Is my Wisteria diseased?

Pete Robinson

Hello everyone! An avid gardener and veg grower now living in Dubai and trying to hold onto some species I'm fond of. I bought a potted Wisteria in Germany on a trip and brought it back to Dubai in August. Temperatures hit 45-50°C in summer and have now gone down to a very pleasant 30°C during day time and 20-25°C at night. It was doing very well in the pot and put on new growth even in that extreme heat. When I got around to putting it in the ground it seemed to stop growing and the leaves have now turned odd colours as if it's diseased. The soil quality is terrible so I've added manure and compost to my gravelled sweet sand. Do you think it's just a b it confused with the time of year and shutting down for the "winter" even though temperatures here are now indicative of a good summer in Europe or do the pictures look like it's got a bug of sorts? My gut feeling is that it looks unhealthy but I've no idea what may have made it go down this path after having been quite content in the pot of compost.

Any suggestions welcome!

Obelixx

Wisteria are deciduous which means they lose their leaves for winter and go dormant then put on flowers in spring followed by fresh foliage.   Some varieties do both at once.  They are very hardy and come from places where they get a proper winter dormancy.

I suggest, before you buy any more plants for growing in Dubai, that you have a good look around at what grows well for other people in their gardens and also check the cultivation needs either online or in a reference book or by talking to a good nurseryman or woman before buying.

This is what the RHS site has to say about wisteria - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=173 Make sure you read down as far as the info on pruning as this will affect flowering performance.

Last edited: 04 December 2016 12:59:21

Pete Robinson

Thanks Obelixx,

I realise I may be embarking on something totally unsuccessful but I like the challenge.....other trees that survive well (or are native) out here are just a little "dull" and I was hoping to try and infuse some fragrance to our little slice of heaven.

That RHS link was a great read btw thank you for that. I guess my main worry is should I just leave it do its thing (as I seem to be covering most of what RHS recommends), or is there a disease that I should be tackling immediately. Where I lived in the UK I don't remember seeing the leaves turns these mottled colours. Also, and this may seem a silly question, but because I bought it as we headed into the European autumn.....would the fact that the temperatures here no resemble summer in Europe be confusing it's cycle. I imagine plants don't know months of the year and just respond to environmental climates when they decide to shed or go dormant - is that right?

Just worried as I really don't want to lose it as getting it out here in the first place was a little battle with customs already :-)

Thanks for your advice though!

Obelixx

Plants usually work on signals from day length or temperatures.

Your leaves may be mottled from sunburn if you've been watering the whole plant and not just the roots.   Water droplets will magnify the sun and burn the leaves.   Can't suggest anything else.