How To Grow Japanese Wisteria Bonsai From Seed

Many gardeners are eager to care for their tree from its earliest beginnings, even though it can be simpler (and quicker!) to take over the upkeep of an established, mature bonsai. It’s not difficult to grow wisteria bonsai from seeds; all you need to know is how to create the right conditions and a lot of patience.

When cultivated from seeds, bonsai can take anywhere between 10 and 15 years to mature. That indicates that it will take a long time before you are blessed with their lovely blooms. But we assure you that the wait will be worthwhile if you’re patient!

Here are some frequently asked questions for newbies and further information on how to germinate wisteria seeds.

In the mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, Chinese and Japanese wisteria are regarded as invasive plants. Take extra precautions to keep your seeds contained if you’re growing in these areas or you run the danger of hurting the local fauna and plants.

How to Germinate Wisteria Seeds

It takes more than just throwing some seeds in a pot to grow a wisteria bonsai from a seed. The seeds must first be encouraged to germinate or to send out roots. You can determine which seeds are viable by doing this and giving them a small start-up boost.

First, gather the seeds from a wisteria plant that is in blossom. If the wisteria seeds are ready to be harvested, shake the pod to check. You’re fine to go if it starts to rattle.
Step 2: Not all seeds that have been picked will grow. Place the seeds in a jar of water to test their viability; those that float are likely to sprout.
Step 3: Weakening the seed’s exterior can aid in the embryo’s germination when spreading dried seeds. Before planting, think about softly thinning the shell with a file or sharp blade.
Step 4: Add moist, soilless seedling mixture to a sizable, shallow pot or multiple individual seedling containers (containers must have drainage holes).
Step 5: Spread a thin layer of dirt over the soil, top with the seeds, and water thoroughly. Place in a bright, comfortable area.
Step 6: Particularly in their early stages, wisteria plants prefer a damp environment. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged by checking the moisture levels every day.
Step 7: After the wisteria seedlings emerge from the ground, you can transplant them into a shallow container with good drainage to start the bonsai process.

FAQ 1: How do you look after bonsai seedlings?

Before you attain the “bonsai impression,” you still have a lot of work to do after transplanting your seedling to a shallow pot. In order for the delicate wisteria roots to develop as strongly as possible, you must first maintain the soil properly.

The bottom of the pot should have a layer of coarse substrate or coco peat to help with water retention while yet allowing for appropriate airflow. Add regular bonsai potting soil to the remaining space in the pot and cover this layer. Give your bonsai seedling plenty of sunlight after you’ve placed it in this mixture to encourage photosynthesis and fuel new development.

FAQ 2: How often do you water bonsai seedlings?

During their development phases, wisteria bonsai seedlings require a lot of water and prefer to be permanently damp. Water at least once daily, and daily moisture levels should be checked. Your goal is to prevent the soil from drying out and to maintain it moist but not soggy.

You can submerge the bonsai seedling’s container in a shallow tray of water so that it can control its own moisture uptake.

Study more: See our manual What to look for before taking a bath is described in How to Know When to Water Your Bonsai.

FAQ 3: When should I repot my bonsai seedlings?

Late winter, when the plants are fully dormant, is the ideal time to transfer bonsai seedlings. By doing this, the repotting process’ shock and stress are lessened. Because they grow quickly and vigorously, wisteria plants may usually be replanted after just one growing season. You’ll need to repot them once every two years as so as they develop into juvenile trees to provide room for new growth.

How much time does wisteria require to grow from a seed?

Although wisteria plants grow pretty quickly, if you want to produce one from seed, you should be aware that they can take fifteen or more years to bloom when started from seed, and the offspring don’t always resemble the parent plant.

However, starting wisteria from seed can be enjoyable and might result in a magnificent vine that will eventually bear flowers. It is recommended to grow wisteria plants from cuttings if you want a blooming plant soon.

Can you create a bonsai of wisteria?

It is frequently used to cover facades or pergolas in gardens. Numerous cultivars come in a variety of flower colors, including white, pink, and dark purple. The two most popular wisteria species for bonsai are the Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda), which has the longest flower clusters, and the Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), which grows in China. When the long, velvety seed pods get ripe, they can literally erupt and catapult their seeds out. Both seed pods and seed are toxic.

