jk_lewis
Masterpiece
Gorgeous!!!!!!
I no longer keep trees that I can't carry.
I no longer keep trees that I can't carry.
Wonderful Wisteria
- Thread starter pjkatich
- Start date
pjkatich
Chumono
Jim,
I'm not far behind you on this thought.
This reminds me of something I heard John Naka say many years ago when asked about the size of the trees he liked to grow. His reply was that when he was younger the thought of growing a mame or shohin bonsai held no appeal to him. But now that he was getting older, he had come to understand the wisdom behind growing smaller trees.
I appreciate the compliment on the wisteria.
Regards,
Paul
pjkatich
Chumono
Honest before this year I have never heard of Wisteria but seeing them all here is inspiring. That is a tree even my wife would love. Maybe next time it gets a haircut I could steal some cuttings
Josh,
What color would you like?
I have some of the white flowering wisteria already to go.
Give me a shout and I'll see what I can do.
Paul
Concorde
Shohin
Paul,
All I can say is WOW. Your wisteria are just gorgeous. I could never get my wisteria to bloom. Thanks for sharing.
Art
All I can say is WOW. Your wisteria are just gorgeous. I could never get my wisteria to bloom. Thanks for sharing.
Art
jk_lewis
Masterpiece
In my experience, wisteria cuttings often are a bit iffy. Dirr, howver, says June or July cuttings root easily. (Point of reference: He is in mid Georgia USA.)
It's best to dig an old one, though. Growing from seed or cuttngs will mean waiting at least 10 years for the first bloom. The one I posted here came from a large (3 inch diameter) root cutting. It took 15 years before it bloomed the first time. My older one, posted elsewhere on this site, was dug from my garden when I lived in N. Florida and was in a pot for 9 years before it bloomed.
It's best to dig an old one, though. Growing from seed or cuttngs will mean waiting at least 10 years for the first bloom. The one I posted here came from a large (3 inch diameter) root cutting. It took 15 years before it bloomed the first time. My older one, posted elsewhere on this site, was dug from my garden when I lived in N. Florida and was in a pot for 9 years before it bloomed.
pjkatich
Chumono
Thanks Art, I appreciate the compliment.
Getting a wisteria to bloom for the first time can take a while. When put into a pot, they seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to producing flowers.
Regards,
Paul
pjkatich
Chumono
Good advise Jim.
The two purple ones I posted each took approximately 9 years before they bloomed for the first time. I attribute that mostly to my inexperience with growing wisteria.
On the other hand, the white one bloomed the second year after it was lifted from the ground. It's mainly in how the plant is handled after it is put into a pot.
Regards,
Paul
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
I babied one along for 5-6 years and it never flowered, and finally I gave up; it either died or I tossed it.
Then, a few years ago, I was collecting V. pines, and stopped on a roadside and literally hacked out a chunk of wisteria growing in the ditch. I potted it in the worst soil I could manage (sand from the kids' sandbox, pea gravel, and maybe some peat moss for bad measure). I left it in the same pot for 5 years, never fed it, and drowned the roots in a bucket of water every August for days at a time, and it's bloomed every year.
This year, I repotted it because I wanted to change the planting angle (it's not a great bonsai, never will be). I didn't prune any roots off it, and packed it back into terrible soil, mostly recycled what it was already in, along with some turface fines and peat moss.
I think they thrive on contempt! It's just a matter of finding a place to hide it during the 11 months it's not blooming.
Then, a few years ago, I was collecting V. pines, and stopped on a roadside and literally hacked out a chunk of wisteria growing in the ditch. I potted it in the worst soil I could manage (sand from the kids' sandbox, pea gravel, and maybe some peat moss for bad measure). I left it in the same pot for 5 years, never fed it, and drowned the roots in a bucket of water every August for days at a time, and it's bloomed every year.
This year, I repotted it because I wanted to change the planting angle (it's not a great bonsai, never will be). I didn't prune any roots off it, and packed it back into terrible soil, mostly recycled what it was already in, along with some turface fines and peat moss.
I think they thrive on contempt! It's just a matter of finding a place to hide it during the 11 months it's not blooming.
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hi paul,
i really like the root spread, trunk movement and i'm kinda impartial to white flowers.
especially on wisteria. eric
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
"I think they thrive on contempt! It's just a matter of finding a place to hide it during the 11 months it's not blooming."
They do thrive on benign neglect and flowering greatly depends not only on age, but on how hard you prune it. Hard pruning in mid-Feb before the plant exits dormancy --back to the previous year's growth or harder, can stimulate flower budding tremendously...
They are a huge pain in the behind once they finish blooming however and lose their charm--they throw runners, shoots, vines and roots in all directions from late May to late September and will overgrow anything within six feet of them--don't leave a potted one on the ground for more than a week in the spring and summer---it can, and probably will, root through the pot and into the ground...
They do thrive on benign neglect and flowering greatly depends not only on age, but on how hard you prune it. Hard pruning in mid-Feb before the plant exits dormancy --back to the previous year's growth or harder, can stimulate flower budding tremendously...
They are a huge pain in the behind once they finish blooming however and lose their charm--they throw runners, shoots, vines and roots in all directions from late May to late September and will overgrow anything within six feet of them--don't leave a potted one on the ground for more than a week in the spring and summer---it can, and probably will, root through the pot and into the ground...
pjkatich
Chumono
Brian,
Very rarely will I do any root pruning on my wisteria. Maybe every 5 or 6 years, if that.
And yes, they seem to prefer a soil mix that would be the death of any other type of bonsai. As far as soil is concerned, I treat mine much in the same manner as you described. I will incorporate some fresh compost when I do re-pot.
Thanks for your input.
Regards,
Paul
pjkatich
Chumono
hi paul,
i really like the root spread, trunk movement and i'm kinda impartial to white flowers.
eric
Thanks Eric, I appreciate the feedback.
Paul
pjkatich
Chumono
rock,
I would not agree with this approach myself. In my experience this type of hard pruning does not produce dependable results and leads to some of the problems you talk about below.
I have found that dependable flower production is more a by-product of how the racemes are removed after they have flowered rather than how hard you prune the plant back. This approach also seems to satisfy the plants need to send out the runners and tendrils in all directions.
Nevertheless, I do agree with your advice to not leave a potted wisteria sitting on the ground for too long. As you said, they will root through the pot into the ground.
Regards,
Paul
Si Nguyen
Omono
Fabulous wisterias everybody! Thanks for sharing. Made my day. I wished mine would bloom like that.
Si
Si
donkey
Mame
I showed these pictures to my oldest daughter ( who is starting to show interest in bonsai) and she wanted to post a comment over to you Tabby.
I think the picture of the tree with you in it is the most beutifull bonsai i have ever seen and it's amazing
I think the picture of the tree with you in it is the most beutifull bonsai i have ever seen and it's amazing
pjkatich
Chumono
Si,
Your welcome.
I'm glad you enjoyed the photos.
If your wisteria has bloomed at least once, you should be able to get them to flower like these. How do you prune them after they flower?
Regards,
Paul
pjkatich
Chumono
Tabby,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on my wisteria.
I appreciate your kind words and am glad to hear that you have a budding interest in growing bonsai.
Hopefully, as your interest grows, you will share a few photos with us.
Cheers,
Paul
