Hi clematis experts! I need you in my life, as I keep having the poor things die on me. (One Ernest Markham, one Betty Balfour.)
Today I happened upon a Rhapsody in a 4" pot. It's 8" tall, but has been cut (probably for shipping). The sales clerk told me it was a one-year-old plant.
Question: Is it too young to plant out? Should I keep it in a (larger) pot for the summer?
We have clayey alkaline soil. The days are very long now. It's still light at 10:00 pm.
Very young clematis - plant out or not?
If it was me I would repot it to a one-gallon pot with some bonemeal in the new pot..Dig a hole, either where you wish for it to finally reside..making sure that spot will get water either from your sprinkler system or where you will remember to water it..for clematis NEED to have their soil stay moist..NOT SOGGY but moist to flourish..drop the pot in that hole and bring the soil back up around the pot keeping the soil level the same as in the pot as in your gardens.You can let it grow and see a bloom then HARD PRUNE it to above either the second or 1st leaf axil (For it is imperative you force your baby plant to focus on growing a stronger rootsystem than vines its first year)..When potting up to the one-gallon pot MAKE SURE you plant it DEEPER than the itty liner pot it came in making sure you get the 1st leaf axil buried under the soil for this will root as well and create a bigger stronger clematis in the future...pull the pot up this fall and if you see roots coming out of the bottom, then you know it is strong enough to survive your garden.I can't stress how important it is to keep your clematis moist..I use the finger test almost daily in the soil around my clematis and if it is drying out then I water...having a sunken pot does two things..One it keeps the roots contained to receive the moisture and grow better and secondly a sunken pot stays more moist than just sitting it somewhere on a table etc...Jeanne
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to tell me all this, Jeanne.
Should the gallon pot be plastic? I'm guessing it should because I live in an arid climate (12" annual precip and low humidity). But if I put it in its intended location, it will have a dripline dripper on it. That might be too much water, in which case a peat or clay pot would be better.
Things grow fast because of the long days. They get lots of light because of the elevation (4200') and lack of cloud cover. So I'm thinking of giving it an east wall of our house, for afternoon shade. Would it prefer more than 6 hours of sun?
You are so welcome..NEVER use clay pots..especially if they aren't glazed on the inside for Clay will always SUCK out the moisture in the soil..Yes, I use plastic pots..and always save and use over and over again..Remember that clematis are alot like Roses..to flourish and give you the their ultimate performance they must receive at LEAST 6-8 hours of sun. They both love rose or tomato fertlizer and the pruning group 3's are pruned the same time you prune your roses in late winter/early fall or as I like to say when the Forsythias are in bloom...Jeanne
ps..I have several potted clematis on drip systems under my pergola..so as long as the soil will drain well..that will be great
This message was edited Jun 9, 2010 10:32 AM
This message was edited Jun 9, 2010 10:33 AM
OK, very good to know. Must find a different location with more sun... must find a spot that is well amended (otherwise it's clay)... have tomato fertilizer on hand ...
Thank you kindly!
Anytime...we are glad to have you here and will gladly help you whenever you need it!!...Jeanne
OK, little Rhapsody has been growing happily, and now this:
So it's time to cut off almost all the foliage? There is a 26" stem, a 12" stem, and several short ones.
What a sweet baby!!..Congrats...after blooming you can prune down each vine right above the 2nd or 3rd leaf axil and let alone for the year...Jeanne
I just potted up my new arrivals with the intention of keeping them in the house over the winter. I now know that they need to go outside for the winter and need to re pot in plastic pots and treat according to the info in the posts above. Thanks Jeanne.
Teri
Hi Jeanne, I just pulled up the pot, and there are roots coming out the bottom. So now I'm going to take it out of the pot and plant it a tad deeper than it was. Anything else?
When do I stop watering? We've had a few freezing nights, and the leaves are coming off the trees. We just pulled up the tomatoes and peppers, at least two weeks later than usual. It's been dry dry dry for the last month. No precip.
Picante, if you have compost to put in the planting hole, you clem will appreciate that mucho. Many clem pros also suggest planting it at a slight angle, about 45 degrees towards the structure you want it to grow on. If you are still having warm daytime temps, I would continue to water if it's been abnormally dry. Hydrated roots will help the plant to acclimate to the freezing temps.
Hi Teri! Last year I did a little experiment. I had fifteen young (2 year old) clems. I planted 5 out in the garden and the remaining I left in small pots on the deck nestled close to the house. As you know we had a wicked winter last year, but all the clems did great. There was no difference between the potted clems and the "in ground" clems. I didn't try any indoors, they would probably have done okay, but clems do like their dormancy period to rest up for their spring flush.