Training new Wisteria on wires?

Discussion in 'Gardening Discussions' started by Mark L Cliff, May 8, 2021.

  1. Mark L Cliff

    Mark L Cliff Apprentice Gardener

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    I have a new wisteria. It's a stump with four stems. I have horizontal wires to fix it to. I've read that one should go vertical but which one? Do the other three go horizontally - on the wires?
    I've attached a photo, hopefully someone can tell me which is the main stem to go vertical. They all look the same to me? :-)
     

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  2. Perki

    Perki Total Gardener

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    I can see a wire with a branch on either side is already leaning on , they should be fine to tie to if you want it that low down.

    Tie the other two to the vertical wire until it reaches the next horizontal and tie in horizontally , if it can go further up the wires just tie them in vertically until it reaches the top horizontal wire. I hope that makes sense .
     
  3. Mark L Cliff

    Mark L Cliff Apprentice Gardener

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    Thanks for the quick reply. So any stem can be used as the 'main' vertical stem? Then just take the budding side branches along the horizontal wires. Wont the other stems produce side branches too, which i guess i just prune off as the appear..
     
  4. Perki

    Perki Total Gardener

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    I don't think it really matters with wisteria its not like training a leader for a espaliar apple tree but similar shape if that what shape you want. The two leaders will intertwine around each other making a leader . Which other stems are you referring to ? The flowers will be produced on the horizontal side shoots the long whippy stems ( or the end of a horizontal / vertical ) . Prune these back to 7-6 leaf buds in July / August and prune the same stems again back to 2 buds in winter December -Feb . Any unwanted shoots can be pruned out as you wish.
     
  5. Mark L Cliff

    Mark L Cliff Apprentice Gardener

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    Ok ill let two twine together and take those vertically. The other two I will tie to the lower horizontal wires.
    Thanks for pruning advice, july/August and then February. It's on an West facing wall so sun for half a day ( during summer). Hopefully that will be enough.
     
  6. Graham B

    Graham B Gardener

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    Wisteria will grow equally on any shoot.

    Don't forget when you're tying shoots to the horizontal wires that they want to twine clockwise. Also it's not worth tying horizontal shoots within at least a foot of the end, because they keep growing and they won't stay there.
     
  7. Mark L Cliff

    Mark L Cliff Apprentice Gardener

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    Thanks for the replies, looking forward to seeing what happens over the next few months.
     
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