After 10 years and 4 years of beautiful bloom and good growth, my wisteria died. It was spring there was abundant buds comming and then they stopped growing and it died. I noticed holes near it. I think possibly from moles. Could this be the cause. It is planted in a well drained area. In fertile soil, no lime. This happened 3 years ago. I have since planted a huney suckle in that spot and it is doing great so far. I have another wisteria planted in a different spont that has bloomed every year but is not growing and I do not prune it. My dog and neighbour dogs were using it as a teretorial marker so I put a plastic bearier around it. Does dog pee actually hurt the tree. What is happening. I don't want to lose anther one.
Certainly if it got urinated on enough when roots were shallow, it could well have done the trick. It's one thing for a plant to need a little acid, but another to be continously burned.
It would be tough to inadvertently kill a wisteria. It is dies no no reason, than, "drowning" is the usual diagnosis. It can't stand having it's roots waterlogged. But you did say the soil is well drained. In the winter, sometimes small rodents might chew off the bark at the very bottom of the stem - literally girdling the shrub. But you should be able to see the tell tale damage. Voles chewing at the roots are unlikely to kill a well established wisteria outright. The only way to find out is to pull the thing out and examine the root system.
I have three times witnessed large established wisteria dieback over the years, always at the same time of year, just as the buds are expanding. In each case, I have suspected lack of available water during a shift in spring temperature from cool to very warm. Wisterias require tons of water, especially at flowering time. It is not unusual to see very mature wisteria planted at the edge of a pond.
