I have a couple of #2 pruning that I planted this summer. I cut them back when I planted them and they are now about 4 foot tall. I know that #2s don't get pruned all the way back, but I was wondering, since this is their first year, would it be best to prune back to the ground this winter - you know, for the sake of the roots? What do you all do?
Thanks for any responses. Dathen
Cutting back new #2s
I'd probably take the chicken's way out and cut back every other stem. I don't have that luxurious growth so I just leave them.
Hi Dathen,
I think I would leave your #2 clematis alone. Old man winter will do the pruning for you I am afraid. You can also google your question and get some info from the Web.
This message was edited Sep 28, 2009 2:28 PM
Here's a very good pruning link that actually divides the information between newly planted and established clematis:
http://www.britishclematis.org.uk/pruning.htm
We used to have a very informative person on the clematis forum that was also the same zone as you and I are. And she would say the same thing to your question. Leave them alone and old man winter will have his way. We are expected to have a very harsh winter this year. We may find all of the clematis will be pruned for us.
Hi Dathen,
I have always pruned back the first late winter/ early spring for newly planted clems. You will lose the early blooms but gain a fuller, bushier clem in the long run. You could also "eyeball" what's coming up in the spring. If it's already showing many vines emerging, you could opt to leave it alone. If it's a solitary vine or two, give it a nip to spur additional root and vine growth. Hope this helps :)
Thanks to all of you for your help. I thought that I would find good information here. With the wind, dark sky, and 52 degree temperature here today, it reminds me that clean-up time before winter is getting shorter and it won't be long before I have to make that decision. What happened to summer?
Thanks again - I am very appreciative.
Dumb question but in zone 5 I consider late winter the end of March. Is that to late to cut back? I usually don't uncover my hydrangeas and roses until at least the very end of March.
Not too late. I'm in zone 7 and try to cut back in mid-March.
Oh, I'm not sure. I was thinking that I needed to cut back after the "first" freeze, but I've never done it before. I only started with clematis this year. I've had 3 Ville de Lyon for 5 years or so, and knowing nothing about clematis, I had never cut them back before - never. I cut them back in July this year and had rebloom for the first time. I was planning on cutting them back again after the ground had frozen - no?
I always think of St. Patrick's day as the beginning of spring because that's when I can expect to see the first robin, but you're probably right. I'm hearing you say that you don't cut back until after winter. . . .is that right?
I've read that they should be pruned back the first couple of years, more like 3's but not necessarily to the ground. IIRC, they said to prune gradually less severely then let them go in year 3 or 4, depending on how they look.
But I'm afraid we won't have to prune them much. Are you getting blown over every time you go outside too? It stinks.
all my clems are new this year so I guess I am willing to forgo early blooms if it means healthier plants in the long run.
gg: Thanks for the information. Yes, the wind is pretty bad - I am not ready for this yet.
book:: Looks as if we may not see many blooms until 2011. But who knows, plants can surprise, maybe they'll all bounce back from their pruning and bloom their pretty little heads off.
Hoping for something late in the season anyway.
There was someone, it might have been Jeanne, who said she had to have a martini before venturing forth into the clems with clippers firmly in hand. I remember getting such a giggle from that post, but it taught me not to be afraid to snip, snip, snip, although there may be some delayed gratification.
Dathen
The first year or two, you want to cut back all your clems to the first or second node. You want to encourage root development in order to have nice bushy plants. I remember Jeanne telling us, that you want to do this about the time the forsythia starts to bloom - I do mine a little sooner than that only because by that time of year, I have the gardening bug pretty badly. Yes, the first year or two, you are sacrificing the blooms, however, you want to encourage a nice root system along with as many vines coming up from the soil as possible.
Early April, I start with my fertilizer and scratch that into the soil - use either a tomato fertilizer or a rose fertilizer. You are a half a zone colder than I am, so you may want to adjust by a couple of weeks.
Remember, clems are sleep, creep, leap plants so don't expect alot in your first year or so.
