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Re: Monster Wisteria

Jose,
About pruning the wisteria - cutting off the branches of a broad-leaved
woody plant removes the controlling hormone produced by the growing tip.
When this hormone is gone, new growth begins from the buds in the axils
of the leaves on this branch, with more than one new branch usually
forming. This would, over time, defeat the object of controlling the
vine. The best approach is to prune each branch to be removed at the
point where it grew out of the branch below. This way no new growth is
stimulated. If the owners will carefully choose which branches to remove
in this way, they can remove whatever is needed. These vines are often
cut to the ground to rejuvenate them, so they will not kill it. The only
new growth it will make will be at the ends of branches in the normal
spring flush. That way you do not make the problem worse instead of
better.

Mary Henry, zone 4a, Minneapolis, MN

LONDE@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Jose,
> While I am not a "wisteria expert", I do have some experience with monster
> wisteria.
> About ten years ago one was consuming the back of my house, all three stories
> of it! The day I opened my closet and found it had somehow made its way
> through the window and was about to consume my clothes, I decided something
> must be done.  I couldn't climb to the top to prune it, so I gave it the old
> "ground level pruning",  just whacked the whole thing down.  I dug out as many
> roots as I could.  To this day, ten years later, I still have to cut it down
> several times a year.  About 5 years ago I planted another one on the side of
> the house.  It has never gotten out of hand, but only because I constantly cut
> it back.  The more I cut it, the more it grows.
> So the moral of the story is that in my experience, you should be able to
> prune that monster at will.  You aren't going to hurt it.  And you certainly
> couldn't kill it, even if you tried!  --Janis
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