Wisteria pruning

Just a quick question about my wisteria floribunda snow showers. I know i need to prune back the green shoots in July/August and then again in Feb but mine is new this year and not that large





As there is quite a few green shoots wrapping their way around the pergola post should I prune some of these back and leave like one or two strong ones in July/august or should i just leave it to establish more before i start pruning?

 

I'm no expert on wisteria, but my understanding of the pruning rules are this:

The August prune is to control the size of the plant. So if you want it to get bigger (I grew ours in our last rented house across the arch of the balcony in 2-3 years, about 20 foot!) you wind in the growth throughout the season, as you want it to grow. (Tip - watch the way it naturally winds, and wind the same way, as it gets upset if you go the other way - can't remember which without looking!). You can trim off the thinner spindly shoots, but these will die back over the winter anyway. Once it has reached (or is approaching!) the size you want, you can start doing the August prune. With rampant plants, you need to start pruning in May/June, in order to keep access!!

The February prune is to discurage early vegative growth, and to encourage the plant to put its energy into the flowering buds. You cut back to 2/3 leaves, on each new growth that is emerging. Because young plants often don't flower the first few years anyway, I'm not sure that this means you don't need to do this for the first few years?

I have two young plants here, and have done the February prune. I don't know when each plant was put in, how old it is, etc (guessing one is about 6 years - flowered for the first time this year, the other is about 4-5 years, a small plant when we came 3 years ago, no flowers, about 2/3 the size). It also keeps my hand in at doing the February prune! It's a relatively quiet time in the gardening calendar, so you have plenty of time to look at your plant, and sort it out. Later in the season, other areas of the garden are shouting for your attention.

Hope that is helpful?!

 

Yeh thats what i had read on it all and thats what we do with my mums wisteria.

But didnt know weather i needed to prune some of the new green shoots out this year and leave a few strong ones as they said that august pruning also helps with light reaching the plant and it not being too crowded

The direction they are growing in is clockwise btw :-)

I have read loads on how to prune but it never tells you when to start pruning if the plant is too young or not etc or if your always suppose to do it. That is the info i cant find

 

Think i have found the info finally





So I will be removing some of the green shoots in august then and leaving three to climb round the post i think