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Larvae ID (on my clematis)

prayerawcxQCoCmprayerawcxQCoCm Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Hello, I'm an inexperienced gardener, so maybe this is very obvious for some of you. But here it goes:
One of my clematis has been suffering for some weeks now, with the leaves going brown and dry. And in the past week I've found three of these larvae, hidden between leaves that it glued together. When I squeeze the larvae, it has a bright green-yellowish liquid inside. 

Do you have an idea what it is? And perhaps how to get rid of it?
Thanks in advance!
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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Can't help with the critter - but someone will know.

    Please try giving your clematis a generous drink to stop it going any crispier.  They are very hungry thirsty plants and some areas have had a very dry April and May and others have had little rain over the summer.  Give it 10 litres a day, poured in slowly so it soaks in, and do this every day for a week and then every 2 or 3 days till the autumn rains set in.

    Once the ground is good and wet in autumn, give it a mulch of well-rotted garden manure round the base and then again next spring.   This will provide nutrients to teh roots and help lock in moisture.  You can also add a handful of specialist clematis feed in spring.  prune as normal for its group.  Keep it watered in future dry spells.
    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
  • prayerawcxQCoCmprayerawcxQCoCm Posts: 7
    Thanks for that, I'll make sure they are well watered and fed. I live in Manchester, so rain is quite abundant here, whether I like it or not haha. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Rain doesn't always penetrate the canopy of plants, so you can't assume that water is getting to where it's needed.
    However, it's also perfectly natural for old foliage to die off, depending on the variety and time of flowering.

    @wild edges might be able to ID the larvae. Clematis aren't terribly prone to a lot of serious insect problems. Biggest problem is usually from slugs and snails. There are  sawflies around at this time of year, so it could be something like that. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    It's a moth chrysalis but I can't tell you what kind sorry. 
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • prayerawcxQCoCmprayerawcxQCoCm Posts: 7
    Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. My clematis are quite young, only 2-3 years old. So not a large canopy. But it's something I should keep in mind for the future.
  • prayerawcxQCoCmprayerawcxQCoCm Posts: 7
    wild edges said:
    It's a moth chrysalis but I can't tell you what kind sorry. 
    Thank you, that's a start. Are they usually damaging to the plant, do you know?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Never in my experience but thirst will seriously affect its development and vigour.
    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
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It certainly shouldn't be dry and crispy if it's a young plant, so if it is, it's highly likely that it's lack of water as already described.  :)
    However, it's also important to know which type it is so that the pruning is done at the right time etc, which also helps promote new healthy growth, and new stems. Other planting nearby will also affect water uptake. If it's in a pot, it's even more important.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • prayerawcxQCoCmprayerawcxQCoCm Posts: 7
    That's interesting. I have 3 types of clematis in my garden. The Amber are doing very well. The Fleuri are doing ok (but suffered during the heatwave - maybe the water I gave them was not enough).
    And the Vagabonds are ok-ish but with a tendency of dry leaves. With the hero of our post really suffering. Maybe they do need way more water than I've been giving them.

    So you all seem to think the dryness is not from the larvae (which is actually a chrysalis), but from good ol' lack of water. I would hope that's the case, it's so much easier to sort out
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Is the Amber, the koreana one? They prefer dry conditions, so that tells you your ground is quite dry.
    I struggle with them here - too wet. 
    The Vagabond is a Group2 and will certainly do less well if it's dry. 
    Not familiar with Fleuri. 
    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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