Is there a way to take a cutting and make a new plant from it, and will the new plant be identical to the original?
My mom has one that I'd like to have also but we don't want to dig around it, afraid of killing it.
how to root clematis from cuttings?
Don't cut the stem from the mother plant. Use a pot filled with good soil and lay down the stem of the clematis. You want to VERY GENTLY scrape the bark (a fingernail is okay) at one or two nodes (where a leaf was - and if there's a root there you have to remove it). Bury the stem with an inch or two of soil on top, then mulch, then a brick, a rock or something with weight to it. It will form a new plant identical to the mother plant. Leave it there until at least November, then check to see if it has roots. Personally, I'd wait a year but many of us just don't want to wait that long.
The stem you want to layer can't be brand new or very old so wait until it's done flowering to try it and please keep the soil damp, not drenching wet.
Just post if you have more questions and I'll be happy to try and help you.
Good luck. We clematis lovers will all be "rooting" for you.
wow that tests the patients meter lol
So they will not root from cuttings using root hormone like some plants do?
Question, why do you have to remove a piece of root at the two nodes if there is one?
Here's a clematis I found growing last year, left it in place for a year and dug it up last Saturday. It had over a year to develop roots, had nice cool soil and I expected a great set of roots after an entire year. You can see how tiny the roots ended up being. I potted it up with two other self-seeded clematises. Now they are all entirely black so my attempt either failed or they will produce new growth - time will tell.
Taking an actual cutting and using rooting hormone powder is just not as highly a recommended way to produce a new plant but you have nothing to lose by giving it a try. Why not take 5 or 6 cuttings to improve your chances? Cuttings will not harm the mother plant at all.
