Wisteria I inherited…

[StPaddy]

So my father is dying and I have been given some of his bonsai to take care of. He gave me this wisteria he grew from a seedling he bought at the big box store maybe ten or fifteen years ago…it was in dirt…he liked dirt…and it had a bunch of crispy leaves. He never wired it and was clip and grow only. This was a couple months back…like late may, so I gently repotted it into bonsai soil with no root pruning whatsoever and put it in part shade for a few weeks. Clipped it back a bit too as there was a lot of dead leaves. Dropped a few more for a couple weeks and stopped. Saw some growth and moved to sun from dawn to 3pm. Roots had little balls I’m guessing nitrogen making balls like legumes do. Feeding biogold, watering twice a day with water that’s around 6.5ph. Starting to put out growth and am wondering if this is a decent pot size or should I shop for something more appropriate for next spring. Also I hear people sit them directly into a tray of water…I see the soil drying pretty quickly…the plant definitely drinks more than anything else I’m growing (pines/juniper etc) but wow. Any tips from the wisteria gurus? It has never bloomed and I’m hoping it will next season. Also I haven’t a clue of how to know if it is a Chinese or American or whatnot. I’m in LA by the coast. It’s around 22” tall.
Thanks folks.

 

[rockm]

Wisteria like damp to wet soil when they're growing. The also like cool roots. In the wild, wisteria grow with such vigor to get up and over a host tree to expose their leaves to full sun. Their roots stay shaded in the ground beneath the canopy. They use HUGE amounts of water.

What you're seeing with the yellowing dropping foliage is too much heat at the roots, possibly combined with roots that dry out. Wisteria will grow in a right mix of half bonsai soil, half potting soil. Plain bonsai soil and--God Forbid--free draining pumice-based soil is far too lean for it to do well. I'd also put the pot into another pot with water that reaches an inch or so up the side of the pot. That constant access to water can help too. Don't make the water too deep, or you will rot the roots.

If this were mine, I'd get it situated so its pot is shaded in the hottest parts of the day with a water pan. That should allow it to push new foliage.

As for blooming, well, you may be in for a wait and/or a battle. Wisteria have to be between 7 and 15 years old to be old enough to flower. Additionally, they can also be delayed by repotting. Proper hard pruning is also a necessity to get them to flower reliably. Some will bloom no matter what, others refuse.

 

[vp999]

Sorry about your dad ...I have a few wisteria and they are unpredictable..some year they will bloom and the next they won't with nothing changes. They only look good for about 2 weeks a year when flowered...after that ...they are not much to look at. If it was mine I would try to make it into a cascade.

 

[Calnicky]

I had little brown nodules on my wisteria's roots too. Not entirely sure what it is but found this: "Nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Rhizobium species) cause swellings on the roots of most legumes (such as clover, peas and beans). These swellings, called nodules, are easily distinguished from root-knot galls by differences in how they are attached to the root and their contents. Nodules are loosely attached to the root, while root-knot galls originate from infection at the center of the root, so they are an integral part of the root. In addition, fresh Rhizobium nodules have a milky pink-to-brown liquid inside them, while root-knot galls have firmer tissues and contain female root-knot nematodes (creamy white beads less than 1/32 inch in diameter) inside the gall tissues." (https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/...izobium species,the root and their contents.) I think mine were the Rhizobium species nodules.

I dug mine out of a garden. It has a chunky 3" diameter trunk, good foliage, but doesn't bloom. I'm trying to fertilize it heavily this year with an organic, flower-promoting fertilizer (higher phosphate level). I will add the tray of water to it's regime. It's definitely a thirsty plant! Also, when I repot next I'll add more organic compost, for water retention. Maybe that will make it happier.

 

[StPaddy]

I really appreciate the info folks. Thanks a lot.

 

[Paradox]

So my father is dying and I have been given some of his bonsai to take care of.

I am very sorry to hear about your father.
I dont know much about wisteria so I cant really give advice but it seems like rockm was able to give you some help.
I hope you can get this tree to turn around.
If you have any other questions about any of the other trees or anything bonsai related, there are a lot of knowledgeable people here that can help

 

[Carol 83]

So sorry to hear about your dad, hopefully caring for his trees will help you.

