Topic: Wisteria

[telboy]

gone mad this year.
The flowering period this season was not a joy, as May was such a dismal weather month.
However, the 'whips' have needed pruning constantly & is a ladder job. I am just about to do it for the fifth time. The plant is well established & so am I.
Is this unusual?
 

[shirlton]

I don't really know much about wisteria but I do know that if I prune the runners off my montana clematis too early then they grow loads more

[beejay]

I think it's a case of encouraging the shoots to grow more by pruning them at  an early stage. I try to leave mine until late summer to cut back. The problem is that if the plant is in a position where the shoots can cause a problem then you have to cut them back as & when & live with the consequences!

[saddad]

When the tree has matured it often puts out less new whippy growth, unfortunately this can take decades!
 ;D

[Kepouros]

By pruning them frequently you are actually encouraging new strong growth.  You should leave all the long whippy shoots alone until about now(or the next week or two), and then prune them back to about 5 buds.  Prune them again back to one or two buds in January and get the flowers.

If there are any long shoots near ground level, instead of pruning them try pegging them down for layerings - it can take a couple of years for them to root but it does work in the end.

[telboy]

Thanks all.
I'll try to leave them longer next year.