Because the lengthy flower clusters require considerable height to hang from, the majority of wisteria bonsai are medium or big in size. Wisterias make excellent bonsai plants, but their distinctive characteristic is their blossoms. After flowering, the wisteria hides its trunk and branches behind sprawling leaves and encroaching tendrils before moving back to the second row of the bonsai garden. Check out our Bonsai tree identification guide if you need assistance recognizing your tree.

How long does it take a bonsai to develop from a seed?

Growing Bonsai from tree seeds is referred to as “Misho” in Japanese. Although it does require a lot of patience, it can be a very rewarding technique that allows you to develop a plant like a Bonsai tree from the very beginning. Although it takes at least three years for seedlings to get big enough to begin shaping, this is advantageous because it gives you complete control over your Bonsai tree right away. The only authentic method for growing a bonsai from the ground up is with misho!

Can wisteria be grown indoors?

The wisteria, or Wisteria sinensis, is distinguished by its gorgeous, long-stemmed violet, blue, or white blossoms. The U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 8 are ideal for growing this pea family vine. Keep a fresh wisteria plant you’ve produced or bought indoors until spring, when you can put it outside, if it’s still too chilly outside to do so. Wisteria plants are renowned for being a robust, quickly-growing plant that thrives readily in the correct conditions, making caring for them indoors rather simple.

Mix peat moss with potting soil that won’t dry out quickly in a planter. Create a hole in the middle, then insert the plant. Around the plant’s base, compact the soil firmly before covering it with wood chips to retain moisture.

Put the plant in a location that gets plenty of direct sunshine within your house. Wisterias thrive in areas with some humidity, so make sure the area where you put the plant isn’t too dry. Keep the pot away from furnaces, heating vents, and other extremely dry areas of your house.

The wisteria plant should be placed on a stool or another high surface so that the vines can grow down the pot’s side. If you intend to replant the wisteria vine outside, it is recommended to grow the vine straight down even though it grows best on trellises or wire frames.

Pruning the wisteria vine will prevent it from becoming too big to be moved easily outside. Wisteria vines expand quickly, but trimming them will keep them under control. When new shoots begin to dangle too far over the side of the container, prune them back with pruning shears.

When should wisteria seeds be sown?

Wisterias thrive in full light, fertile soil, and both. Of the 10 species, three are grown the most frequently: Wisteria brachybotrys, Wisteria sinensis, and Wisteria floribunda, which are native to China, Japan, and the eastern United States (silky wisteria). All three species have significant growth rates and can extend out to a maximum of 20 meters (66 feet) against a wall or around 10 meters (33 feet) in trees. Wisteria can also be trained to grow as a free-standing standard in a big container or border.

Wisterias for pergolas and arches

The Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) is best exhibited hanging down from a garden structure like a pergola or arch since it has the longest flower sprays (or racemes) of all the species. They entwine in a clockwise motion while simultaneously bearing blooms and leaves. Lilac blue blooms and racemes as long as 1.2 meters (4 feet) are produced by Wisteria floribunda f. multijuga AGM in the early summer.

Wisterias for walls

Wisteria sinensis, often known as Chinese wisteria, blooms in the springtime before the leaves do. For example, Wisteria sinensis ‘Amethyst’ AGM has violet blue blooms with a reddish flush produced in dense racemes to 30cm (1ft) long in late spring or early summer. They twine anticlockwise and the racemes are shorter so they are best presented against a wall.

Silky wisteria (Wisteria brachybotrys), which can be grown against walls or on pergolas, with downy leaves and small racemes of 10-15cm (4-6in). White flowers with center yellow markings, a strong perfume, and 10-15 cm tall sprays of wisteria brachybotrys f. albiflora ‘Shiro-kapitan’ AGM bloom in the spring and early summer.

If you want to cultivate a wisteria in a big container

It is best to choose Wisteria fructens ‘Amethyst Falls’ because of its compact habit and rich clusters of lilac-blue blooms.

