Is your wisteria not blooming? The popular climbing plant is known for its vigorous growth, but also for its reluctance to bloom. Gardeners often wonder if they have done something wrong as they look at their non-blooming wisteria year after year. We will explain the most common causes for this and give you some tips on how you can avoid the common problems.
Wisteria doesn't bloom: what are the reasons for this?
Wisteria, also known as wisteria, is a climbing plant that produces masses of long, sweet-smelling flowers that are usually purple-blue, blue or white in color. It looks fantastic and is ideal for growing in pots or on house walls. The plant can be affected by a few problems, but the most frustrating of these is that it does not bloom as often as it is known for its spectacular, fragrant flowers. Here are the most common causes of flowerless wisteria, from climatic conditions to gardener mistakes.
The plant is not mature enough
Plants purchased from a garden center should generally be of the right age to flower. They take three to five years to produce flowers, but this time can be longer or shorter depending on the plant and conditions.
However, if your wisteria is grown from seed, it may also take decades before it begins to bloom.
Try to stimulate bud formation by choosing the planting site carefully and by properly pruning and caring for the plant to keep it healthy.
Too much nitrogen
Wisteria needs moist and fertile soil with a balanced nutrient ratio. However, incorrect fertilization in spring can promote leaf growth and inhibit flower formation.
Using fertilizers high in nitrogen is the most common cause of wisteria failure. If this is the case, you have two options to fix the problem.
You can enrich the soil with phosphorus as it balances nitrogen levels and promotes flowering.
The other option is to prune the plant's roots by poking a shovel in a circular motion around the plant. This reduces the number of roots and therefore the amount of nitrogen they absorb. Make sure that you make the root cut at a distance of at least 90 cm from the trunk.
Wisteria not cut properly
Proper wisteria care also includes pruning it correctly so that it blooms beautifully.
Pruning your wisteria too much or at the wrong time can affect its blooms. Wisteria mainly blooms on old wood, so if you cut too much of the old growth it can have a negative impact on next spring's blooms.
Prune your plant in late spring or early summer so the plant can use its nutrients and energy for flowering rather than growth.
Too much or too little water
Not only the balance of nutrients, but also the moisture in the soil should be right so that your wisteria thrives and blooms magnificently. Since its flower buds develop in late summer of the previous year, it is important to ensure that the plant receives sufficient water between July and September.
Make sure to water it weekly, but avoid overwatering. The soil should feel moist, but should not be waterlogged at any time, in order to avoid root rot and not to affect the health of the wisteria.
Insufficient sunlight
Wisteria loves the sun and should therefore be planted in a location where it receives at least six hours of direct sunlight per day.The climbing plant canwill continue to grow even with less sunlight, but the plant may respond by refusing to develop its stunning floral display.
When planting, it is always important to check what conditions the plant needs and whether these are met. Be aware that the environment may change over time, especially if other shrubs or trees are planted nearby that could potentially block some of the sunlight.
Wisteria doesn't bloom: frost damage
Since wisteria blooms on old wood, the new buds are created shortly after flowering ends in summer. The plant then goes dormant during the colder months and waits until conditions are perfect in the spring to bloom again. However, if it is inlate spring frostor an unexpected cold, it can damage the buds and affect flowering.
Fortunately, the loss of flowers due to frost damage is only temporary and the plant should bloom again as usual next year.
