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I've planted some wisteria and am trying to encourage it to grow up a wooden column. I put some nails into the column and have slowly wound the wisteria around the column on the nails and attached with twine. My plan is to wait until the wisteria has reached the top (where there is more to wrap around) and then remove the nails.

I've read a lot about wisteria but most of the articles about pruning it describe pruning to encourage flowering. I don't care at all about it flowering until it's very well established; instead I'd like it to grow as quickly as possible and as focused in growing up the column.

What should I do to encourage growth of the plant? Should I be pruning away the secondary vines and only leaving leafs on the main? Should I regularly fertilize? Extra watering or less water?

Thanks!

edited: I've added 5 photos. I don't know the variety of wisteria unfortunately.

1 The mature vine I have now. Trying to get the same effect.

![The one that I have now][1]

2 Here's my new plant

![The new plant][2]

3 The nail / tape system I'm talking about

![Nails][3]

4 Here's the end of the vine. If you look you can see tiny leaves.

![End of the vine][4]

5 Finally, I have a third plant that's less happy about growing up. As you can see it has a lot of sideways growth and new growth but the main stalk isn't growing.

![One more plant][5]

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  • Welcome to the site Steven! It would be great if we could see some pictures of your wisteria. Thanks!
    – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
    Jul 17, 2015 at 3:52
  • I'll get a picture tomorrow and will update the question then.
    – Steven Canfield
    Jul 17, 2015 at 4:52
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    Couple more bits of info please - which variety of Wisteria is it, is it in a pot or in the ground, how tall is this column and what's at the top of it 'where there's more to wrap around'? Lastly, when did you plant it? If its any comfort, by next year you'll be out there with a machete trying to keep it from taking over the universe...
    – Bamboo
    Jul 17, 2015 at 10:05
  • Okay -- photos there. Bamboo, I don't know what variety unfortunately. In the ground. The column is maybe 15 feet fall. On top is a deck, which I'm trying to attach it to the railing of (which you can see in the first picture).
    – Steven Canfield
    Jul 17, 2015 at 18:43

1 Answer 1

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Regarding the last plant, the one that has several side stems but a mainstem that isn't getting taller - you'll have to train this one because of what it's doing. Select another lateral stem, one that looks like its growing well and fast - you can choose two if you like, if the mainstem is really only producing lateral growths. Now remove every other side shoot (lateral), leaving just the one (or two) stems you've selected, and tie those in. Keep removing laterals until the stem/s you've chosen have attained the height you want. From then on, prune normally. It might be useful to increase its water supply too - I note there are brown tips on some of the leaves.

With regard to your new plant, that appears to be either a different variety, or just growing weakly - if its in a pretty shady situation, that would explain that. But it is growing, albeit a little more slowly than you'd like, and if the area is much brighter above the plant, it will grow upwards in search of more light anyway.

Regarding fertilizer, if you're in the Northern hemisphere, do not feed at this time of year, it'll have to wait now till next Spring - once we get past the longest day, the major part of the growing season is over for permanent plantings, and plants need to slow down their growth and get ready for the approach of Fall/Winter, a process triggered gradually by shortening day length initially.

The link below is to the RHS in the UK - it may provide more useful information for you, or it may not, sounds like you've read quite a bit already

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=242

And this one

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=173

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