Wisteria in large container

Fred1991

Hi all

I’ve got a wisteria. And I’ve got a massive pot. I want to pot this wisteria in that massive pot and then train up the house wall. However I’m unsure wether this I actually a good idea or not? Will I run into to much trouble later on? Mainly I’m worried about the roots if/when they have outgrown the pot? As you can tell I’ve got decking and Should I put something else in this lovely pot or should I go ahead with this? We are having the house repainted so I’ve got some time to decide

K67

Don't know myself but have a read of this
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-wisteria/#:~:text=Wisterias%20can%20be%20grown%20in,well%20and%20feed%20in%20spring.

Fred1991

Thanks k67 I actually read this one but wasn’t of much help other than it suggesting to plant as a tree if planting in a pot. I’m unsure of trees in big pots how often they need repotting and then adding that is trained to wall could make that more difficult. 

K67

It seems that in a pot you are not going to get it to grow enough to cover a wall long term.
It needs full sun and some strong wires for support so make sure you get long lasting paint!
You can keep it small as a free standing one rather like a standard rose but that's not what you want.
You might be better off with a clematis which will take cutting back if you need to do any maintainence to the wall.

TheGreenMan

https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/a-foolproof-guide-to-growing-wisteria-178556

I made the "mistake" of putting mine in a pot....and letting it grow around a cheap metal "arch". I got it because my OH wanted it (has never watered it or bothered with it since we got it last spring). I knew nothing about them and just said "OK, get it then!" when we were in the garden centre. 

I'm stuck now because it's wrapped around the arch so, when we move, the arch will need to come too and then I'll somehow have to extract the arch from the wisteria and then figure out how to replace it with something a lot stronger. It's a task and a half. 

The wisteria is never gonna fulfill its potential in a pot. 

You could do it, as I did, but you'll have to do the strong wire supports bolted to your wall (see link).

TheGreenMan

Repotting and replenishing the growing medium will be difficult if you can't lift it out/manoeuvre it because it's strapped to the wall (I can lift the whole arch up with the plant to repot). You'd have to replace the top few inches of compost every year (bottom few inches would also be recommended but not sure how you could do that if you can't lift it out) and make sure you feed and water it a lot (they're very hungry and thirsty). 

That's a big pot you have so repotting is not something you'd need to worry about for a few years. I can cut mine out as I've used a plastic pot. 

Basically it's gonna be a LOT easier if you have ground to plant it in. I wish I did!! 

Fred1991

Thanks for your reply James! When you say it won’t be as successful so you mean in terms of flowering? 

In terms of reporting I was thinking of keeping it in a small container within the big container so I could easier get it out and root prune when necessary and so that it wouldn’t feel the big pot with roots

I don’t want it to cover the whole wall just the lower part so maybe it would be sufficient? Also I’ve bought wires and bolt to train against!

TheGreenMan

No problem @frederik.castenschiold1YfSg7My 

I hope you figure it out. They're beautiful and fascinating plants. 

Fred1991

Seems I posted replied before I had finished the actual frederik.castenschiold1YfSg7My said:

Thanks for your reply James! When you say it won’t be as successful so you mean in terms of flowering? 

In terms of reporting I was thinking of keeping it in a small container within the big container so I could easier get it out and root prune when necessary and so that it wouldn’t feel the big pot with roots

I don’t want it to cover the whole wall just the lower part so maybe it would be sufficient? Also I’ve bought wires and bolt to train against!

 😅

TheGreenMan

Haha! It can be a clumsy site especially if you're on a smartphone. 

When I say it won't be as successful I just mean it terms of it reaching its full potential. If you look at pictures of wisteria in the ground they can become enormous (and beautiful) beasts. 

The pot in a pot is a good idea. I was gonna mention that but didn't want to get too involved. I'm sure others will reply with different advice. 

This might be of help:

https://thewhoot.com/tips/grow-wisteria-in-a-pot

Here's one that is a beautiful beast (Google images) 

TheGreenMan

And the amount of flowers (assuming you've kept it fed and watered correctly) depends on the pruning. 

I've just got my head around it so I should (hopefully) see if I've got it right next year.