Wisteria Transplanting Advice - Knowledgebase Question

Gresham, OR
Avatar for seraphim94
Question by seraphim94
August 19, 2002
I recently bought a Chinese wisteria (blue sapphire). I fill a 64 oz jug with water, add 20 drops miracle grow, and water once a day. It is beautiful, but.... I need to get it in the ground. We just moved to a new home where it has been in the 80's. I found a spot along the east fence where it would look great and get lots of sun. I'm just not sure of the soil quality or how and when to water, fertilize once it's in the ground. It is doing so well in the planter and I don't want to kill it.


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Answer from NGA
August 19, 2002
I'm really glad you asked before transplanting because mid-summer isn't the best time of year for your wisteria to be planted in the ground. Plants can go through a period of stress immediately after transplanting and if the weather is hot, the move can be even that much more stressful. Wait until cooler fall weather arrives and natural rainfall is abundant to transplant and your wisteria will glide through the move without trouble. The leaves on your wisteria will yellow and fall when the weather cools and the plant will go into a period of dormancy. This would be the optimal time to transplant. Continue to provide TLC until you transplant, then water deeply once each week unless there's adequate rainfall. Wisteria isn't fussy about soil, but it does need good drainage. A general rule of thumb is to water landscape trees and shrubs deeply but infrequently. One inch of water per week, applied slowly so it has a chance to trickle down and wet the entire rootmass is the general recommendation. You can fertilize once in the spring, after bloom is finished. If you provide a continuous supply of nitrogen all summer long, you'll have lots of lush, green foliage at the expense of blooms, so don't overdo the feeding. In fact, you'll want to stop fertilizing now so that the growth slows enough to allow the stems to harden off before cold weather arrives. Wisteria blooms best in full sunshine so the site you describe sounds great. Wait until autumn arrives to transplant and your wisteria should establish itself without problem. Enjoy!

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