Always choose a wisteria that has been developed from cuttings or by grafting when purchasing one because seed-raised wisterias flower less consistently and take longer to bloom. The graft union should be seen as a swelling close to the stem’s base. Unlike species, named cultivars are virtually always grafted. Purchase your wisteria in flower or go with a specific cultivar to avoid disappointment.

Wisterias are offered for sale as container-grown plants at garden centers and online, and you can use the RHS Find a Plant tool to locate particular cultivars.

Wisteria should ideally be planted between October and April. Wisterias grown in containers can be planted at any time of the year, but fall and winter are the easiest times to maintain. Give them healthy, well-drained soil to plant in.

Wisterias bloom best in full sun, so pick a wall or pergola that faces south or west. Although blossoming will be diminished, they will still grow in light shade.

Wisterias are robust climbers that can grow to a height and width of more than 10 meters (33 feet). You’ll need to give support in the form of wires, trellises, or outside buildings like pergolas or arches against a wall. Wisteria can also be grown up a support or taught up a tree to create a standard. A wisteria can be grown in a border or container by being trained into a standard, which reduces its vigor.

If you want to grow your wisteria in a container, you’ll need a sizable one that is at least 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and is filled with potting soil with a loam basis, like John Innes No. 3.

Feeding

Use Growmore or Fish, Blood and Bone on your wisteria in the spring at the suggested rate listed on the packet. Additionally, apply sulphate of potash at a rate of 20g per sq m (1/2 oz per sq yard) on sandy soils (which have low potassium levels). Fertilizers for flowering shrubs or roses are another option.

Feed wisteria in containers using Miracle-Gro, Phostrogen, or another comparable flowering plant food. A different option is to add controlled-release fertilizer to the compost.

Although wisteria has a reputation for being challenging to prune, this is untrue. Once you’ve made it a habit to prune your wisteria twice a year, you should be rewarded with a pleasing flower show.

When you prune regularly, you reduce the excessive, whippy growth from July and August to five to six leaves, or roughly 30 cm (1ft). This increases the possibility of blossom buds budding and permits the wood to ripen. Then, in February, trim these shoots even more to two or three buds, or around 10 cm (4 in), to tidy up the plant before the growing season starts and make it possible to observe the new flowers.

When your juvenile wisteria has completely covered a wall or other garden structure, start the routine pruning to promote flowering.

Small gardens benefit greatly from the training of wisteria as a free-standing standard in a border or container.

Wisteria can be trained to ascend into a tiny tree’s canopy, however doing so could eventually harm the tree. Pruning will be challenging if the plant develops into a huge tree, and a dense leaf canopy will affect flowering.

Increase your wisteria stocks by layering in the summer, taking softwood cuttings in the spring to mid-summer, or taking hardwood cuttings in the winter since seed-raised wisteria can take up to 20 years to flower.

Wisteria is typically propagated via grafting in professional nurseries, however layering is the simplest and most dependable technique for home gardeners.

Established wisteria can produce hanging, bean-like seedpods after a lengthy summer. While wisteria plants grown from seeds are typically of inferior quality, you might want to try growing wisteria yourself.

After the leaves have fallen, gather the seedpods and let them ripen in an open tray.
When the seed is ready, twist open the pod and sow it 2 cm (3/4 in) deep in seed compost.
Before planting if the seed is dry, soak it for 24 hours.

See our commonly asked questions page for a summary of wisteria issues.

Poor flowering

Poor flowering is the most frequent issue for backyard gardeners, and it can be brought on by a variety of factors, such as:

Young plants can take up to 20 years to flower, so acquire a plant that is already in bloom or go with a certain cultivar because they are typically grafted to avoid disappointment.
Examine your pruning methods and timing because early and midsummer trimming will prevent the growth of flowers the next year.
Wisteria flowers best in broad light; deep shadow produces few, if any, flowers.
Water your wisteria during periods of drought from July to September because a lack of water during this time will influence the development of flower buds the next year.
Flower buds may drop before opening as a result of spring frosts, which can harm or deform growing flowers.
Applying sulphate of potash in the spring will encourage bloom production for the next year in soils that may lack potassium.
The damage caused by pigeons or mice can be identified by torn petals or distinctive teeth marks.