. I have found this variety only occasionally in garden centers. My guess is that the flower isn't as fragrant hence no marketable zing. However it is a little more predictable to bloom. Something that their Asian cousins can be reluctant to do at times. If you ask which way they twine? I can't remember at this time. Maybe someone else could chime in on that one.

I found that the best wisteria to put in a pot is the ones growing outside your back door. All the ones I have were collected. The garden center variety didn't turn me on that much so I went looking for good collected material.

One last note since I know you love caving. Wisteria wood will rot very , very quickly. So if you feel you want to make a hollow or crevasse then I would suggest that you treat that wood with linseed oil or teak oil to preserve the wood.

 

[koyote1]

I bought 2 small jap.wisteria yesterday from the local bonsai nursery for $9 each. Lindsey was very excited & wants one in her office(large window). Will this be OK if she brings it home in the fall to stay outside? When does j.wisteria bloom? What type of soil mix do you recommend if we want to put them in a deeper pot for growth? Any other suggestions would be great. Thanks- Kevin

 

[Tachigi]

Lindsey was very excited & wants one in her office(large window). Will this be OK if she brings it home in the fall to stay outside

Well aside from the fact that its totally out of its environment, the lack of humidity, I think your missing one important point about wisteria they send out tendrils that grow at amazing speed and get very, very long. So unless she wants her office to look like a bio-dome gone a rye, I would shy away from it.

When does j.wisteria bloom? What type of soil mix do you recommend if we want to put them in a deeper pot for growth?

My potting mix for wisteria is basically a pine mix with a good amount of peat added, they like acidic soil. Bloom is in spring exactly when depends on your area. You will get a second and even a third bloom of smaller racemes later in the year as well, which always puts a smile on my face when all the flowering stuff is gone. A deep pot is always best for two reasons. The first is cool moist roots and second is their roots grow fast and will fill a pot rather quickly, which in itself isn't a bad thing since some believe that a root bound wisteria is more apt to bloom consistently.

One last note....your head has to be in the right place to grow wisteria has a bonsai. There value as bonsai has a small window in the spring during the bloom. After that they turn to a weed and take off. Hacking and whacking to try to keep them in shape does absolutely no good, not mention the fact that it (in my opinion) isn't healthy for them. I would suggest you read as much as you can on them if you plan to pursue them as a bonsai subject. There are a lot of differing opinions on wisteria, find the common denominator in those opinions and use that as your starting point, then experiment from there. Good luck and have fun

 

[koyote1]

I love a challenge that requires even more homework than I already have. The "bio-dome" comment was great. Lol. If you knew Lindsey you would imagine "Little Shop of Horrors".

 

[koyote1]

Hi, Bride to be over here. You do not understand, I have 2 large windows and very tall. I have ample officespace and will mist the thing all the time as well as cut back these ivy looking arms. All I want is the Wisteria to hang down in perfect flower trendals and be happy. Can this be accomplished???

 

[Tachigi]

Can this be accomplished???

Koyote, I do understand, and thought I had given you sound advise in the previous thread. I have never attempted to take a plant that needs the outdoors and stick it in my home or office, for more than a day or two. The exception being an event were said tree is on display. I have not even put tropicals inside my home. The closest they have ever come to inside living is my green house when the temps get into the fifties. Inside a home the environment is suited for human habitat, not plant. It is one thing to try and bend a plant to your will visually. It is a whole different story to will a plant to live in conditions that it can't over a prolonged period of time. However, if you feel you must try...you must try.

 

[koyote1]

Tom, Lindsey wrote that last reply, not me. I've tried to explain these things but they're not being absorbed and processed. Hopefully she'll read you response and reconsider. If not, as much as I hate to see anything loose its life, she'll learn a valuable lesson for $9 plus tax. Thanks for trying.

 

[candyjshirey]

... she'll learn a valuable lesson for $9 plus tax. Thanks for trying.

Kevin-

Sometimes we have to learn the hard way for the lesson to really hit home. Tom is right: your wisteria will be unhappy and languish inside, even if you mist several times a day. And you are also correct: this is a cheap way for Lindsey to learn the lesson.

Unfortunately, dead trees are often the tuition we pay for bonsai experience. (I have killed a lot of trees.)

-Candy