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clematis from pot to ground
I would like to transfer a clematis from a pot into the ground. It's a viticella type and has been in the pot for well over ten years, but still grows well enough. The pot is about 13inches diameter, slightly less in depth, but I very much suspect it will be considerably pot bound and therefore a sod to get out, so quite a bit of damage to the roots and brittle stems would be inevitable (don't fancy breaking a nice pot). So how much damage to the roots can a clematis take and still survive.

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Use an old bread knife to slice up and down the insides of the pot to loosen the small roots that cling to the slightly rougher inside wall. It might take a while but eventually you'll get the whole thing loose enough to pull out.
When you prepare the planting hole make it twice as wide and deep as the pot and then put some soil back in the base mixed with well-rotted manure or some good soil conditioner. tease out the roots at the base and sides and plant the whole thing so hat it's a 3 or 4 inches - 8 to 10cm - deeper than it was. Back fill and cover over with more soil and manure/conditioner and then water thoroughly. Keep it watered all thru the spring and summer and give it occasional feeds of liquid rose or tomato feed thru spring and up to mid summer.