Wisteria

Wisteria is differently called wisteria, and it looks like a beautiful liana, effectively decorating the dacha. This plant belongs to the legume family, and the name was given thanks to Caspar Vistor (a professor from America). Wisteria is a subtropical plant that is widespread in North America, East Asia, the Caucasus and the Crimea. With proper care, the wisteria can grow anywhere.

Wisteria at home: features of growing

This woody deciduous liana has about 9 species, among which the most common are Chinese and pysto-flowering wisteria. Wisteria blooms with beautiful flowers, painted in various shades - from white to pale lilac, forming spectacular long tassels.

Gardeners especially appreciate the vine for its decorative, bright and long flowering and delicate leaves. Wisteria can be planted near the wall, fence, gazebos, terraces and other buildings that need green decoration. Adult lianas can reach about 20 m in height, and 8 m in width. If you provide wisteria with the necessary care, it will start blooming in May and continue the whole summer.

Since the lianas are home to subtropics, it prefers a warm climate and good lighting. Most of wisteria propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. If you decide to grow wisteria with layering, you need to take spring or summer. Layers should be strong and healthy, they are installed in a pre-prepared place, fixed with supports, buried and poured. At this your work is over and you just have to wait for rooting, after which the processes are cut off from the mother plant.

The next cultivation is grafting. Annual shoots are selected for it, the length of which reaches about 30 cm. The shoots are rooted in flower containers using a suitable substrate consisting of sand, sod, peat and humus (1: 3: 1: 1). In late August, rooted cuttings are transplanted to an open area.

Growing wisteria with seeds is quite difficult. The seeds can be planted in a greenhouse or on seedlings (late autumn), as well as in the spring directly to the open area. The soil for the seeds is chosen sufficiently loose, consisting of sand, sod and leaf earth (1: 1: 4). For good germination, wisteria seeds need good moisture, so seedlings growing in pots are covered with glass or polyethylene and stored in a dark place where the temperature does not fall below 20 degrees. It is important not to forget about regular watering of seedlings. The first shoots should appear a month later, after which the pot with the sprouts is placed in a room with diffused light. After the appearance of the first leaves, sprouts are seated in separate containers along with the ground, which remained on the roots and watered with a not strong solution of potassium permanganate. In the open ground planted young plant wisteria.

Wisteria: landing and care

• When planting wisteria you need to follow some rules. The first and basic rule is a fairly lit place. In addition, wisteria needs protection from the cold wind and fertile light soil. During growth, vines will need support, on which it will trail. During the growing season, provide wisteria with moderate watering, and when the buds begin to form, you need to water the plant every week. Ensure that the substrate is constantly moist but not wet. Arid spring watering increase, otherwise the flower buds will begin to crumble. Around the beginning of autumn, watering is gradually reduced. It is also necessary during the growing season to make in the soil mineral and organic fertilizers, alternating them - so the flowering will be abundant and lush.
• Some gardeners recommend watering wisteria with chalk (150 g of chalk per 50 liters of water). When the flowers begin to wither, remove the flowering inflorescences. In addition, it is recommended to remove dry twigs and leaves, and that the shoots grow in the right direction and form a beautiful shape, they are tied up and guided.
• During the transplantation of wisteria seedlings, the soil is pre-fed with mineral fertilizers. From wisteria, one can expect spectacular and abundant flowering only when direct sunlight falls on the plant. In spite of the fact that most varieties of wisteria are cold-resistant, in autumn, the plants need to be prepared for winter. First, pile up rosettes, then it is recommended to remove wisteria from possible supports and cover it with straw, nonwoven material or dry leaves. Be prepared that for the first few years the wisteria will not bloom, as it grows for quite a long time. Beautiful and bright colors of the wisteria can be admired only in 5-10 years.
• To stimulate flowering and plant formation, wisteria needs pruning. For this, at the end of August, all seasonal increments are cut, leaving around 35 cm. In winter, shoots should be cut, leaving sprouts no more than 5 cm so that new flowers appear at the base and delight you every summer.
• Do not forget that sometimes wisteria can affect pests and diseases. The most common among them are clover mites and aphids. These parasites can be controlled by insecticides and acaricides. In the case when the vine is grown in alkaline soil, its leaves may begin to turn yellow (chlorosis). Chlorosis can be controlled with fertilizers, feeding wisteria with iron salts.
• If the climate in your area is not suitable for growing wisteria in the garden, do not be discouraged. In this case, you can easily plant the plant in flowerpots, and with the onset of frost, transfer the vine to a warm room with a temperature regime not lower than 10 degrees. Watering in the winter is reduced. In springtime, you need to trim the side sprouts, creating a beautiful crown. When it gets warmer, wisteria can be brought out into the open air again and frequent watering can be resumed.

Wisteria: photo

Wisteria is a beautiful bright vine, whose subtropics are native. It is considered a magnificent decoration of the garden, and during flowering it turns the corner in which it grows into a real work of art. If the climate is not suitable for growing or you do not have a summer cottage, wisteria can be grown on the balcony, admiring it every summer.