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Clematis Broken Stem

harmonyharmony Posts: 403
in Plants
Hi, I am so annoyed with myself I have just broken the stem off my clematis (perle d azure). It hasn't done very well for the last couple of years but I cut it back early spring and been watering and feeding with tomato feed every week and it had a very healthy stem growing but I have just snapped about 2ft off (I slipped and fell against the tree it is growing up cos I was pulling weeds up out of the gravel 😢). Do you think it will be ok? .

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It'll be fine harmony  :)
    If the cut's ragged, just tidy it up neatly.
    It's very frustrating, but these things happen. It'll make plenty more stems for next year. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    It should be fine.  As FG says, just tidy up the ends of the broken stem, cutting back to just above a leaf node.   Maybe a drink of liquid tomato feed to encourage it.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • harmonyharmony Posts: 403
    Will it still flower this year ?..
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    It's a group 3 so flowers on new growth made in the current season.  If it is strong enough to produce new shoots and buds it should flower later on this summer.  If not, it should grow strongly enough to feed the roots and strengthen it for producing new shoots next spring for next year's show.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • OlpallixOlpallix Posts: 13
    hi all. Just following up on this old post. I dug out a small clematis to move it.  And unfortunately it bent at the stem,it has splits. Is that the end of it now. Can it be patched up. Will still be able to feed the nutrients through and fix itself. Can I do anything?
    thank you?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's virtually impossible to be accurate without seeing the plant. You can usually just cut back to a healthy point if it's only one stem that's damaged. The others will then carry on.
    However, if it's a small plant, with only a single stem, it might have been better to keep it potted until it was bigger before planting out. It gives them a chance of producing more stems. If the main stem is damaged, and it's the only one, it can still recover over time, but it won't happen quickly.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • atwellpamela5atwellpamela5 Posts: 1
    My fence got blown down and took the clematises with it. The roots got chopped off as they were in the way of the new posts. Can they regrow from the roots still in situe? I dug up the main plant, roots and stem chopped off at the ground. Will they regrow?
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    If you left the main crown in the ground (where the stems grew from) they should regrow although if they're spring-flowering ones they might not flower this year. If you dug out the main crown just leaving some peripheral roots, I think the chance of regrowth is slim. I never heard of growing clematis from root cuttings (which is effectively what you'd have if the main crown is gone) but plants don't read the textbooks so I would leave what's left in the ground, and see what happens.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    edited December 2021
    It will depend on the clematis variety, how mature it is, and how much is left in the ground. 
    If it's a Group  2 or 3, you can also add a good mulch of compost over the plant, which will help it recover but also help it produce more new stems from below ground.
    It's the reason those types are planted deeper anyway.
    If it's an early variety, or any of the kind that like lighter, drier soils, don't do that.  :)

    The bit you've dug up might not regrow, but it's worth potting up and tucking somewhere for the winter and spring. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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