How to start with wisteria

[Serban]

I would like to grow myself a nice bonsai, but i don't really know where or how to start, i was thinking of propagating a wisteria bonsai because my grandmother has a big wisteria plant in her backyard and i think it's really beautiful.I would very much appreciate it if you could tell me how to correctly propagate it, what type of soil should i use, and if you could share some bonsai growning tips and maybe what kind of tools do i need.Thank you!!
P.S. I am well aware that bonsai require a great amount of patience but that isn't that much of a problem for me.

 

[sorce]

They're said to root easily I believe.

Then be prepared to be bored till the flower show.

Welcome to Crazy!

You know who is the best?

Grandmas!

Sorce

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Wisteria are easy, they are hard to kill, but you do have to stay on top of them or they will take over. I have two that I dug up in 2019 growing at a friends mountain cabin and he wanted them gone. It is usually easy to find some that have gone wild and take over a woodlot and folks are happy to let you dig one. Once I dug them out of the ground I just put them in a pot with 40% pumice, 40% Stalite (a heated slate produced here in NC also sold as VoleBlock) and 20% composted pine bark. I water mine regularly and both have done well. After it starts to heat up I put the pot in a shallow dish and keep water in it as these are very thirsty plants. Every 2-3 weeks I whack off the 4-5’ long extensions growing up into my tree limbs and feed with MiracleGro every couple weeks. I am hoping to get some flowers next year. About August I cut them back to just 2-4 leaves on each branch and in winter lop them back to 2 leaf nodes. Here ae some pictures from mine.

 

[Serban]

Wisteria are easy, they are hard to kill, but you do have to stay on top of them or they will take over. I have two that I dug up in 2019 growing at a friends mountain cabin and he wanted them gone. It is usually easy to find some that have gone wild and take over a woodlot and folks are happy to let you dig one. Once I dug them out of the ground I just put them in a pot with 40% pumice, 40% Stalite (a heated slate produced here in NC also sold as VoleBlock) and 20% composted pine bark. I water mine regularly and both have done well. After it starts to heat up I put the pot in a shallow dish and keep water in it as these are very thirsty plants. Every 2-3 weeks I whack off the 4-5’ long extensions growing up into my tree limbs and feed with MiracleGro every couple weeks. I am hoping to get some flowers next year. About August I cut them back to just 2-4 leaves on each branch and in winter lop them back to 2 leaf nodes. Here ae some pictures from mine.

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Thank you!!

 

[Shibui]

Wisteria are tough. Can be propagated by cuttings but that will take many years to grow thick. Can be layered from a larger plants. You can get roots on thicker branches by layering. Dig up a sucker growing near the main tree. It will only need a small root to survive but winter would probably be the best time for that.
Wisteria can be grown from seed but seedlings take 7-20 years to mature and flower so very slow process.

They will grow in almost any soil.

 

[Serban]

Wisteria are tough. Can be propagated by cuttings but that will take many years to grow thick. Can be layered from a larger plants. You can get roots on thicker branches by layering. Dig up a sucker growing near the main tree. It will only need a small root to survive but winter would probably be the best time for that.
Wisteria can be grown from seed but seedlings take 7-20 years to mature and flower so very slow process.

They will grow in almost any soil.

So, what i get from your response is that i should probably wait till winter to propagate the plant?

 

[rockm]

I would like to grow myself a nice bonsai, but i don't really know where or how to start, i was thinking of propagating a wisteria bonsai because my grandmother has a big wisteria plant in her backyard and i think it's really beautiful.I would very much appreciate it if you could tell me how to correctly propagate it, what type of soil should i use, and if you could share some bonsai growning tips and maybe what kind of tools do i need.Thank you!!
P.S. I am well aware that bonsai require a great amount of patience but that isn't that much of a problem for me.

At the risk of being a bummer--Wisteria doesn't make nice bonsai. It makes tolerable bonsai that is tolerated only because of the blooms. Wisteria is a raging horror to deal with as it grows and grows and grows. It only looks nice for about one week in May when it blooms (which can be very difficult to get it to do. Has a lot to do with age and proper pruning). After that week, it becomes and unruly monster--with growth dominating just about everything within ten or fifteen feet of it. You have to control that growth if you want blooms the following year. That requires extreme pruning at the right points on the vine.

Using a cutting too being one is an exercise in futility, since all you will be doing for the next five years or more is growing it out to develop a trunk big enough to hold blooms up off the ground.

Another species of tree, such as an elm, or the like is much more satisfying as bonsai.

If you're set on a wisteria bonsai, ask your Mother if you can dig up the ENTIRE WISTERIA TRUNK next April. The species is quite tough and resilient and can take 95 percent root reduction and removal of top growth....

 

[Serban]

At the risk of being a bummer--Wisteria doesn't make nice bonsai. It makes tolerable bonsai that is tolerated only because of the blooms. Wisteria is a raging horror to deal with as it grows and grows and grows. It only looks nice for about one week in May when it blooms (which can be very difficult to get it to do. Has a lot to do with age and proper pruning). After that week, it becomes and unruly monster--with growth dominating just about everything within ten or fifteen feet of it. You have to control that growth if you want blooms the following year. That requires extreme pruning at the right points on the vine.

Using a cutting too being one is an exercise in futility, since all you will be doing for the next five years or more is growing it out to develop a trunk big enough to hold blooms up off the ground.

Another species of tree, such as an elm, or the like is much more satisfying as bonsai.

If you're set on a wisteria bonsai, ask your Mother if you can dig up the ENTIRE WISTERIA TRUNK next April. The species is quite tough and resilient and can take 95 percent root reduction and removal of top growth....

Oh, i see, then could you recommend me any species of bonsai that would look more unique and still be a good bonsai for someone who is just starting.
P.S. If it helps you in any way, i live in Eastern Europe

 

[rockm]

Oh, i see, then could you recommend me any species of bonsai that would look more unique and still be a good bonsai for someone who is just starting.
P.S. If it helps you in any way, i live in Eastern Europe

Chinese Elm (ulmus parvifolia) is a very good choice for people just getting into bonsai. It is tough, easy to care for and forgiving of mistakes. It's pretty commonly available via online and in-person bonsai stores. It should do well in your climate.

 

[brentwood]

I agree with both points, love my Chinese elm, helping me learn, seems bulletproof. Had a wisteria at our old house, literally grew about three feet a week, crushed the wood on our porch... Beautiful monsters.
Good luck!
B

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Yes, never plant one in the ground. Peter Chan did a video recently on his Youtube channel about wisteria and showed how one he planted at his nursery had taken over a section there. However they are very popular in Japan as bonsai and are the subject of viewing festivals in the spring when they bloom. As Rockm said they are grown mainly for the blossoms that stay on for about 2-3 weeks then you can just hide them the rest of the year in a sunny place, but don’t forget about them as they need lots of water and regular clippnig. Peter has done other videos on his Heron’s Bonsai channel and there are some others on Youtube worth watching. Chinese elm are also good bonsai for beginners—they grow vigorously, are easy to propagate from cuttings, and can take fairly cold winters.

 

[Serban]

Thank you everyone for your great responses, i will search to see if i can find someone in my country who sells Chinese Elm.