What's eating my wisteria sinensis?

Chinese wisteria is most commonly attacked by wisteria scale and vine weevil, and aphids on new growth in spring. Deer browse young shoots and rabbits gnaw the bark of young stems. Leaf miners occasionally tunnel through foliage. Because wisteria is a large, vigorous vine, localised pest damage rarely threatens the whole plant but scale can build to damaging levels on older wood.

Brown, waxy, dome-shaped bumps on stems and branches; heavy infestations cause sticky honeydew, sooty mould, and eventual branch dieback. Scrub off scale with a stiff brush; apply horticultural oil in late winter to smother overwintering adults; use systemic insecticide on heavy infestations.

Adults notch leaf margins in irregular U-shaped scallops at night; larvae in the soil eat roots and can kill young plants. Apply pathogenic nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) to moist soil in late summer/autumn; use vine weevil killer drench; inspect roots of container plants.

Soft clusters on new shoot tips and flower buds in spring; distorted foliage, honeydew and sooty mould; mostly cosmetic on established plants. Blast with water jet; spray insecticidal soap on colonies; avoid over-feeding with nitrogen; natural predators usually bring numbers down by midsummer.

Browsing of tender new shoots and flower trusses in spring; antler rubbing can strip bark from young stems. Protect newly planted specimens with a wire cage; train the main stem up quickly; mature vines on strong supports tolerate light browsing.