Defoliating Wisteria

[jumping_jack]

My pink wisteria flowered really nicely in spring and is already loaded with buds, can I defoliate and get a second flowering now?

[kcpoole]

Most wisteria in Sydney near me have already finished the second flush.
Usually only spot flowers any way so never bothered defoliating but see no reason why you cannot.

Ken

[Steve B]

Be interested to see how you go with a full defoliation. I get some random second flush flowers as per Kens observations, but I'd be keen to get a full second round of flowering if defoliation will push them to it. I tend to be hacking them back every couple of weeks to keep them under some sort of control, so I'm not sure a mass defoliation would harm them much?

[KIRKY]

Mine got a forced defoliation last year due to drying out in the extreme heat. I defoliated the remaining shrivelled leaves.
Within two to three weeks it was in full flower Jan/Feb. however the winter/Spring display was very poor.
Cheers
Kirky

[Steve B]

Good tip Kirky, I might be a little more careful before trying it out as a result.....

[bodhidharma]

If you defoliate once the new leaves have hardened off and you don't cut into last years wood (Wisteria flowers on old wood) it is fine. It does not reduce leaf size though so i do not bother. I do cut down to three sets of leaves though as it seems to produce more flowers.

[shibui]

If the plant already has flower buds it should flower whether or not you defoliate. Defoliating might make the next flowers more visible but the buds are already there and I don't think defoliating will make more.

[dennismc]

DO NOT I repeat defoliate Wisteria after the first week in January!!!!!!! I did it once years ago when mine had bad leaf scorch after a hot period. When I mentioned this to Ray Nesci he told me it was not a good idea -- I would get a small flowering immediately but none at all in Spring. He was subsequently proven so right.

Dennis Mc

[treeman]

Defoliating wisteria is a bad idea. It will result in small weak growths which will not have the strength to flower the following year as previously mentioned.
Instead, wisteria needs to be very heavily fed during the growing season and not pruned until the new shoots have grown rather long and have hardened off at their bases. These are then pruned back to 2 to 4 leaves. This is where the flower buds for the following spring will form. However, it's important to thin out the leaves periodically if sunlight is not reaching all the interior branches.

[jumping_jack]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Since posting it has pushed some new shoots (and flowers), I guess upsizing and repot in spring has made it want to grow again.

Ken, my chinese wisteria spot flowers right thru till leaf drop but not normally the japanese one.

Kirky, that was my concerns hence posting to ask.

Dennis, hearing you loud & clear.. Thank you

[Piolo]

Mine got a forced defoliation last year due to drying out in the extreme heat. I defoliated the remaining shrivelled leaves.
Within two to three weeks it was in full flower Jan/Feb. however the winter/Spring display was very poor.
Cheers
Kirky

Hi, l do realise it has been 3 years but do you remember how was your watering after that 'forced defoliation'? Did you put it in shade or full sun exposure? Is your wisteria sinesis? My new Wisteria Sinensis dried its leaves and most buds during shipping so I just pulled all the hanging leaves (defoliated), soaked in water for 30 minutes and is in semi shade but I'm not sure how to watered like that! I think is in 100% akadama but full of roots.
PS I'm located in South UK and this summer has been quite warm with temperatures of about 27C=81F.

[KIRKY]

Hi Piolo, mine sits in a tray of water in full sun all day long, they love the water during summer.
If your has dried out sit it in a tray and leave it in full sun you should see shoots in a few weeks.
Cheers
Kirky

[shibui]

Good advice.
If new leaves open up in shade and then you move it to sun those shade tolerant leaves will just burn. Better to put it where you will grow it so any leaves open up and adjust to the correct conditions. While it has no leaves there is no advantage in shade.
Wisteria is extremely tough and should recover no problem. It is actually quite hard to kill them.

A good soak to make sure the roots are properly watered all the way through. Wisteria grow lots of roots so it is not unusual for the pot to be so full of roots that it becomes difficult for water to penetrate properly. I think that is why so many people do better with them sitting in a tray of water over summer - easier to keep them properly watered,