You may have heard the saying, “too much of a good thing,” but when it comes to the garden, you can never have too many blooming beauties. If you’re lucky enough to get a Wisteria plant growing strong, you’ll most likely want more of those fragrant blossoms and lush vines. With their vigorous growth, Wisteria is an ideal candidate for propagating by taking cuttings.
Taking cuttings is the best way to propagate your Wisteria. This simple method involves removing a 4-6” portion of the stem with at least one node and rooting it in soil. The cutting method will change slightly depending on the time of year and whether you want to take a hardwood or softwood cutting.
This article will discuss everything you need to know to propagate your Wisteria plant by taking a cutting. I’ll explain when to do it, how to do it, and give you some tips to help ensure a successful replanting. I’ll also briefly discuss air layering for Wisteria propagation.
When is the Best Time to Propagate Your Wisteria?
You can cut your Wisteria for propagation any time, but the results will not always be the same. The time of year will determine how you should cut your Wisteria and what type of cutting you should take.
Softwood cuttings are those taken during the spring and summer months, and takes a cutting from a side shoot of new growth. Many people like to propagate their Wisteria during the summer months because the cuttings root better which may increase your chances of a successful transplant. Live (green) plants are typically easier to root than dormant plants.
Hardwood cuttings are taken during the late fall or early winter, once the vine loses its foliage and are a good option because there won’t be any damage or wilting to the foliage. With hardwood cuttings, you can plant right away or wait until spring to plant your cuttings. Spring may be ideal if you live in an area where winter temperatures are colder, and you don’t want a newly rooted vine to have to weather the cold.
Try to take your cuttings early in the morning, if possible, when your plants have the most moisture content. This will ensure that your Wisteria is in the best condition for the rooting process.
How to Take Wisteria Cuttings
The specifics on taking a cutting from a Wisteria plant depend on the time of year and what you plan to do with the cuttings after you’ve removed them. If you don’t intend to plant your cuttings right away, you can take a hardwood cutting during the fall or winter. However, softwood cuttings during the spring or early summer are typically easier to root.
Gather Up Your Supplies
To have a Wisteria plant successfully take root, you’ll need to start with a good cutting and the right environment for it to root. To make your job easier, you should ensure that you have the items you need before you start clipping.
Supplies You Will Need:
- Pruning shears – Sterilize your shears with rubbing alcohol first to prevent spreading any contaminants or pathogens.
- Planter or pot(s) – You can use either a 10-12-inch planter for multiple cuttings or one 4″ pot for each individual cutting
- Perlite
- Coarse sand
- Peat moss or sphagnum moss
- Rooting hormone powder
- Clear plastic bag or gallon-sized zip-top bag
Where to Cut Your Wisteria for Best Results
For a softwood cutting, try to ensure that your new cutting has at least two sets of leaves on it. It would be best to take a softwood cutting from the base of a new side shoot.
For a hardwood cutting taken while your Wisteria is dormant, locate an area where this year’s growth (which should be mature and woody) meets growth from a previous year. Clip where the new growth meets the old, as the base of this section has the highest potential for rooting. Your cutting should be about the same thickness as a pencil.
It’s important to have a node on any stem that you’re hoping to root. Nodes are the portion of the stem where new growth (like side shoots and leaves) emerge. Any roots that form will come from the node.
How to Strike a Cutting from Wisteria
To strike a softwood cutting from a Wisteria plant, locate a new side shoot that’s grown out at least 4 to 6-inches from the plant’s base. Snip the vine close to the base using your clean, sharp pruning shears.
Cut off the top section of the shoot where the growth is very new, thin, and soft. This area is most likely to wilt during the rooting process. The result should be a cutting that’s around 4″ long (or less) and has at least one pair of healthy leaves intact. Remove any flowers on the vine.
To strike a hardwood cutting, you can select any mature vine (preferably from the most recent growing season, but it’s not required) and snip the vine using your clean, sharp pruning shears. This cutting should be about 10-12″ long. Cut below the lowest leaf node as close to the base as you can.
Once you have this large vine section, you can make several individual cuttings. This is the best thing to do because it’s unlikely that all of the cuttings will take.
