AusBonsai

Hi,

I have a very old wisteria bonsai that I bought two years ago when it was winter. This wisteria has failed to bloom again this year for the second straight year.

Last year it had two flower buds which were unfortunately knocked off and this year it has zero. For some reason it almost has full foliage now at this time of the year. It is as though my wisteria skipped a month or two ahead compared to other normal wisterias.

Throughout the seasons I have also been feeding this tree with Yates "Thrive" for flowers and fruits once a month throughout the growing season.

Any tips on how I can induce flowering on this tree...?

are you cutting off new growth at all? i know a lot of other species wont flower if the new growth is constantly pruned.

Hi Ozzy, I guess I should reply to this as I recognise the tree.

I am amazed that it is in leaf already! There must be a heat source near it. Is that where you normally keep it? If it is it's way too dark. Does it have overhead shelter? These things need full sun all day. Everything else you are doing seems fine.

treeman wrote:Hi Ozzy, I guess I should reply to this as I recognise the tree.

I am amazed that it is in leaf already! There must be a heat source near it. Is that where you normally keep it? If it is it's way too dark. Does it have overhead shelter? These things need full sun all day. Everything else you are doing seems fine.

Hi, how did you come to recognise the tree? Yes this is where I keep it now. I used to have a house with an open space backyard but the tree still only had two flower buds then.

The new location now does have an overhead shelter but there is no heat source near it.

Reverse cycle air conditioning exhaust next to it? They still throw heat even when used for heating. Also depending on the direction your apartment faces, the concrete stores the heat and the glass will reflect light.

cre8ivbonsai wrote:Reverse cycle air conditioning exhaust next to it? They still throw heat even when used for heating. Also depending on the direction your apartment faces, the concrete stores the heat and the glass will reflect light.

I see. So how does heat affect flowering?

Ozzy Koshi wrote:

treeman wrote:

Hi, how did you come to recognise the tree?

I sold it to you The problem is your overhead shade. Have a look at the wisteria posted by Rory. It is scrambling up that pine tree to reach the sun. You must give it sun if you can.

Hi treeman

My bonsai wisteria had over 100 flower heads this year. It is very old.

Some of the things that effect flowering include:

. If produced from a sucker it may never flower
. They love water, mine stands in water from December to end of March every year without detriment.
. Flowering bud material forms at the base of extending shoots. When the leaves expand in spring allow them to grow fora short time. You will notice that the leaf buds are wide apart except at the base of the shoot where there will be 2,3 or 4 buds close together. These are the buds that can produce flowering material. The rest of the shoots will only produce leaves. So cut back to these inner buds and allow them to grow. Repeat each year and if the tree is mature and has flowering potential you will get flowers
. give them maximum sun for best result.

Hope this is of some assistance.

Dennis Mc

treeman wrote:

Ozzy Koshi wrote:

treeman wrote:

Hi, how did you come to recognise the tree?

I sold it to you The problem is your overhead shade. Have a look at the wisteria posted by Rory. It is scrambling up that pine tree to reach the sun. You must give it sun if you can.

Was it flowering under your care? It wasn't flowering the following spring I bought them.

Firstly, where are you? "Australia" doesn't tell us much about your climate. Secondly, what species of wisteria do you have? Different species for different climates. If it is Wisteria floribunda then they are shy to flower in a warm climate, especially as a bonsai. Wisteria sinensis usually flowers in any climate. If you don't know the species then do a leaflet count . 11 to 13 is W. sinensis. 13 to 17 leaflets is W. floribunda. I suspect yours is W floribunda as it has green new growth and now bronze. Also what has already been said about full sun all day is conducive to good flowering.

Hackimoto wrote:Firstly, where are you? "Australia" doesn't tell us much about your climate. Secondly, what species of wisteria do you have? Different species for different climates. If it is Wisteria floribunda then they are shy to flower in a warm climate, especially as a bonsai. Wisteria sinensis usually flowers in any climate. If you don't know the species then do a leaflet count . 11 to 13 is W. sinensis. 13 to 17 leaflets is W. floribunda. I suspect yours is W floribunda as it has green new growth and now bronze. Also what has already been said about full sun all day is conducive to good flowering.

I live in Melbourne, Victoria. I counted the leaves and it is a floribunda. Getting full sun all day is an impossibility in my case... What measures can I take to ensure flowering for next spring? I could try using fertilisers with high potash and phosphorous as it seems like the nitrogen level in the soil could be too high hence all the rampant vegetative growth.