Re: Getting Wisteria to bloom
- Subject: Re: Getting Wisteria to bloom
- From: C* P* L*
- Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 21:33:14 -0500
> ===>I've read of wisterias that have exhausted their owners' patience by
> never blooming, even in 20 years, and they fell to the chain saw. The best
> advice I've read is to buy a plant that you have seen bloom in the nursery
> with your own eyes to be sure you've got one that will bloom. I had one for
> a number of years and the root pruning didn't help, nor did the
> superphosphate. I did encourage some bloom with frequent pruning, as often
> as weekly when growth was very active, to create those spurs--that seems to
> be where the flower buds form.
Hi Bill,
OK, this thread got me curious enough to drag out my copy of 'Wisterias',
by Peter Valder [1].
He says
"One frequently hears the complaint 'I can't get my wisteria
to flower. Well there are various possible explanations for this
irksome state of affairs. Firstly, wisterias usually do not flower
when young. Three to five years may pass before they commence.
Secondly, they should be grown in full sun. Under natural
conditions their growth habit ensures that they sprawl over trees,
shrubs, or rocks with their leaves in bright light, which seems
to be a requirement for the abundant development of flower buds.
Thirdly, if they are given lots of water and fertilizer, they may
devote their energy to growth rather than to the development of
flower buds so, as mentioned before, once a plant is established
it is best to do nothing to it unless it shows signs of distress.
Finally, it is most important to prune correctly as described
in the next section, as heavy pruning, particularly late in the
growing season or in winter, is likely to remove those parts of
the plant which would produce the next season's flowers.
...
After planting, the season's long shoots should be tied back in
the positions desired and unwanted shoots removed as they appear.
Removal of the tips of the long shoots when they have reached
the desired length with encourage the development of side shoots,
which may then be treated similarly. Once the plant has reached
the preferred size size and shape, all new shoots should be cut
back to two or three leaves at the base, rather than removing them
altogether, as this encourages short spurs on which many of the
flower buds appear."
So Bill, it sounds like you were right about the spurs!
Chris
hort.net plant image gallery (1562 online photos and growing!)
http://www.hort.net/gallery/
[1] Valder, Peter. Wisterias: A Comprehensive Guide. Portland: Timber
Press, 1995.
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