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Clematis Wilt?
lloydkinsella
Posts: 8
We bought two different varieties of Clematis and they spent a few weeks sat in their pots before I had chance to plant them.
I've planted them and one doesn't seem to be going anywhere, the other is sending out new shoots and one climbed pretty vigourously but now I'm seeing darkening leaves and some dead ones in places.
Is this Clematis wilt? How do I recover from this?
As a novice all advice welcome.
0
Posts
I thought mine had wilt, as that's all most websites will tell you, but it didn't feel quite right - after 2 years of chopping them back to ground level, I noticed some new front at the bottom - it turns out the stems and lower leaves were probably just affected by the cold winter wind.
There are some hideously knowledgeable folks on this forum though, I'm no clematis expert! 😊
I think it is much more likely that they are short of water even if you feel you have given them gallons. High winds have also been a problem for young leaves and shoots.
I'd say you've planted them a wee bit close to that fence; while it might not be as drying as a wall with footings, it's still surprising how little moisture gets to the plant.
There's also the possibility that the damage was already done while they sat in their pots waiting, or when they were planted - you did soak the root ball and splay out the bigger roots, didn't you?
They need loads of water in their first year of planting, you simply can't rely on rainfall to give them what they need
"you did soak the root ball and splay out the bigger roots, didn't you?" no I just put them straight into the ground :S
Sounds very like a shortage of moisture. If you only water new/young plants by that amount, they don't get their roots down properly, and it can do more harm than good. Clematis have deep root systems, and need room, and a good depth of soil to achieve that. It helps them in future - both for staying well enough hydrated, and for their general health and production of new growth.
Slugs/snails can easily damage growth too- as most of us who grow clematis know only too well! That then causes stems to wither and die back. Even stems rubbing against supports in rough weather can cause damage. I get a lot of that through the growing season, so a double whammy.
It could be a combination of both lack of water and molluscs. The joys of growing plants
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Viticellas which are group three are resitant to wilt.
Suprised that you have had to resort to slug pellets there are alot of pebbles. I would go out with a torch afterdark and hunt them out. Clematis like a deep cool root run, once established over a few seasons they will flower well.
I think GC's and nurseries should suggest to their customers, plunge your new plants in a bucket of water to cover the compost and leave a while before you plant.