[Plot22]

I have a white four year old wisteria which has never flowered.  I have grown it up a 10ft wall intending to train the side shoots along lateral wires.  However, from a height of about 3ft to where it has reached the top of the wall there is no more lateral growth at all, just a bare central stem.  The top is full of new growth which is now growing forwards away from the wall where it is supporting a clematis. Now the clematis has finished flowering I am tempted to lop the top of the wisteria off to encourage lateral growth further down.  Is this a good idea or total madness??

[Yorkie]

My inclination is that if you simply chop it at 10' high, it will sprout from there but not necessarily from lower down too.

The RHS pruning and training book indicates initial pruning of leading stem at about 3' above ground, then training in laterals from that stage.

However, I've never grown wisteria so I'd wait to see whether others agree or not.

See also here http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=242