Fuji Wisteria thickening & vines

[Clicio]

Hello all,
I got this small Japanese wisteria (flowering, from a cutting) and now, end of the summer here, it's throwing vines all over.
As it grows fast, but the trunk is still thin, is letting the vines go crazy help thickening the trunk or should I prune them now?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Hyn Patty]

You can take cuttings to root, then plant them back up against your primary trunk and weave and wrap them around your trunk to fuse and thicken a lot faster, making it gnarly quickly. If you photograph mature specimens of wisteria you will very often see many vines all twisted and interwoven together that fuse into a single, thick, and very interesting trunk naturally, on their own. The one I purchased last year (an American native species) was five vines all close together at the base. I carefully twisted and interwove them as snugly as I could get them. In time they'll thicken up nicely with some gaps here and there. If you do internet searches on 'old wistera' you'll dig up some nice examples of how this can look. Get some really awesome twisted trunks that way too.

Alternatively, if you want a cleaner single trunk line for a more elegant and less gnarly look, letting your vines grow out can help thicken your trunk. You can always cut it back later, root the vines and have additional plants to work with or trade.

Here are a few trunk examples on large, old wisteria that are not bonsai. They might inspire you!

https://courses.missouristate.edu/pbtrewatha/japanese_wisteria.htm

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/552394710529876703/

https://www.alamy.com/several-100-y...n-they-were-first-planted-image221674795.html

https://rebeccasarashepard.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_0901.jpg

That last one is in Japan. Those are only a few examples so I imagine you can find more easily as I only spent about 5 minutes grabbing these. Have fun with it!

 

[Clicio]

You can take cuttings to root, then plant them back up against your primary trunk and weave and wrap them around your trunk to fuse and thicken a lot faster...

Good tips and examples, @Hyn Patty .
Thank you for your inspiring answer!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

We let them grow wild for the entire year, and then cut back to a single bud or to the bare trunk at the end of summer.
This seems to work for garden specimens. Getting a single branch to a centimeter thickness can be achieved in a year like that.

I found wisteria to easily bud from wood. But the wood is soft and rots easily, so sometimes cutting back to the trunk can be a risk.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Imsuggest you view this video by Peter Chan on pruning wisteria. Itmis always fin to watch him got any everything like Edward Scissorhands:

Peter Chan

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I gotta stop using this iPad, my typing is becoming useless.

 

[queenofsheba52]

LOL @Cofga

We like you anyway!

 

[Cadillactaste]

I'm ground growing a sucker. William Valavanis told me to never allow unused suckers to the design to stay on longer than a year. Started this from a 12" straight little sucker from the mother tree. Plans on buying material to practice an airlayer. So I can apply a ground layer at some point with confidence .

 

[Cadillactaste]

Actually I worded that wrong. Any long vines not in the finished design needs to be removed and not allowed on the tree. Not to be left on more than a year. It leaves unneeded scars.

 

[Clicio]

Any long vines not in the finished design needs to be removed and not allowed on the tree. Not to be left on more than a year. It leaves unneeded scars.

Even when one is trying to thicken the trunk? It's an air layer, young but already flowering.

 

[Driftwood]

I'm ground growing a sucker. William Valavanis told me to never allow unused suckers to the design to stay on longer than a year. Started this from a 12" straight little sucker from the mother tree. Plans on buying material to practice an airlayer. So I can apply a ground layer at some point with confidence .
View attachment 232342

Hi, could you update your wisteria progress plz? how long it has been ground growing since it was a 12'' little sucker? any luck with air layering? if one air layer passing the graft, will it continue flowering? any more tips? Thank you for sharing

 

[Cadillactaste]

Hi, could you update your wisteria progress plz? how long it has been ground growing since it was a 12'' little sucker? any luck with air layering? if one air layer passing the graft, will it continue flowering? any more tips? Thank you for sharing

Been in training since 2014. I've not hair layered it yet. It's a sucker so not really on its roots buy the mother trees roots.

I'm not sure what your question is about the graft. Mine isn't grafted. But I imagine once blooming it will continue to bloom.

Will grab a photo later. In the middle of making dinner. But he's basically still dormant out there. Intentions of air layering next year 2021. Practicing on the mother tree this year.

 

[Driftwood]

Oh! Sorry I didn't see the mother next to it, I though it was another pillar it's looking great. My question about the graft is because I'm planning to buy a grafted, put it in the ground for a few years or just airlayer and grow it without the graft.
Thank you.