Can anyone help identify these brown spots on my wisteria?

ruth.sax.simpson

As per the title. I bought a wisteria (American I think, amethyst falls) and repotted it into a larger container. It has new growth but I’m seeing a lot of the leaves curl, go brown at the tips and some of them are displaying this speckled look. Any tips would be appreciated as I’m a complete novice. I’ve been watering once a week when it’s dry weather and feeding every week or two with a generic food. I’ve only had the plant for 4 weeks.

Obelixx

It looks droopy so I think it's thirsty.   Wisterias are best planted in the ground where they can send their roots down deep to seek out moisture and nutrients.   In a pot as small as that one it will always be hungry and often thirsty.

JessicaS

I agree looks thirsty, will need a good soak and more frequent watering, daily in the hot weather like weve been having recently.

ruth.sax.simpson

See, when I first noticed the leaves I’d been watering more frequently as I had just potted it. The soil was definitely moist to the touch. And I googled and saw that wisteria hate being soggy and that it may well be over watered (it can droop when overwatered too). So I’m really not sure what to do with it. Also, I live in Scotland so it’s not particularly warm here. The speckled leaves have me concerned that it’s got some sort of bug/disease issue too. 

The pot is bigger than it looks. I don’t have much garden space and would ideally keep it in a pot, but if it 100% needs earth I could look at making some space perhaps. 

Dovefromabove

It definitely looks thirsty … also a little sunburned … could it have been kept in quite protected conditions before you brought it home? 

What sort of compost did you use when repotting?  It’ll need something substantial and loam-based rather than a multi-purpose type. 

Pianoplayer

If the pot has got drainage holes, it can't really be over-watered, as the excess will just drain out. If you are worried, put it on pot feet. Climbers, by their very nature, need to transport their water much further/higher than smaller shrubs, so need more water. That's why Dove's suggestion for using a loam-based planting medium is essential (ie top soil, or John Innes no 3) as they retain water for longer.

ruth.sax.simpson

Ah I just googled sunburned leaves and that does seem like what it’s got! Ok, I can handle that. It’s in a spot that gets the morning and early afternoon sun and then shade from around 3pm- should I perhaps move it to a more shaded area? Yes, I think it was being stored inside before. It was a Costco purchase and I usually have good experiences with plants from there, but this one seemed to cry as soon as I got it home. 

I just used multipurpose soil - do you think it’s worth repotting it with new soil? Or finding a spot in the earth instead?

Obelixx

I grow 3 of them here in the Vendée where sunlight is a lot more frequent and stronger than in Scotland.   Two are huge but the ground space they need is only the size of their trunk so you don't need much space to get one in the ground and let the roots roam freely.  One is against an east facing wall and the other against a south facing wall and the latter has no bed at its base and is neither fed nor watered other rain. 

I kept my new one in a pot for 2 years before I was ready to plant it out - converting pasture to garden so not instant - and it was in a 60cm high and wide pot with good compost and plenty of feed and water.  It needed a great deal of water when we had hot days and drying winds.      Now it's been in the ground 18months it's looking a lot healthier and doesn't need watering at all.

If you can get yours in the ground it will be much happier.  Make sure it ahs some supports to train its lateral stems until they thicken up over the years and become self-supporting.   Correct pruning will help increase its flower power and also keep it in bounds.  https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/wisteria/pruning-guide

ruth.sax.simpson

This particular species - amethyst falls - seems to be a bit of an exception to the wisteria rule. This website suggests they can be quite happy in a pot. https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/wisteria-frutescens-amethyst-falls/

A pot would be preferable since the small patches of ground that I have are already full and I’d have to rejigger the whole garden to fit this one in. This is the pot I have and I could upsize it next year? 

I’ve just given it a good watering and a feed! Perhaps I can get some loam based soil this weekend too. 

Nollie

I understood that Amethyst Falls is one of the few wisterias suitable for a large pot on the patio (in the right growing medium as advised) but the key word there is large! It’s probably ok in that pot for now, but will need a bigger one in a year or two.

Some info here:
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/wisteria-frutescens-amethyst-falls/

punkdoc

It really doesn't look like sunburn to me, drought is much more likely.

It really does need a better compost if it is going to stay in a pot, something based on JI 3, would be much better.