Comments on: Root Rot and Wisterias

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:58:06 +0000

Thank you for informing me of the product “Aquashield” by Botanicare. It is a liquid fertilizer useful in aquaculture and hydroponics. It is
made from composted chicken manure and helps emphasize to all of us the health-giving properties of manures. I lived on an organic chicken farm during the
Second World War and found out the many benefits of chicken manure in the garden.

Regarding battling root rot, there is also a patented product that was originally developed as an African violet fertilizer
that is called Oxygen Plus. It is useful for feeding houseplants since it keeps plants alive even for people who tend to overwater them.
Oxygen Plus actually puts bubbles of air next to the roots of plants, but it is not an organic fertilizer. The product
you mention, “Aquashield” is evidentally an organic product, though a highly refined one.

By: Nebula Haze

Nebula Haze — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 15:25:58 +0000

I have had great success combating root with with a product called “Aquashield” by Botanicare. It’s made of some sort of compost solution and has good bacteria to fight the bad bacteria with root rot. After making sure that you’re not overwatering your plants and checking that they have good drainage, then you can help the plant recover by feeding it some Aquashield every few waterings.

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:04:05 +0000

Thank you AGAIN!

By: Pat

Pat — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:03:42 +0000

Hi, Judy:

It would be better not to plant another wisteria in exactly the same spot. However, if you have read the story I referred to before in “All My Edens”, you will learn that the wisteria I had that died of root rot came back to life again and is still alive today. (I won’t tell you the rest of it since I don’t want to spoil the story.)

The main thing to do is to provide good drainage. Wisterias, except for silky wisteria (Wisteria brachybotryis, W. venusta), are not adapted to growing in lawns. Don’t plant wisteria next to a lawn. If that’s where it is, choose another climber for that spot such as lavender trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegiodes) that is not particularly fussy about soil, or plant W. brachybotrys there. (It’s highly fragrant and needs more water than Japanese or Chinese wisterias. I have seen it survive on the edge of a lawn.)

To plant Japanese or Chinese wisteria, begin with a good grafted variety. That way it will bloom the very first year after planting. Check the drainage as described on page 40 of my month by month organic gardening book and move the planting spot over and you should be able to grow another plant on the same structure you used before. Additionally, don’t give up hope. I planted 6 bareroot Chinese Wisteria (W. sinensis ‘Cookes Special’) on a long pergola in 1986. Two died of root rot. I still have a beautiful display of wisteria on that pergola. I cut it back massively (3 or 4 feet lower) but by stages last summer since the wood had gotten too heavy on top. Since we cut it back correctly (always just above green growth so we could cut again after it sprouted lower) it still bloomed spectacularly in spring.

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:02:44 +0000

Thank you so much for the advice. I'm really sick about losing my beautiful Wisterias, but onward and upward, I guess. I've ready that we should not plant another Wisteria in the same spot. Is that true? I look forward to seeing you at the Orange County Master Gardener's event in September.