 

[StPaddy]

He gave me his last remaining trees to care for, and olive, a juniper, and this wisteria. He just can’t get out to water them often enough with the docs cancer treatments. Appreciate the replies folks. Really.
I think it will live. He says “it’s hard to kill a wisteria” and the olive had a white fly infestation but that’s taken care of and it’s growing again, and the juniper had spider mites and that’s fixed now and it’s greener. I have a good handle on those species of plants but this wisteria is a new thing for me to understand. Poking around on the net I see so much conflicting info so I posted here, and am so glad for the help,

 

[Shibui]

Wisteria are definitely hard to kill but I have seen it done.
It might appreciate a deeper pot next year. I think mine do better in deeper pots. The added height helps display the flowers too.

@rockm is correct about wisteria taking a long time to mature. I waited 21 years to get the first flower spike on one of my seedlings then it did not flower again for another 3 years but has now settled down to regular flowering.

They are definitely thirsty plants. Mine are OK for the year after repotting when there's still spaces in the soil for air and water but root growth is prolific so it gets harder and harder to fit enough water in the soil and they suffer through summer. That's when a water tray can come in handy.

Using 'flowering' higher K fert does seem to help promote flowering but that alone is not enough. Pruning for flowers is also an important part of wisteria development. The trees also need to be happy and healthy. Drought through summer certainly won't improve flower prospects. Don't let lack of flowers frustrate you though. Concentrate on learning how to keep the tree happy and healthy and flowers will naturally follow form that.

Wisteria definitely have nitrogen nodules so healthy round balls on the roots is a good thing.

 

[rodeolthr]

As others have suggested, I also have large plastic trays under mine. I fill them with water each day, and the water is gone the next. It has made an immense difference in the amount of growth and the quality of the leaves.

 

[rockm]

If you want reliable flowering, you have to learn how to hard prune this species. Simply dumping fertilizer on it will do little to produce flowers. It can also force the plant to produce green growth at the expense of flowers. Hard pruning (back into old wood, which can mean taking substantial branching back by at least half in some cases) is the way to build flower buds.

More about what to avoid to produce flowers:

Promoting Wisteria Bloom: Part 1 — Seattle's Favorite Garden Store Since 1924 - Swansons Nursery

Wisteria is a fantastic flowering vine with a long history in Asian, English, and American gardens. It’s incredibly versatile and has gorgeous, fragrant blooms. Here are some tips for growing healthy wisteria and promoting beautiful blooms.

www.swansonsnursery.com

Promoting Wisteria Bloom, Part 2: A Three-Year Pruning Plan — Seattle's Favorite Garden Store Since 1924 - Swansons Nursery

Welcome to part 2 of Promoting Wisteria Bloom. This article offers a three-year plan for pruning your wisteria for health, structure, and bloom, whether it is newly planted or already established. It therefore offers detailed, step-by-step information on intermediate and advanced pruning techniques.

www.swansonsnursery.com

 

[Mikecheck123]

Believe it or not, wisteria do fine as a shohin or mame sized plant. When they're that small, they put out tiny vines! It's so cute!! I've never seen one flower that way, though.

So I think your container is fine.

The supremely annoying thing about wisteria is that they thicken very very slowly, so if that was on your mind, it would be a long and arduous project and would probably end up costing you everything your dad did.

If this were mine, I'd just keep it in that little pot.

 

[rockm]

Believe it or not, wisteria do fine as a shohin or mame sized plant. When they're that small, they put out tiny vines! It's so cute!! I've never seen one flower that way, though.

So I think your container is fine.

The supremely annoying thing about wisteria is that they thicken very very slowly, so if that was on your mind, it would be a long and arduous project and would probably end up costing you everything your dad did.

If this were mine, I'd just keep it in that little pot.

Would be very interested in seeing a photo or even a reference of such a thing...Change my mind?...Sorry, but I'm doubtful. Most likely You haven't seen a flowering in that size because flowers don't reduce. A two foot flower on a mame (post pics if you have them), would pull the tree over.

Also I've found they can thicken pretty rapidly if left in the ground and left alone. Put them in a container and they do indeed slow down thickening.

 

[Mikecheck123]

Would be very interested in seeing a photo or even a reference of such a thing...Change my mind?...Sorry, but I'm doubtful. Most likely You haven't seen a flowering in that size because flowers don't reduce. A two foot flower on a mame (post pics if you have them), would pull the tree over.

Also I've found they can thicken pretty rapidly if left in the ground and left alone. Put them in a container and they do indeed slow down thickening.

The leaflets get smaller and smaller as you reach the top. At the top, they're impossibly small. Edit to add: i took the pics in fall when the leaves started turning yellow to make sure they were done growing.

Sadly I lost this tree the next spring when someone told me that pond baskets are the greatest thing ever and wisteria are impossible to kill. Both false!