wisteria not doing so well

I purchased two wisteria plants. One of them suffered from either dehydration or fungus and all of the leaves fell off. Under the bark it is still green so it is clearly still alive. I think I will bring it in for the winter. At this point it's actually a stick with no leaves and there are no sprouts. Do I have any options?

The other plant is doing well for now. Should I bring it in for winter or leave it outside?

You can leave it outside as they go dormant. I would give it some root stimulator and maybe put some fresh dirt or compost in the pot. It could be underwatered and just went to sleep early. Keep it watered not over watered and it should be fine (not sure you can over water :)). It may start sprouting again as the weather cools. But will still go dormant when it is suppose too. As long as there is green it is fine.

Ditto: Plants that normally go dormant at some time through the year can also go dormant as a result of stress such as from lack of water. At this late date I would keep it dormant, let it go through the winter and experience the cold before expecting it to break dormancy.
Do not bring it indoors.

I do know that here in UK, all instructions for Wisteria's is good soil enriched with plenty Humus such as horse manure (well rotted), give a dressing od fish / blood / bonemeal as the latter is a slow release natural garden feed.
In your climate and temp, I would say most definitely half the problem will be drought, these plants need moisture but good drainage as they dont like roots that sit in wet soil.

If your growing in pots, add the the drought problem, the pot size as all pots dry out much faster when in hot climates and you need to try set up a regime for testing the soil for water more regularly, stick finger into the soil AFTER you have given your normal watering, you may find about 2 inches down into the soil, it is as dry as an old bone.

To fix the soil problem and give a better growing medium that will help retain more moisture but NOT stay wet, AND offer nutrients around the roots where it's most required.

if I were you In would give the plants a real soaking, then make up a new soil mixture for the pots (Larger pots) make the mix up by adding humus, either GOOD quality compost home made or store bought, a few handfulls of the Blood / fish / bone meal and mix this well, add some to the bottom of the pots, remove the plants from the original pots they are in, try remove as much of the soil as you can by GENTLY teasing the soil free from the roots, be careful not to break the roots,
place the plant into the pot and try spread out the root to prevent them growing around the pot as it probably was before you purchased them. after spreading the roots put the rest of the soil into the pot and make sure you firm it down so there are no air pockets left, you will almost certainly need to add some form of support, and I like to use 2 good stout wooden stakes with a cross bar, the cross bar allows you to tie the stem / trunk onto this BUT remember to check this tie after a few months as you don't want the support to cut into the bark as the plants grows. I would also add a plastic empty juice bottle, remove the cap and the bottom, insert this plastic bottle into the pot (AS YOU FILL THE POT WITH SOIL) then when you water, fill the bottle up a few times to get water to the root area, make sure the pots have drainage holes too.

As Diana has rightly informed the Wisteria goes into winter sleep, Snip off any weak, dead or dying long straggly (normally curly) shoots as these will just cause more distress come spring.

Early spring, Normally about Feb time, you would prune all the side shoots back to 3rd bud of the last years growth, this allows the plants to grow new strong shoots for the summer flowering buds, BUT for new plants, I would wait for that type of pruning till the plants have managed to produce good twining stems that give the plants good grip and support.
Come next spring with proper care, they should put out a good lot of new tender shoots, IF you get really cold winters where you are, give protection by either covering the plants with horticultural fleece from garden centre, this allows light into the plants it allows rain in too BUT it protects new buds, I dont know about winter frost or freeze your zone so you need to sort that out yourself.
Just remember IF taken in doors for winter, the plants MUST still be watered only JUST enough to keep them alive BUT not soaked.
Hope this helps you understand this plant a little better because once you get them going, in the right place in the garden (YOU NEED GOOD STRONG TRELLISING) these plants are show stoppers and NOT the type of horrors most people think, they do however need strict attention 2 times a years and additional humus added every other year.
I would suggest IF these 2 plants get going, you may have to remove from pot and plant in a focal place in the garden if you can, they do grow large and wide to show off their beauty.
Good luck and best regards.
WeeNel.

Thank you, for all of your replies. Was wondering if it ever needs to be watered while dormant. WeeNel, can you suggest a growing medium that would retain the moisture without staying wet?
Also the plant that is doing well is in the earth. The one that seems to of gone prematurely dormant is potted. Should I pot the other plant?

If the plant that is doing OK is in the ground, then I suggest you plant the other one in the soil too, I did try to explain above that pots dry out very quickly, and these plants will already have a good bit of root that requires much more soil than is within a pot.

