A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Shrubs and Trees Please Help-Wisteria vine is out of control (Dangerous)

I'm hoping someone here can give me some solid advice. This past spring my wife and I purchased our first house. It's a lovely house with lots of mature landscaping complete with a water garden. We moved in the begining of May and we've had our hands full keeping up with things. one that has caught us completely by surprise is a Wisteria plant. On the patio leading to the back yard is a nice feature... a Wisteria vine and Trumpet vine built on a trellis overhang. It's been blooming and lots of leaves since the 2nd week in May. It's also been growing like a vine on steriods.


This was the trellis in March...


And Again in early April.


Now today


My concern is that the trellis won't support the full weight of this vine. We already showing in just two short weeks some dangerous signs of stress and fatigue. The vines are literally pulling the trellis away from the house (in the direction of the sun) in a southeasterly direction.





I first noticed the seperation between the truss and post about two weeks ago. Since then it's moved about 2 1/2 inches. So tonight I bought some electric hedge clippers and started mowing branches. I cut maybe a 1/10th back and it looks like I didn't even make a dent. Tommorow I plan to nail some supports back to brace the trellis. How do I get this vine under control?

It is beautiful. I bet it was awesome in bloom. It is too bad it is tearing your trellis up.
I do think you are going to have to get drastic with the 'trimming'. It may be the only way to save your structure. I think you will need to cut back more than half of the vines. Nearly all of the top growth. I wouldn't worry about losing the vines, they will recover faster than you want them to. You will also have to keep it really trimmed on a yearly basis.
I see nails. I feel like screws keep structures together better. Where you fix problems, I suggest screws.
Welcome to TGH. Someone else may come along with more (better) advice for you.

I dont know anything of wisteria. But sister had a trumpet vine, and it crawled clear up the tv antenna on to the house roof and they had to go up and cut it down yearly.............
That will get heavy.......

Your doing right by cutting it back.....She did that yearly........

Good luck and let us know.......She thought it was cute to go up the antenna ..
Ha ha

those trumpet vines do like to go up up up!

that is quite an awesome sight of the vines on the trellis. all, I can say is trim on it more. maybe look for the main branches and see if you can prune some of the larger older parts of the vine without putting it through too much shock. you could clear out more at a time and maybe slow the growth for this summer at least. (shock it a little, but not kill it)

tina is right on the screws versus nails. and tina and cricket are both right on the cutting back. you can cut them back hard and they will be fine.

if the wisteria has already bloomed, i'd start cutting now. i'd cut one section at a time, and when you see new growth, cut the next. that way, the vines keep their food source (green leaves) but you can cut it back enough to take the stress off the structure.

Wow, beautiful place you have.

I vote with the rest, I'd cut back drastically. Those vines will grow back, safety comes first. Once you have it all cut back then you can re-brace with steel brackets and use lug bolts.

Hooray .for Tamars.Excellent advice to all.
Giver her a gold STAR>>>>>>>>>>>>