Is it all right to cut off the hanging pods from the Japanese
Wisteria? Will cutting them have any adverse affects to blooming next
year? Some are hanging so long that we keep walking into them! Maybe I should cut them and bring them inside for decoration.
Cutting off the seedpods on your Wisteria is not a problem, just be
careful not to cut the stems back too far (unless you are intending to
prune, which you can certainly do if you need to control growth) as there
may be buds further up which will be next spring’s flowers.
Fine Gardening online has a helpful illustrated article on wisteria pruning which includes the following:
“Some seedpods may be left on the vine for winter interest, but just know that if you bring them inside, warm temperatures will cause them to explode.”
You may find the following links to general information on care and
pruning of Wisteria helpful:
-
- Wisteria care: Get out your clippers twice a year and go to town from OSU Extension
- Growing Wisteria from Ohio State University Extension
Excerpt from an article, “Pruning Vines,” by Donald Hodel and Dennis Pittenger:
Pruning wisteria extensively during the dormant season may
encourage rampant vegetative growth the next spring.
Instead, in July prune out the long, straggly growth
except those branches needed for climbing. This is more
likely than anything else to induce flowering. Shoots
should be cut back one-third to one-half their length.
This will induce them to produce the short spurs that will
bear next season’s flower clusters.