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freaky-clematis

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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,053

    It has been very hot this summer and clematis like their thick, fleshy roots deep and cool so maybe they've just been too baked and too thirsty.

    Try giving them a really good soak until you're sure the compost is damp all the way through and then give them a feed of liquid tomato food to try and perk them up.  Next spring, feed them with specialist clematis food and make sure they have enough to drink all through the growing season.

    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
  • Thanks obelixx.  Would all purpose Liquid Miracle-Gro work as well, as I don't have any tomato food?

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,053

    I don't know as Ii've never used it but it's worth a try. Just make sure the pots are good and damp first as putiing food enriched water in dry pots can burn the roots and inflict further damage.

    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
  • Ah!  Perhaps you've put your finger on the underlying cause of the freakiness, obelixx!  I didn't know that you shouldn't put food enriched water into dry pots!  image

  • I had the same happen to one of mine, with the flowers looking the same and the leaves turning black.I had some aphids on it so I sprayed, fed and watered. The whole plant looks sad now and I'm wondering if I should cut it back a bit. But then maybe new growth would be damaged once it turns cold. Never had this problem before, through years of growing clems.

  • Hello DD - nice to know someone else has had the same problem as me!

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,053

    I think it's been a funny year for clems.  Some of mine are romping away and I have three "Lazarus" clems that have just started to grow after playing dead all year but others are struggling to grow to their usual size and have feeble flowers.

    I had surgery to fix both feet earlier in teh year so wasn't able to get out and train the new growth when it started in earnest but I did manage to feed them all and do slug and snail treatments at Easter.

    I don't think a long, cold, wet spring did them any favours and then going to heatwave conditiuons and being baked for so long in July may have shocked them a bit.    i suggest trimming out any dead stems, dead heading as much as possible and then hoping for better things next year - along with lashings of proper clematis food in spring. 

    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
  • granmagranma Posts: 1,931

    This year  my Clemetis in a pot started to look realy poorly its one I put in 2 yr ago . I cut it back to soil level and gave it water each day  .It was not long before it sent up thick new growth . But mine could have been Clemetis wilt . 

  • I think you find it is because of irratic watering,How do I know because I have the problem because I have not been able to keep the watering everyday up during this hot weather.They need alot of water and feed when flowering.image

  • My clematis, like yours, has some parts going brown and dying, despite this summer, having loads and loads of flowers. Have made sure the garden was watered on dry days. Could it be ants? Some of petals are curling.

    I have another clematis at the front, in full sun, which I put into a bigger pot and it had loads of flowers, but now something has eaten every single leaf! Can't see any insects. This one has smaller pink flowers.

     

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