Out of control Wisteria

MattCritchlow

Hi, could I please get some suggestions about how best to deal with this overgrown wisteria?

It looks as though it has just been planted and left to do it's own thing for many years without any training.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hostafan1

I'd love to get my hands on it. Suits my OCD right down to the ground

MattCritchlow

I just look at it and don't even know where to start 🤷🏻

Hostafan1

I'd start by removing what's growing up the pole.
It all depends on how much time/ effort / dedication you're willing to put into it. 
It's not impossible to untangle pretty much all of it, but it'll take a very long time. 
An easier option is to select a few good long stems , keep them and remove all the skinny stuff. 
You  could take advantage of the gap and put wires onto that blank bit of wall and tie in shoots as you untangle it. 
TBH, it's the sort of project I'd love. Good luck

MattCritchlow

Thanks, yeah I think I'm going to try and cut it back to a framework and tie it in as I go. 

Hostafan1

you want to aim to have the stems running horizontally , nice and easy when you can follow brick courses.
I'd insert rows of wires on every 4th course of bricks which will give good cover 

Dave Humby

The older growth will be solid and pretty much impossible to untangle. I would thin out some of the stems but it will be time consuming as you'll have to cut short lengths at a time where it has been winding itself around adjacent stems. I'd take out that thick stem which has rotted out as that won't be lasting long anyway.

Papi Jo

Good advice given so far. Personally I'd chop it down to the ground.

Lovely old brick wall, by the way. Quite a nice feature in itself.

MattCritchlow

Thank you for the advice, I was wondering about the rotten trunk as quite a few stems lead from it however I think taking it out will be best like you said. 

Obelixx

We have two old wisterias which were a complete tangle when we inherited them 3 years ago.  Not as bad as yours but definitely exceeding bounds and needing their trunks tidying up.

I would start by cutting every stem to the height of the last row of bricks on that wall and then remove everythng above that.   Next go for all stems reaching out from the wall or extending further than you wish. 

By then you should be able to see more clearly what is left and what needs thinning out firther so you can get clearer trunks and a coherent structure out of what's left.   Sap will start rising soon so get as much done my mid January as possible but don't prune hard when frosts are expected.

This one was up and over that roof, under the tiles, round the edges and shooting from the roots too.


This one was up and over the roof, under the gutters and tiles, completely blocking the windows and half the doorway.

MattCritchlow

Wow that is a great improvement there! Nice work. I decided against cutting the rotten trunk down as when I looked closer, the entire trunk is hollow to near the base of the tree, plus I don't have a chainsaw even if I wanted to cut it down. I think I'll try my best with making a good framework and see how it gets on next year.