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Wisteria buds drying up and falling off......?
alexemmersonuk
Posts: 171
Hi all - thanks for all your advice so far.
I am now unsure why my wisteria is doing this! (See pics below).
I bought it last year from a reputable garden centre. It wasn't flowering at the time (silly, I know that now!), but I was assured it was grafted and old enough to flower the very next spring.
It did not flower last year, and I just put it down to it being still a little young and was happy to wait one more summer and see what happened.
Then, this year, just a couple of weeks ago, it started to show signs of flowering and I was super happy to see little buds, but.... they never made it!!!
As you can see from the picture, they just dried up and died.
Has this happended to anyone else? Is it maybe normal on the first flowering?
I am now unsure why my wisteria is doing this! (See pics below).
I bought it last year from a reputable garden centre. It wasn't flowering at the time (silly, I know that now!), but I was assured it was grafted and old enough to flower the very next spring.
It did not flower last year, and I just put it down to it being still a little young and was happy to wait one more summer and see what happened.
Then, this year, just a couple of weeks ago, it started to show signs of flowering and I was super happy to see little buds, but.... they never made it!!!
As you can see from the picture, they just dried up and died.
Has this happended to anyone else? Is it maybe normal on the first flowering?
The wisteria is in a pot (I am renting) but it is a massive pot and is in full sun and well watered. The rest of the plant looks lush and very healthy.....
I still rate myself as a bit of a beginner gardener, so didnt realise I had to prune it until recently, but will be doing so going forward, but any tips would be appreciated.
I still rate myself as a bit of a beginner gardener, so didnt realise I had to prune it until recently, but will be doing so going forward, but any tips would be appreciated.
Growing a pink garden, one plant at a time....
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Their roots like to go deep to seek the nutrients and water they need. In a teeny pot they will be hungry and thirsty and will sacrifice flowers which require a great deal of resources to make and open.
Nutrients in commercial planting composts only last 80 to 90 days at best so give it a tonic with liquid rose or tomato feed from April to end of June/mid July when watering and a dollop of slow release blood, fish and bone or similar every spring.
Get the feeding and watering and root space right asap and it may reward you with some late flowers this year but you'll probably have to wait till next year.
The pot is not that small, it is not hiding behind the foliage, it's on the ground. The picture below will show it, I am hoping this size is OK?
I did feed it too with a tomato feed last week and will be doing that weekly (I think that's enough?)
And I'm currently watching videos to get a better idea of how to prune it in July...
That pots is still small and if you just repotted it then the roots will only just be venturing into the new soil. It's tough if they can't go in the ground or the size of pot has to be limited as they need so much more work. If you are able to give it a bigger pot then that will help but don't be to disheartened it hasn't flowered this year, you aren't alone.
As for pruning, it's fairly simple @alexemmersonuk . First of all you select the stems tu wish to leave to grow to create your framework and tie them in to a support untile they are mature enough (woody) to support themselves. Then, in July, you take all the other whippy stems that grow each year and count 7 leaf nodes from the main stem and prune back to just above the 7th.
Remember 7 nodes in the 7th month.
This leaves enough leaf to photosynthesise and feed the plant and maybe even flower again in a good year.
Then, in February - assuming it isn't freezing or about to freeze - cut those same stems back to 2 nodes. Remember 2 nodes in the 2nd month. This concentrates energy for flowering.
As yours is in a pot it will need regular watering and also feeding as described above.
These pruning rules are important while you are bringing on your wisteria and if you end up growing it up a house wall and training it round windows and doors. The two we inherited now have thick trunks and strong, woody, unsupported horizontals so now OH goes up a ladder in Feb and removes stems diving under the guttering and I prune away stems that will cover windows or ambush me when I walk past. After the first flush of flowers inApril/May I then tidy them up and continue pruning back whippy stems right into September.