This tree is, for about ten and a half months out of the year, unruly, unkempt, and moderately to extremely ugly. They are grown solely for the blossoms, which are of course exquisite. Although some older gnarly wisteria bonsai show real zest and movement in their craggy, rotting trunks, the ramification is so poor that winter appreciation is also largely ignored.
To induce blooming in wisteria, one must approach cultivation of same in a manner largely antithetical to caring for other types of bonsai. Wisteria are SO vigorous, and SO programmed genetically for foliage growth instead of blooming, that giving the tree any sort of comfortable environment will result in masses of shoots, tendrils, suckers, and other vegetative growth, but no flowers. By 'comfortable' I mean adequate root run, soil make-up and moisture suitable for the species. It is only when they are stressed through bound roots and restricted foliar growth (how to do that in a moment) that flower buds are triggered in late summer for blooming the next spring.
Add to that the fact that immature wisteria will not bloom until they are at least 5 years old (and more likely much older) you can see the challenges are certainly there-- but not insurmountable.
Let us assume someone has a cutting, seedling, or other immature wisteria tree that they wish to train as a bonsai. My recommendation would be to stick it in the ground and forget about it for a few years. It will fatten rapidly (indeed it may tear down your house, so plant it where it can't latch onto anything for support) and soon you can hack it out of the ground and pot it up. It would be nice to wait for it to bloom out in nature before digging it up, just to be certain that the tree has aged enough to do so.
Wisteria should be potted in extremely dense soil. I've had good success with clay, peat, and turface mixed up in equal parts. Don't forget to add bone meal. What you don't want is typical bonsai soil! Use a deep pot. Do not use a coarse drainage layer as the tree will quickly find it and grow roots like crazy, resulting in no blossoms. Only repot every five years or so, and never trim the roots, except to remove black and rotted roots from the tips. The roots must be coiled up carefully and placed in the pot in this manner, or
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