I planted Barbara Harrington almost a month ago on the south end of the house where several other clems are located including EV, Mrs Chummie, and Mrs. N. Thompson. Barbara is one of the good SSV clems with a beautiful root system and grew about 2 ft and has buds at the top. The last few days she has been wilting, whereas the clem next to her has not.
My question is should I cut the entire stem off, or just the leaves? There is one more stem about 2 inches long out of the ground with 2 leaves, so I don't think the plant is dead. With our horrible heat wave, I've been watering more than usual. Do you think I've overwatered, or does BH have problems in full Fla. sun?
I figured this would happen sooner or later, as I've had a lot of beginner's luck with a lot of clems. I have to learn to take the bad with the good. Just how frequently should I be watering with this unusually hot weather? We've had NO rain.
Barbara is wilting!
BH can be tempermental i have heard. mine has not been. (yet)
you can try cutting the leaves and some stem off and see if the remainder of the vine perks up, but in most cases it will not. no harm in trying to see if reducing the area that needs support from the plant helps it support what is left.
if you are overwatering there should be other signs, such as yellowing vs browning leaves.....the soil should be draining and feel dry at the top to tell you it is ready for more water.
sounds like one of those clem things that you will get very familiar with as you build your collection sharkey!
Thank you, CG. I'm going out there with my clippers right now. I knew you were on a trip and didn't know if you would be available to give advice, so I also e-mailed Debbie. She said she didn't think it is the dreaded "wilt" and to prune it. You're right. I have a lot to learn, much of which only comes with experience.
I also found some little white dots on the lower leaves of what's left of either Nelly or Fireworks. I had given them partial prunes. They were planted together last year--no collar. I'm sure that as the summer goes on, I'll find more and more insect damage or problems to deal with.
But, it's nice to have you people available when I feel like panicking.
Thanks again.