Why wisteria not flowering

By Anna Cottrell TZ. Is your wisteria not flowering? A wisteria plant that has failed to produce its characteristic plump, highly scented blossoms is a huge disappointment to any gardener who has spent years learning how to grow wisteria. In fact, because wisteria doesn't look like much without the flowers, the sight of bare branches in spring can cause gardeners to panic. However, it's much better to identify the reasons why your wisteria isn't flowering — the problem is often easy to remedy.

Pruning wisteria is essential if you want it flower. Sue said: 'Unlike many plants, wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year — once in late winter February to prepare the flowering spurs for the coming season, and again in mid-summer July to August.

Summer pruning controls those long, whippy shoots that are heading off into the distance, and encourages them to become flowering spurs instead. Remember: wisteria won't blossom on old wood, so you need to encourage those new shoots to develop.

Plant grafting ensures that the sapling you bought from the local nursery or garden center will produce the desired blooms. Sue explains that 'wisterias grown from seed can take up to 20 years to flower. Wisteria pruned incorrectly can cause them not to flower, and it is important to know when to prune. Wisteria grow well if not pruned yearly but if pruned every year, twice a year, this will encourage more flowers and better plants.

Prune twice a year , once a couple of months after flowering has finished when new growth is shortened to about leaves. This helps control the growth and help promote more flower buds rather than new growth. Prune again for a second time in mid-winter around January — February to shorten the same growth again.

Prune back to 3 buds, this is done as the flowers are produced on new growth so if you cut in spring you will be cutting the flower buds off and there fore reducing the amount of flowers produced. Welcome to my site, my name is John and I have been lucky enough to work in horticultural nurseries for over 15 years in the UK.

I now work full time on this website where I review the very best gardening products and tools and write reliable gardening guides. Behind this site is an actual real person who has worked and has experience with the types of products we review as well as years of knowledge on the topics we cover from actual experience. You can reach out to me at john pyracantha. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Graft failure on wisteria. This young plant failed - the union between roots and the grafted cultivar has broken down. Shoots Question: After many years of healthy growth, the shoots of my wisteria are suddenly wilting and dying. What has gone wrong? There are a number of possible causes for this symptom. Wisteria can suffer from root diseases such as honey fungus and Phytophthora root rot.

Waterlogging can also cause root decay, in both soil- and container-grown plants Roots of container plants in particular can suffer damage from vine weevil grubs. Wisteria also appears prone to graft failure , sometimes after many years of satisfactory growth. When this happens the graft union usually close to soil level often decays, although this is a secondary symptom. If the dead branches have numerous pinhead-sized, raised, coral-pink pustules on the surface then coral spot is involved.

However, this disease often attacks plants already weakened or dying back due to other problems. Finally, a severe attack by wisteria scale see below can weaken the plant enough to cause some dieback.

Question: The bark of my plant has numerous brown, limpet-like structures on it. What are they? Leaves Question: What is causing the brown blotches on the leaves of my plant? There are a number of possibilities here. If your plant has been grown from seed, it can take up to twenty years to flower, and even then the results may be disappointing!

A named cultivar should be more successful, particularly if it is already flowering when it is bought. However, do not be alarmed if such a plant is reluctant to flower in the first year or two after planting. This is perfectly normal and the plant will settle back into flowering once the roots are established. The flower buds on wisteria, like those of many spring-flowering plants, start to develop in late summer of the previous year.

Adverse conditions, particularly dry soil, occurring between July and September can cause the buds to abort. Ensure that your plant has an adequate supply of water during this critical period. Sharp spring frosts can cause flower buds to drop before opening, or result in distorted flowers. Other possible causes for poor flowering are too much shade, or inadequate levels of potassium.

On poor soils it may be worth applying sulphate of potash in spring at 20g per square metre.