- Author: Karen Metz
My sister gave me some wisteria seedlings a few years ago. She has a beautiful specimen that completely covers her patio cover. In spring the blossoms are breath-taking. The plant is over 20 years old and is almost like one of the family.
The initial pot of seedlings didn't fare too well. I lost 2 of the 3 seedlings fairly quickly and the third seedling grew very slowly. Last year it finally seemed to pick up speed. It looked healthy with some lovely foliage. But the next time I looked, the leaves had been chewed to bits. I didn't see any insects.
At that point, I admit it, I gave up. I chucked the plant along the back wall in the back yard, thinking I would probably reuse the pot soon. It didn't get any care or watering from me. I completely forgot about it.
This spring I was completely surprised to see the little plant growing again. I put him into a bigger pot and he really took off. He had lovely green leaves and vines. I decided to try and turn him into a cascading wisteria tree, so I made a few snips to accomplish that end. Things were going swimmingly.
Then some chewed leaves started appearing. I hit the books but all the pests listed for wisteria were insects with sucking mouthparts. That just wasn't the type of damage I was seeing.
Then I decided that maybe it wasn't chewing damage but tattering from the wind. I moved the wisteria to a more protected location. Things seemed to improve so I thought I had solved the problem.
But then the chewing damage began to appear again. I began to check the plant frequently, and at different times of the day. Finally I spotted a cucumber beetle nestled in the chewed leaves. I removed him. Some of my Master Gardener friends were not convinced. They thought perhaps the cucumber beetle was just resting there on his way to my vegetable garden.
I agreed to keep an open mind and continue observing. But then a few days later I saw another cucumber beetle amidst the chewed leaves. I think he is definitely the culprit. At this point since there doesn't seem to be a huge infestation, I am going to observe and hand pick any beetles off.
