How to Grow Wisteria Bonsai? Detailed Guide to Pot Cultivation Methods and Precautions
Wisteria is surely familiar to many people; we can often see it in daily life, and it is a plant with high ornamental value. Wisteria blooms in late spring each year, and its flowers are commonly purple and numerous, appearing in cascading clusters that look very beautiful. Nowadays many people like to grow it as a potted plant. However, there are also some points to pay attention to during cultivation.
How to Grow Wisteria Bonsai
1. Wisteria has a long main root, so the planting site needs deep soil. Wisteria tolerates poor soil, but fertile soil is more favorable for growth. Wisteria also has strong adaptability to soil pH.
2. Under normal circumstances, potted wisteria should have faded flowers cut off promptly to avoid nutrient consumption. Wisteria is a deciduous woody vine; during its dormant period, pruning can be combined with adjusting the branch layout to maintain a graceful shape. Wisteria has a long lifespan and is easy to manage roughly; as long as it gets sufficient sunlight and appropriate water and fertilizer, it can remain full of flowers and lush leaves year after year.
Potted Wisteria Cultivation Methods and Precautions
1. Cultivation Methods:
1. Watering. We will find that it actually consumes a lot of water, but even so, we cannot water it frequently. If the soil is only wet but never dries, it is not conducive to flowering. As for watering, do not water if the soil is not dry, and when watering, water thoroughly. Especially in August, watering should be appropriately reduced. By September, normal watering can be resumed.
2. Fertilizing. Light fertilizer applied frequently is the key to making wisteria bloom abundantly and grow lush leaves, so remember this. During the plant's growing period, watering can be combined with conditions, and for fertilizing we can apply a relatively low-concentration cake fertilizer once every half month until July——August, when fertilizing stops, and then continue fertilizing in September. However, both the frequency and concentration should be appropriately reduced. Before flowering, the frequency of applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be appropriately increased depending on the situation.
3. Pruning. When wisteria sprouts tender buds in spring, dense buds should be appropriately removed. When new branches grow to more than 20 cm, we can cut off the overlong part of the new branches. September is the period when old wisteria leaves tend to age and droop; because this affects the appearance, we can remove the old leaves to speed up the sprouting of new leaves. The newly sprouted leaves are relatively tender, which can effectively delay leaf drop and extend the ornamental period of the bonsai.
2. Precautions:
Wisteria does not need extra sunlight supplementation; normal sunlight is enough. In summer, when sunlight is abundant, it grows more vigorously. Of course, it can enjoy sunlight and also endure shade and cold; in winter, as long as the pot is placed by a window, the room temperature is above zero, and there is sunlight during the day, it can safely overwinter.
What to Do If Wisteria Leaves Turn Yellow and Drop
1. Too alkaline. Wisteria likes acidic soil; yellowing leaves and leaf drop are caused by soil that is too alkaline.
Treatment method: soak roadside green grass in water and use it directly for irrigation, and apply ferrous sulfate as a top dressing; the leaves will gradually turn green again. Or directly repot and replace the soil with acidic soil.
2. Unsuitable light. If potted wisteria is kept indoors, lacking sunlight, the leaves are very likely to turn yellow. Even if sunlight is sufficient, if the light is too strong and the period of high-temperature exposure is too long, the leaves will also turn yellow and drop.
Treatment method: under normal circumstances, wisteria does not need shading from the sun, but in the high temperatures of summer in the south, especially at noon when the light is strong, potted wisteria should be appropriately shaded.
Common Pests and Diseases of Wisteria and Their Control
1. Scale insects. The most important insect pest of wisteria is scale insects; they parasitize the leaf edges and live by sucking leaf sap, and in severe cases the whole plant will wither, turn yellow, and die. When infestation occurs, spray a 1000-times omethoate solution.
2. Snails. Snails often appear in the rainy seasons of spring and summer. There is no way to completely eradicate them, only to prevent them before they occur. Regularly scatter lime powder around the plant, once a month in the rainy season and once every 2~3 months in other seasons, and ensure good ventilation.
3. Whiteflies. When infestation occurs, small white insects appear on the leaves. Spraying streptomycin in the morning or after work can be used for control, spraying once every 4~5 days. When infestation occurs, 3000-times Supufengya can be sprayed to kill them.
4. Soft rot. When the disease occurs, the whole plant becomes soft and collapsing and gradually withers and dies. Control with a 1000-times carbendazim solution or 800-times thiophanate-methyl wettable powder.
The methods for growing potted wisteria are actually not difficult; the main thing is to control its light and temperature well. In the later stages of cultivation, timely fertilizer, water, and pruning are also needed. Only after doing this work well can wisteria grow more healthily and better.