How to Grow and Prune Wisteria?

Growing Wisteria

• 1

  Select an area to plant your wisteria in which the root area can receive mostly shade during the day while the foliage and blossoms receive mostly sun. An ideal location is generally against a house with a decorative railing; overhangs cast shadows over the root while the flowering vine can climb the railing and reach the sun. Alternately, consider installing a long arbor beneath a large, sheltering tree where your vine can grow laterally.

• 2

  Perform an at-home soil test on the ground where you plan to plant your wisteria. The soil should be slightly acidic and have a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Condition your soil with additives as necessary to bring the pH to the correct level.

• 3

  Choose an established wisteria plant at a nursery or gardening center. Look for a plant with healthy, blemish-free foliage, a strong vine and few thin, stringy dark growths hanging from it. If you are unsure, a knowledgeable nursery associate should be able to point out strong candidates for you.

• 4

  Dig a hole as deep as the wisteria is currently potted. Gently remove the wisteria from its pot and loosen the root ball a bit with your fingertips. Place the wisteria in the hole and cover the roots with the removed soil, patting it down a bit around the base of the plant.

• 5

  Water the wisteria until the top inch of soil is quite damp. Water the wisteria this much each week during the first year except during rainy periods. After the first year, water the wisteria only during dry periods when the foliage begins to wilt.

• 6

  Apply a phosphorous-heavy fertilizer to the soil around the wisteria once a year until the vine covers the entire provided support system. Avoid using a fertilizer with a lot of nitrogen, as your vine will leaf rapidly but will bloom skimpily or not at all. Only fertilize mature plants that cover the support system if they present poor blossoms, vines or foliage.

Pruning Wisteria

• 7

  Prune the wisteria once a year for the first three years, removing 85 to 90 percent of the plant each time. Remove long, thin and stringy growths with pruning clippers. Cut out dead vines or shoots at the first healthy growth point.

• 8

  Prune established wisterias more often. In warm weather, this may be as often as every month. Remove all wild runners and about three-quarters of the sculpted runners down to the trunk and cut back the remaining runners so that each contains only five or six healthy buds.

• 9

  Do not over-prune your wisteria. Unlike trees, lateral cross vines are not a problem. If you are unsure what you are cutting, wait until winter when the vine is bare and easier to see clearly.