What causes a Wisteria vine to not bloom???

Yes, it's true, wisteria are notoriously slow to flower. And, hopefully you have yours planted in full sun to encourage maximum flowering. I have also found that too much nutrients in the soil will also prevent wisteria from blooming - you heard of the saying "too much of a good thing!" Plants bloom to create offspring (seeds) and if they are in incredibly healthy soil they think, why bother it's so great here I will just put all my energy into growing big! So if you have been feeding it too much - stop now. And, also prune back hard to two or three main vines and cut all side shoots to five buds - twice a year at the end of August and February. Hopefully the less nutrient rich soil and the hard pruning will convince the wisteria that harder times have arrived and it might be a great idea to flower and create some offspring.



Cheers,



Petra M, Vancouver

What causes a Wisteria vine to not bloom???
having someone like you trying to take care of it..let it die..
Reply:1. an immature plant

2. you've pruned off the new blossoms

3. starving for nutrients (use a water soluble fertilizer with the 2nd number over 45)
Reply:The answer to that is usually: It was planted in a spot that is too shady; it was not pruned twice per year; or it was propagated by cutting from a non-flowering parent. Modern wisterias should be grafted. Walls facing south or west are the best areas for planting wisteria. They need lots of light and sun. The soil must be rich; if it is not, you should amend it with well-rotted compost. Finally, pruning is important. Tie in all the stems you need to extend the plant where you want it, and snip off the rest of the stems to about finger length. Cut right above a bud. You do this around January time. Six months later, about July, you should prune it back about one foot. Then, the following January, you take it back to finger length again.



Feed your wisteria once or twice per year with a high potash food. You can use rose fertiliser; it is rich in potash. You could feed once in February; and then again in June. It really depends upon where you live and how fast your plants start to come into active growth after winter dormancy. It also depends uponw which type of wisteria you have: wisteria floribunda or w. sinensis. It is late spring for Chinese wisteria (w. sinensis), or early summer for the floribunda.



If your wisteria still does not produce much, I would think about replacing it. It probably has not been grafted. You could get one that is, and you check this by seeing if there is join somewhere along the main stem. It looks like a knobbly joint a few inches above the surface of the soil. Grafted ones have proven their flowering and will continue to do so with the right care.
Reply:I don`t know how long you have had your wisteria..but I understand it takes 5 yrs. to flower.

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