After the spring blooms fade, keep the ambitious wisteria vine trained and maintained.
Wisteria is one of the first harbingers of spring and warmer weather.
Just like gardenias and azaleas, wisteria is an essential member of the Southern garden.
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But unlike the aforementioned plants, wisteria wears out its welcome rather quickly.
Wisteria Care
Ready to plant a new wisteria vine?
The container walls will help control lateral root growth.
Wisteria is not fussy about soil but needs good drainage, and it generally doesn’t need fertilizer.
Most of the maintenance of these climbers comes from training and pruning them.
This beautiful image requires some hard-core maintenance to keep the vines from overtaking your gutters and drain spouts.
Be careful about which pop in of wisteria you plant, which we discuss below.
Light
Wisteria blooms best in full sun.
Water
Wisteria is fairly drought-tolerant once established.
Keep the soil moist in the first growing season, watering when dry.
In subsequent years, your wisteria will appreciate a good soaking when the weather is hot and dry.
Japanese wisteria is more cold hardy and also grows in Zone 4.
These plants like humidity but can also grow in a dry climate with adequate watering.
Fertilizer
Wisteria should grow just fine without fertilizer, especially if it’s planted in the ground.
Container-grown plants may require fertilizing.
If you’re looking to boost your blooms, choose a high-phosphorus fertilizer and apply just once in spring.
Wisteria is a nitrogen-fixing plant, and applying too much nitrogen fertilizer will reduce blooming.
They grow fast, and if not controlled by regular pruning, quickly consume whatever is in their path.
Sounds a lot like kudzu.
Many states recommend against planting Japanese and Chinese wisteria.
Need more reasons to love this wisteria?
It is deer-resistant and drought-tolerant.
‘Blue Moon’ is a popular cultivar in cooler climates as it is hardy to Zone 4.
Pruning
Wisteria should be pruned every year to keep the plant manageable.
After the plant has bloomed, remove any new growth you don’t want to keep.
Saving some of those shoots will result in a better flower show.
Cut any suckers back to ground level when they pop up in your yard.
Wisteria vines produce long seed pods that look much like a pea.
Let the vine’s branches and runners twine only around the pole.
Here is how: Remove all but one main stem and stake this one securely.
Using plastic tape, tie the stem to the stake at intervals.
Let the vine climb a corner post to the top, and tie it to the arbor.
Propagating Wisteria
Wisteria can be propagated from softwood cuttings.
The better-behaved native wisterias are a good choice for containers.
Wisteria is a heavy plant, and you may only want to pot it once.
Choose a sturdy pot that is 18 inches or wider in diameter.
Use well-drained soil and stake the plant as discussed above.
Fertilize once each spring with a low-nitrogen, bloom-boosting fertilizer.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
Wisteria plants have few serious problems.
Japanese beetles, aphids, leaf miners, scale insects, and mealybugs can be attracted to the plant.
In the case of leaf spots, simply pick off and dispose of affected leaves.
Powdery mildew can coat the leaves with a grayish-white mold, but usually doesn’t cause a problem.
you’re able to spray leaves with fungicide if the plant’s health is affected.
Wisteria sometimes develops crown gall, a lump of gnarled wood on the stem.
Crown gall is essentially a tumor because of bacteria and cannot be treated.
Honey fungus can attack wisteria from the soil.
Sometimes honey-coloredmushrooms will appearat the base.
Unfortunately, honey fungus can’t be stopped once infection occurs.
Take a sharp spade or shovel and cut straight down through the roots around your plant.
Make a circle about 2 feet from the main stem.
National Poison Control Center.Virginia Creeper and Wisteria Toxicity.
