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for_my_kids

how to root wisteria from a cutting

for_my_kids
12 years ago

I have been trying to find white or pink wisteria (mainly white) cuttings, but if i do find some i need to know how to make it root. any help?

Comments (3)

  • bejoy2
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's a link for a good how-to for rooting wisteria cuttings.
    http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/flower/propagating-wisteria-cuttings.htm

    Before you start growing wisteria, be sure you aren't biting off more than you can chew. Know what kind of wisteria it is, and what its growth habit is. Here are a few things you should know (if you don't already):

    Wisteria layers quite easily, so if you can find a piece of the vine that has touched the ground, you may be you may be able to dig it up, roots and all. If you're not in a hurry, you can layer a part of a low-hanging vine yourself. Put a pot of soil under the vine, place the vine in the soil, cover the vine with soil, and put a rock on it to keep it weighed down. Check in a couple of months.

    It can take several years for a cutting to bloom. From seed, the vines remain in a juevenile stage for 10-15 years before they are old enough to bloom. Plants grown from cuttings can shave several years off of that timeline, and a layered piece of vine can give you an even bigger head start.

    Wisteria vines can get quite large, and live a long time. One vine in Japan has been dated back to the 1870s, and covers more than half-an-acre. They require very strong supports, and can collapse a simple wood arbor under their weight. In some states, wisteria is considered invasive or noxious.

    Wisteria has to be slightly root-bound for best bloom performance. If yours doesn't bloom after a few years, try root-pruning it. They don't like to be overwatered, and actually prefer soil that is nutrient-poor.

    The 2 most popular kinds of wisteria are Japanese and Chinese. The Japanese wisteria, Wisteria floribunda, is the more fragrant, but of the two, has smaller flower clusters (even though the name, floribunda, would suggest otherwise). The Chinese wisteria , Wisteria sinensis, has larger flower clusters, and sometimes blooms before the vine (actually a liana) fully leafs out, but is not known for its fragrance. The flowers can get frost-nip in areas of the country where winter lingers. Interestingly, the vines of each species wind in different directions. The Chinese wisteria twines Counterclockwise (remember 'C' for Chinese, 'C' for Counterclockwise), and the Japanese wisteria grows clockwise (remember by making a 'J' in the air with your finger, and the hook heads clockwise).

    Here is a link to a fact sheet about how to grow wisteria
    http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1246.html

    Do your research before taking on the commitment of wisteria. It can get out of hand quickly. In Olympia, WA, there is a wisteria that has escaped cultivation. It has taken over a clump of Douglas-fir trees, nearly reaching the top - a height of about 100 feet. Wisteria can cover a barn. If you plant it under your eaves, it can rip your roof off. The goal with Asian wisteria is to 'control' them - a lifelong commitment. I suggest that you look for cultivars derived from our native American wisteria that are smaller (though non-fragrant) and easier to maintain, such as 'Amythest Falls'.

  • Jenni Stevens
    8 years ago

    We inherited a big wisteria, when we bought our house. It is wrapped half way around our deck, and gives us lots of privacy. It blooms bigger and better every year with out fail. I absolutely love it, but yes it need a big pruning every week. If I miss one, like I do at the end of summer, when I am getting lazy, it already makes it to the patio table and starts wrapping the legs Lol. Yes they are a ton of work, but well worth it if you love them. :)

  • Terry Watts
    7 years ago

    WISTERIA TREES !! I have never rooted a cutting but sounds cool ! I always wait till the seed pods start opening, they will look a dry, dreadful brown, I pop them open (or pick those up that have already opened and fallen to the ground) and put the seed in a small (6 inches or less) flower pot, cover them with soil,not to deep so the vine can come up. and water till soil is wet, I only put one seed to a pot, re water when getting dry. I then let the vine grow and keep it propped up with a small stick or something on all sides. After it reaches about a foot or more, I then plant it in the yard in spring, early summer keeping it propped up on all sides all the time so it will grow into a tree. I always have to keep the shooter vines from running lol. I now have beautiful fragrant trees that bloom a wonderful lilac color early spring. I live on the coast in Panama City, FL.

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