I also gave ideas as to how to enrich the soil to give more water retentive properties, (adding humus to your ordinary soil in the planting hole IN the garden, also adding Blood / Bone and Fish as a slow releace fertiliser that is NON Chemical, and is natural, you buy this mix at any garden store and it's already mixed, just follow the dosage recommended on the packet, Never over feed plants thinking your being kinder, too much feed is as bad as no food at all.

The idea of adding humus (Horse manure or compost, it is enriched naturally) with good composted natural waste, horse manure is the horse droppings, (they eat greens) always use manure from animals that has been allowed to rot down as within fresh manures there is pea as well, this is acidic and IF not allowed to rot, it causes burning at the plants roots, it sours the soil, and it burns any parts if the top growth it touches, If the manures are allowed to rot down several months or longer, The animal waste turns from yellow smelly wet stuff, it then becomes odour free, looks like a nice crumbled compost soil that is brown and smells like fresh compost.
This humus allows air into the soil, is adds texture / good growing texture, this texture helps prevent any watering you do or rain fall to just run through the soil and missing the roots because it runs away too fast.
When you add the rich humus, this type of structured compost has larger particals therefore it helps the soil (Like a sponge) to hold onto enough moisture allowing the roots to drink up more moisture than free draining soil with NO nutrients within it.

IF you cant get hold of well rotted manure, then compost from the garden store that is of good quality, ask for a make that is natural (no Plastic or chemicals added, also buy a packet of pelleted chicken manure or some make of multi purpose plant feed, add the makers directed dosage to your garden soil mix with the added store compost, mix all together and use this for planting out the 2 plants.

At the planting hole, make the hole 3 times wider and deeper than the root area the plant has right now, mix in some of the soil / compost or humus mix,ture to the bottom of the hole, place your stakes into the hole and make sure they are hammered in sturdy.
Next check the plants depth, the plant needs to be planted NO DEEPER that it was when in the pot it came in, (any deeper and the stem will be too low in the soil and could cause rot to set into the trunk due to be wet from the soil. there will be a natural mark on the bottom of the trunk that shows where it grew from the soil, there is a defining mark on the trunk.

At the time your back filling the planting hole with the tree and the stakes, make sure you insert a ltall plastic bottle (I use juice bottles) after you have removed the bottom and the cap from the bottle, make sure 2 inches of the bottle is above the soil and place this close to where the root area is in the soil, continue back filling the hole and use the tip of your shoe / boots to lightly press down the soil this removes any air pockets and makes easier contact between soil and roots.
When finished planting and you have tied the trunk to the stakes firm but NOT too tight, water the plant well, all around the roots, then fill the bottle you inserted into the soil, I usually do this 2 times for the first time and it helps to settle all the soil around the roots.
After a few days, you need to test the soil for dryness, you will know your winter temps better than anyone, I never have to water outdoor plants in winter, but spring summer I need to do it every other day, then May / June / July every evening is watering especially pots, sometimes pots get watered 2 times a day. so I cant give that info for your winter temps.

I hope all this gives you a better idea of planting out your Wisteria, do remember these are going to grow like topsy once they take off so make sure you plant where they have room to roam across and up, IF planting to grow along a wall, Dont plant tight against the wall as the soil against ant solid structure is very dry due to it not getting enough water, also for wall climbing, drill holes and put proper screw-in ties to allow you to run strong wires along to be able to tie your plants side shoot onto. IF growing as a standard tree, make sure you give a good strong support, both for the weight of the top growth and also to allow air to circulate the top growth.

Good luck. WeeNel,

Wisteria is hardy in your zone, but barely.
Do not plant it in an especially cold part of your garden.

As noted by WeeNel, they are plants that thrive in a reasonably well watered garden, and need sturdy support to climb. They get way too big to keep in containers all the time.

Containers can:
Dry out.
Overheat.
Chill and get too cold.

I would plant the Wisteria in the ground.

I think your summers are similar to mine (I looked up Santa Fe, NM) so full sun all day as long as it is not against a south or west wall, or else a fair amount of morning sun, dappled light through the day (June, July, Aug), then late evening sun in the heat of the summer. Full sun is OK in milder seasons.
You get a lot colder in the winter, but Wisteria is OK with that. I sure agree with WeeNel about protecting it through its first winter, though!

Do not dig a hole any deeper than the container, plants have a tendency to sink. But definitely wider, and back fill with your soil blended with some kind or organic matter. Horse manure with stall cleanings is good, compost, and so on.

To moderate the soil conditions mulch with some sort of organic matter. Bark chips, tree company chips... something!
Allows the soil to retain water better.
Minimizes weeds.
Reduces soil compaction. (better air and water exchange)
Slowly rots and helps the soil.
Keeps the soil warmer in the winter.