Does Sunlight Have to Be on the Wisteria Root or the Vine for Blooms?

Wisteria Light Requirements

• Wisteria is a member of the pea family, and like its pea relatives, wisteria is a full sun plant. This means that in order to function and complete all of its life processes, wisteria needs at least four hours of direct sunlight each day. This provides enough sunlight for the plant to survive. The ideal amount of sunlight for wisteria, however, is six to eight hours daily. A six- to eight-hour length of sun exposure stimulates the plant to produce ample flowers.

Photosynthesis

• Photosynthesis is a life process all plants must complete. During the process of photosynthesis, a plant uses sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil to create food and energy to sustain its life. The leaves on the vines of a wisteria plant take in sunlight and use it for photosynthesis, creating more foliage and blooms with the energy produced. Without proper sun exposure to the leaves on the vines of the wisteria plant, photosynthesis is impossible and blooms will not be produced. Therefore, sun exposure to the vine of wisteria is imperative to flower growth.

Light on Roots

• Wisteria plant roots, like all plant roots, are designed to pull in moisture and nutrients from the soil around them. Among those nutrients are vitamins, minerals and oxygen. Those are the only things required by wisteria plant roots to produce blooms. Sun exposure to the roots of wisteria plants has no bearing whatsoever on overall flower production. Sun exposure to wisteria's roots may actually damage the plant rather than help it. The plant can survive sun exposure to the roots as long as they stay properly hydrated and moisturized.

Considerations

• Sun exposure to leaves on the vine is important to overall wisteria plant growth, and is more effective than sun exposure to wisteria plant roots for flower growth. However, sunlight is not the only important ingredient for wisteria flower production. Time is important to the wisteria flowering process, as the plant must fully mature for up to six years before it begins producing flowers. Proper fertilization is also key to achieving loads of wisteria blooms. Be sure to provide the plant with enough of the nutrient phosphorus, which helps the plant stay strong and build healthy plant cells to produce plentiful flowers.