Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Clematis dead and alive

peteSpeteS Posts: 966
in Plants
My clematis viticella's leading shoot has suddenly flopped over, gone limp and is dying. It reached about 2 feet before doing so, yet there are a number of shorter shoots growing from it, lower down which are alive. I've had it for about 15 years now, but never seen anything like this.

Posts

  • StevedaylillyStevedaylilly Posts: 1,102
    edited May 2020
    Hi 
    Sound like Clematis Wilt
    I would cut back to ground level, just above the new growth. Give it a good watering plus a foliar feed and hopefully it will sprout back from the new growth 

  • peteSpeteS Posts: 966
    I've had a good look at it just a few minutes a go, and whatever the brown outer layer is called on the stem of a clematis, it has been eaten all the way round by snails, just below where it has died, maybe the equivalent of ring barking on a tree. But it's just a guess.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Molluscs are the most common reason for what you've described, especially if there are other healthy stems growing.
    Always worth tracing the damaged stem back - which is what you've done. A pain. Is it the main stem? A young plant?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • StevedaylillyStevedaylilly Posts: 1,102
    Yes, slugs and snail will love new growth 
    Put some slug pellets down if it’s safe to do so 
  • Richard HodsonRichard Hodson Posts: 790

    It will be beneficial long term, just chop it hard back to below the damaged area, you should then see 2 new shoots appear soon, keep it well watered, put the hosepipe on for 10 minutes, viticellas need water, and they don't get wilt.


Sign In or Register to comment.