Locate several leaf joints and trim immediately below the node and about ½” above a leaf joint, with the cutting being 4″ to 6″ long. This will be the Wisteria cutting that you will eventually root and plant. You can get several cuttings from a single vine, or you can cut a few vines if you’re taking them from a large plant.
Immediately dip the base of each cutting in hormone rooting powder. If you’re not ready to plant your cuttings yet, you can store them in a Ziploc bag in a cool, dark location until springtime. Some people even bury their cuttings under a shallow layer of potting soil, which is also fine.
Rooting Wisteria Cuttings
Regardless of which type of cutting you choose, rooting your Wisteria is the exciting part. Once it starts to develop its own tiny root system, you’ll be able to help it grow into a sustainable, mature vine.
Wisteria is not unlike any other plant when it comes to taking cuttings and rooting them, so there are some things you can do to help ensure your vine gets a successful start.
Rooting Wisteria in Water
One of the most common ways that people try to root Wisteria cuttings is by putting them in water. However, it’s difficult for these plants to root successfully using this method. If you want to try to root your Wisteria using water, make sure it’s a softwood cutting. You don’t want to put your hardwood stems underwater for long periods.
If you take a softwood cutting and aren’t ready to plant it right away, you can stick the base into a glass of water to help it stay hydrated. If you’re lucky, it might begin to sprout roots if you keep the base of the cutting underwater.
Wisteria doesn’t like to have wet feet, which is why it grows best in well-drained or even sandy soil. The best process for rooting your cutting is to put it in a pot.
Rooting Wisteria in Soil
For best results, use a softwood cutting and root your Wisteria in soil. Once you’ve cut your vine to the right size and removed the lower sets of leaves, you can plant your cuttings. I like to use one large pot for several cuttings, but you can also use a tray or smaller seedling pots for individual plants. If you use one pot, you can put six to eight cuttings in a 12″ planter.
When you’re ready to plant, mix your perlite (or coarse sand) with equal parts of peat moss and fill the pot, leaving at least 1-½ inches of space at the top. Moisten the soil mixture before planting your cuttings, but be careful not to make the soil wet.
If you didn’t already dip your cuttings in hormone rooting powder, it’s a good idea to do so before planting to help encourage root growth and development. To do this, just dip each cutting in water, shake off the excess, and dip the “root end” into the powder. If the cuttings aren’t freshly trimmed, you can make a small score in the bottom of the stem or trim off a tiny bit more at an angle.
Use your pinkie finger or a small dowel rod to poke holes in the soil, two to three inches deep, spaced at least two inches apart. Place one cutting into each hole and use your fingers to push the soil around the stem, ensuring that the soil is firmly packed around the base and the root end.
Place a large, clear plastic bag loosely over the top of the pot to help keep the soil moist and create a warm, greenhouse-like environment. The cuttings should be kept somewhere warm where they will receive filtered (but not direct) sunlight. Keep the soil moist by watering as needed when the soil feels dry at the top. Take care not to overwater your Wisteria cuttings.
Keeping the humidity high around your cutting is more important if you’ve started with a softwood cutting as it should still have a few leaves on it. Hardwood cuttings are less fussy about humidity and light levels.
Once the cuttings grow roots, you can remove the plastic bag. Watch for signs of new growth or new buds to indicate that the vine has taken root. This process may take several weeks (six to eight), so be patient.
Once your Wisteria cuttings develop into stable plants with their own root systems, you can start thinking about transplanting them to a more permanent location.
How to Transplant Wisteria Cuttings
Wisteria is a vigorous grower, so it will probably outgrow its seedling container rather quickly. However, you don’t want to transplant your cuttings at the wrong time and risk lessening your chances of successful propagation.
If possible, try to avoid transplanting your Wisteria more than once. Despite their “grow anywhere” reputation, these plants are actually a bit fussy when it comes to moving them to a new home. It’s best to plant them directly into the ground instead of into a larger container unless you plan to keep the vine in a pot. If that’s the case, be sure to choose a large enough container for the mature vine.
To learn more about growing Wisteria in a container, you can check out this article which is dedicated to the topic.
