Clematis dying?

jaayceey · June 2023

Hello, hope someone can help. I am new to gardening, I planted this group 2 clematis a few weeks ago, I used 50/50 diamaceious and normal earth, potted I'm a thick clay pot, kept in semi shade and watered twice a week to avoid root rot. What have I done wrong and is there a chance of recovery? 2 new flowers are coming on top it looks like but a lot of the leaves are completely dead...I did feed it with tomato feed diluted about 2 weeks ago...
The clematis is daniel deronda. Thanks in advance!

DaveGreig · June 2023

Hi Jaayceey. I can’t comment on your potting mix which may be part of the problem, I don’t know. What I can say is that sometimes when we buy plants, they’ve been in the small pot too long and have become root-bound and stressed so may or may not recover. They’ll often throw a few flowers out as a last hurrah attempt to produce seed before they die when this is the case. I’ve learned this the hard way with clematis in the past.

You said you water twice weekly but you should only water a pot as the plant needs it. Because you have a gravel mulch this cuts evaporation down so reduces the need for watering especially with a young plant thats not sucking much up. Gravel also hides the soil surface so you can’t see if the compost is dry or wet. Overwatering can then become an issue. Feeding an already stressed plant is never a good idea either.

If I was growing clematis in a pot I’d use John Innes no 3 mixed 80/20 with a good compost. In reality though, I’d avoid growing them in pots altogether because they’ve never been happy when I’ve tried it.

jaayceey · June 2023

Thank you DaveGreig for your comprehensive answer, it's much appreciated. My neighbour did say clematis are hard to get going but I thought if I followed the rules I'd be OK. I didn't know that about the feeding when stressed I thought it would help, so that's handy to know too, thanks. I will do the finger test then before watering again and hopefully it has a chance, but yes I did get the feeling it was it's last burst of life before it passes too, ah well live and learn.

Obelixx · June 2023

Diatomaceous earth? No. It's an insecticide, not a planting medium.

Your clematis needs a a good, loam based soil such as John Innes no 3 mixed with 20 to 20% multi-purpose compost for moisture retention. You should have given the clematis a good soak and then planted it 2 to 3 inches/5 to 8 cms deeper than it was in its old pot as this encourages extra shoots to form so the plant grows stronger and more floriferous.

It also needs a decent sized pot, minimum 2'/60cms high and wide, and the pot needs to be out of full sun so the roots don't get cooked. Regular, deep watering is important as rainfall will never be enough except in winter when the clematis is dormant.

Give it 5 litres at a time and give it a saucer in hot weather so that the water doesn't just run through without wetting the compost. In winter, take away the saucer and raise the pot on pot feet or bricks to ensure good drainage. Every spring, add some slow release fertiliser for clematis, roses or tomatoes to renew soil fertility and give some occasional liquid feeds of rose, tomato or seaweed feed.

Fairygirl · June 2023

I agree with @Obelixx - a loam based medium which retains moisture well enough, but also has good drainage, so that mix will be too claggy and heavy. Grit mixed in with the growing medium helps prevent the growing medium being too heavy when potted.
They need a deep cool root run, so pots can often be harder to manage them in, depending on type.
It's often better to pot them on for a year too, in a suitable sized pot just a bit bigger all round than the one they've been in, if they've been smaller, younger specimens, rather than the well grown ones from reputable growers.

Clematis dying?

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