This must be why I don't have very many stems/vines coming up from the Ville de Lyon that have been in the ground forever. There is not more than 3 or 4 vines on each of them. They bloom beautifully, but they are not thick. It will be interesting to see if they are bigger next year.
I think I need to quit checking every day to see how they're doing and not be disappointed if they aren't growing as fast as I expect. :)
Forsythia will be easy to remember - thanks.
Thank all of you so much.
Dathen
You can always try a tablespoon of Epsom Salts in a gallon of tepid water. The ES causes "more basal break" (more stems) and it also works for roses. The big greenhouse growers out here incorporate ES into their irrigation systems.
I had bought some ES, but wasn't real sure about the "why" of using it. Thanks - I'll give it a try. My roses (only a few because I'm a little afraid of roses) could use some help too.
Here's an article on ES: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/life/homegarden/garden_homegarden/gardencolumns/article_2011732.php
Too many people confuse it with table salt but it's not the same thing at all. It's magnesium and sulfur. Professionals do state to have your soil PH checked. The ES works for me.
Dathen -
It works for all 3 pruning groups when you first plant your clems. Then after the first year or two, prune both pruning groups 1 and 2 as they are supposed to be pruned and continue to cut back your pruning group 3 in the early Spring.
This is Madame Julia Corravon. She is only 3-4 years old and she was one of those little liner pots for about $5. As you can see, she has a number of stems/vines that produce flowers.
Pirl - I don't use Epsom salts, but am more than interested in using it. How long have you been using it and have you seen a very big difference since you started using the ES?
Dathan
Here is a pruning group 2 - Gillian Blades - this is her 2nd year. - I expect great things from her next year!
Your clems are lovely, Carolyn.
I do notice a big difference with roses and there are more stems on the clems but still not as many as the clem by the compost pile, which leads me to believe compost is their favorite food.
Arlene
Thank you - I don't have a compost pile, but it makes me wonder if my clems would be better if I did have one. I know on the Orchid Cactus forum, they were telling me how banana peels & tea leaves make great fertilizer, which just backs up the idea regarding compost....
Carolyn, I noticed the fence behind your MJC, do you use a support in front of the fence or have you found a satisfactory way of tying directly to the fence? I have lots of fence ;)
We have six active compost bins and we're now at the point where it's almost hard to use it all. I'll have to make that a New Year's resolution because the plants do benefit from it.
Venue
DH put up chicken wire like netting for me on the fence. He then nailed a board over the top of the horizontal slats on the fence to help keep the netting in place. I have a stockade fence on 2 sides with this type of set up covering most of the fencing.
Venue - what kind of clem is in your picture? It is beautiful.
That is a gorgeous clem, Louise. Sorry I didn't comment on it earlier.
Venue
What I neglected to say in my post is that most of the clems grow right through the set up I have with very little help from me. It isn't until you get to the ones that need a bit of help, such as Roguuchi, that I really need to tie them.....
I think I'm going to try setting up something like that on my fence. The clem in the picture is Asao and she got fat enough to wander over and use the base of a wisteria to climb on in addition to the trellis.
By the way, I just realized that Asao is a perfect example of a group 2 that got an early and hard prune.
Thanks Carolyn and Pirl. Gillian looks great!!
Carolyn and Venu - Well, I am definately convinced that pruning makes a difference. If I could ever grow clematises to be as luscious as those, I'd be one happy camper. Not only the blooms, but the leaves and vines look extremely healthy. It's pictures like those that make me want to keep trying.
Pirl, that was a good article on ES and I am going to try it. Do you keep using it during fall when things are slowing down? Or do you just do spring and summer?
I don't have compost either....other than leaves. I buy bags of "a balance of manure and compost". I know that can't be as good.
This is such good information - I'm sure that it will help many of us.
I use it for the first spring feeding and then other plants demand my attention, dathen.
I add a little ES and liquid iron to water in every time I transplant anything now-our soil is so alkaline it doesn't seem like the poor plants get any magnesium or iron. It made such a big difference when I used it on plants already in that were looking a little yellow in the leaves. More clem stems is icing on the cake.