I am new to clems and am interested in a good fertlizer and monthly feeding.
Thanks
Garyt
Please recomend a fertlizer schedule for clem
Here's a thread for you:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1177928/?hl=feeding+clematis
Here are more posts by JeanneTX, one of the major clematis growers here at Dave's Garden, regarding food and clematises in general:
JeanneTX
Willis, TX
(Zone 8b)
March 30, 2010
07:46 AM
Post #7666300
Quote
10-10-10- is a balanced fertilizer..Like I use the 13-13-13 often through out the growing season but in the Beginning of the season (when you see the leaf buds starting to green up) you should use a fertilizer like Rose or Tomato Fertilizer that has a high middle number ..the "P" in the N-P-K ratio because like Roses Clematis are heavy feeders and really respond to a higher "P"..so use one of those fertilizers now and AFTER it finishes its bloom cycle..NEVER use Rose or Tomato Fertilizer ONCE it has set flower buds as this will rush (Shorten) the bloom period..a flush of about 6 weeks will end up being a 2 week flush..and you know how we love to get each and every day of our blooms to last as long as possible..and they will love the composted cow manure you've put on them and don't forget your alfalfa tea!!
MORE:
JeanneTX wrote:
http://www.britishclematis.org.uk/qa_growing.htm
"Prune down to the lowest pair of growth buds in early Spring..then you pinch out the tops of each new shoot after it has grown 2 pair of leaves..Pinch out again once these new leave have also made two pair of leaves. If Growth also starts again from soil level, this too can be pinched out at the same two pair of leaves..just continues to repeat this process as often as you wish until mid-May, by which this time your plant will already have many branching stems instead of just one or two.Pinching out will obviously delay the start of flowering, but now you have blooms on much lower on the plant and no bare expanse of stems and also this can give you much better insurance against losing your new plant to wilt.Clematis wilt may still attack but now, because it is shorter and bushier the wilt may only affect a small portion of the plant"
..Clematis "H.F.Young" is one of the few clematis that build up a bushy plant without pinching..this I can attest with my "H.F.Young"
PLANTING DEPTH:
Sherry..plant your clematis 2-4 inches deeper than the pots they came in..if you don't have problems with critters then use bonemeal in the planting hole to help reduce transplant shock and to aid in the roots getting established..the main thing to remember is to keep your clematis MOIST..not SOGGY but moist..planting them deeper helps with this and also helps to create more vines from the soil...your clematis will require an area that gets at least 6 hours of sun to truly perform at their utmost.."Mrs. N. Thompson" gets about 6-61/2 feet tall..so you are correct..just a hint ...if a clematis is bad about fading..then 6 hours of morning sun is sufficient..none that you have are bad about fading...remember it's vital you keep your clematis moist during it's adaptation period.I go around and stick my finger in the soil around the clematis and if it seems to be drying out I water thoroughly..if a clematis should wilt..just prune the wilted vine to the soil-line and the biggest reason people lose their clematis is when they do wilt..they stop watering and that is the kiss of death..continue watering that bare spot and it will return..I've had some wilt and disappear for 2 years and still come back..another tip is to hard prune your pruning group 2's for the first two years..this will allow the plant to focus on growing a stronger root system to support all those vines in the future and not on growing vines...hope this helps...Jeanne
FOOD:
I, Like Pirl not only not do not measure when cooking but neither with my gardening..for I take a handful or two and toss out and water!! Same with Bonemeal,Rose Fertilizer and Epsom Salts!!..I generously dust the planting hole with Bonemeal..the bigger the hole..more Bonemeal!!..Jeanne
Pirl,
Jeanne mentions pinching until mid May. Obviously that is according to certain zones. Is there a rule of thumb that is more week related? How many weeks of pinching from the first pinches, maybe? I think the mid May would work for me, but it was a question that came up in my mind.
Thanks
Tom
Tom - I wouldn't pinch after mid May. I'm not aware of any rule of thumb more weekly related. You can see this thread
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1172801/ for the rate at which I pinched a clematis I grew indoors last year as a test. After the first pinching it seemed fast to see both stems (resulting from the pinching) grow new leaves. The next set of leaves were slower and the following set didn't emerge until mid July if my memory serves me correctly.