Once your Wisteria develops roots, it can be moved to its new home. This should happen within six to eight weeks, or once you notice new growth and buds on the plant. The best time to transplant your Wisteria to a larger container is when it’s dormant, during the fall or very early spring.
However, if you took the cuttings during the spring or summer and live somewhere that winters are freezing, you may have to move your cuttings to a larger pot to let them continue to grow indoors during the winter months.
If this is the case, make sure that you don’t wait until the Wisteria cuttings grow too big and the roots become entangled. This would be less of a concern if you planted the cuttings in individual pots. In that case, you’ll just need to make sure they don’t outgrow their containers before it’s time to move them into the ground. You may need to transplant the Wisteria to a one-gallon nursery pot after 2-3 months.
How and When to Plant New Wisteria in the Ground
When your Wisteria cuttings are showing new growth and visible buds, it’s safe to transplant them to their permanent home in the ground. Be sure to pick your location carefully because Wisteria doesn’t like to be moved once it’s settled in. You can plant your Wisteria in the ground anytime during the spring, once the last frost has passed. Be mindful of the possibility of a late spring frost that could cause damage.
In warmer climates, you can plant Wisteria basically anytime, but spring or fall are the best times to move your vine to its permanent home. Wisteria is dormant during this time, so you’ll have better chances of a successful transplant during those months.
Select an area where your Wisteria will get plenty of sun and where the soil drains well. If you plant the Wisteria in a partially shaded location, you may have difficulty getting blooms. Wisteria will grow in many soil compositions, and you can add compost to help improve the area for your new plant.
Remember, your Wisteria vine will grow quickly, and it will get much bigger than it is now. Choose a spot where you don’t have to worry about the vine crawling into a neighbor’s yard or onto your house or fence. As the Wisteria grows, it will need something to provide support. Use a sturdy structure like a trellis or pergola that will be strong enough to support the mature plant’s massive weight. Find more information on training Wisterias to climb here.
How to Plant Your Wisteria
Dig a hole about 2-3 times wider than the root ball and deep enough so that the soil will come to the same level on the stem that it’s currently at in the pot. Soak the hole and add any soil amendments that you need. Carefully remove the Wisteria from its pot and place it into the hole, along with the soil from the pot.
Cover the hole and gently press the soil firmly around the plant. Cover the area with a 2″ layer of mulch. Depending on the size of the plant, you may need to train it to grow onto whatever support structure you have, using ties or wires to encourage the vine to grow in the right direction.
Caring For Your New Propagation
Once you’ve planted your Wisteria cuttings in the ground, they won’t require much from you. During the first several months, you may need to water your new propagation more frequently. If you receive less than one inch of rain per week, you will definitely need to water your Wisteria plant.
Take care to protect your young plant from frost and cold damage, and prune it after the first growing season. The only real ongoing care that your new Wisteria will need is regular pruning to keep it maintained.
After one or two summers:
- Cut back the main stem and untangle any side branches.
- Trim back about ⅓ of the growth.
- Check and adjust any ties to keep your Wisteria well trained.
An Alternative Propagation Method: Air Layering Wisteria
An alternative to cutting your Wisteria is to propagate using air layering. In this method, you will create a new Wisteria plant from an existing branch. You can use this method to propagate your Wisteria during the late summer months, just after the vine has finished flowering.
Air layering involves creating a “wound” on the vine (cutting it and removing the outer layer of bark), then covering it with a “bandage” made of moist moss and compost wrapped in plastic. As the plant works to heal itself, it will actually create new roots and a new plant entirely.
Instead of taking cuttings and waiting for them to root before transplanting them, air layering allows you to remove a plant with roots from the mature stem and plant it right into the ground. However, this method takes quite some time, so you will have to wait 10-12 months to plant your new Wisteria.
Putting it All Together
Wisteria is a low-maintenance, fast grower, so it should come as no surprise that these vines are fairly easy to propagate from cuttings. By following a few simple guidelines, you can have even more of these blooming beauties around your yard. The benefit to propagating using a cutting or a process like air layering is that you’re more likely to have blooms sooner. Growing Wisteria from seeds may take decades before you’ll be able to enjoy the flowers.