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Old Wisteria - always flowers with many buds but flowers fall off the stems as the buds extend out
buysilver1R9b_DLZ
Posts: 2
I have a long established wisteria, 30 years plus, that I have trained along the face of the house and along the railing, I have looked after it and pruned it back religiously twice a year to promote flowering and every year it buds like crazy - we have had some of the most beautiful blooms, I will attach photos, followed by incredible leaf growth, which makes for a very healthy wisteria overall. I generally leave it alone as far as watering and fertilising are concerned since it appears to flourish by itself - it comes out from a small bed and roots down under the pavement and the road at the front of the house.
For the last few years, as the the spring bloom has occurred, the buds have grown large and bulbous, but as the the stem of the bud grows out of the bud with all the flowers along it, so many of the little flowers are just dropping off before they open fully, either the wind blows them off or a sudden downpour will knock them off and leave a massacre on the floor, and long empty stems on the plant. It flowers again in the summer, often twice, and although there are fewer buds, the flowers are much stronger and don't drop. Initially I thought it might be an early frost that was causing this, but it seems that a frost will wither the bud in it's entirety, rather than the tiny flowers breaking off as the bud extends out. I also thought it may be overwhelmed with simply too many buds, so I have taken to pruning it back in winter pruning very aggressively, down to sometimes less than 2 buds on a stem in the hope that less is more, but alas that didn't work either. I have read that it may be a lack of a specific nutrient, either magnesium of phospherous, certainly not nitrogen since it grows like mad, but this is way beyond my expertise and understanding of horticulture.
Any help would be appreciated since it has become terribly sad to watch as the potential for a gorgeous bloom slowly evaporates as the buds begin to show.
Here is a previous spring bloom before the problem.
Here is how it explodes and takes over in the summer:
This is after a good pruning to get it back into shape
...and this is the problem I have had for the last few years with the spring flowering
For the last few years, as the the spring bloom has occurred, the buds have grown large and bulbous, but as the the stem of the bud grows out of the bud with all the flowers along it, so many of the little flowers are just dropping off before they open fully, either the wind blows them off or a sudden downpour will knock them off and leave a massacre on the floor, and long empty stems on the plant. It flowers again in the summer, often twice, and although there are fewer buds, the flowers are much stronger and don't drop. Initially I thought it might be an early frost that was causing this, but it seems that a frost will wither the bud in it's entirety, rather than the tiny flowers breaking off as the bud extends out. I also thought it may be overwhelmed with simply too many buds, so I have taken to pruning it back in winter pruning very aggressively, down to sometimes less than 2 buds on a stem in the hope that less is more, but alas that didn't work either. I have read that it may be a lack of a specific nutrient, either magnesium of phospherous, certainly not nitrogen since it grows like mad, but this is way beyond my expertise and understanding of horticulture.
Any help would be appreciated since it has become terribly sad to watch as the potential for a gorgeous bloom slowly evaporates as the buds begin to show.
Here is a previous spring bloom before the problem.
Here is how it explodes and takes over in the summer:
This is after a good pruning to get it back into shape
...and this is the problem I have had for the last few years with the spring flowering
0
Posts
As it may be nutrition deficiency I'd suggest a good watering with Epsom salts to fix any magnesium deficiency. You'll need 15ml of salts to 5 litres of water and I'd give it at least 15 to 20 litres for a plant that size, poured slowly so it can sink in deep. If necessary, loosen the soil a bit first with a hand fork.
A week later, give it another big drink laced with rose or tomato feed as that will have high P and K levels to help with flowers.
As it's happened more than once I don't expect it's due to last summer's heat and drought but I would give it a generous drink or three if you get more hot and dry spells this coming summer.