Although the clematis Jackmanii leaves have turned entirely yellow the nearby Lonicera sempervirens (native honeysuckle) has not been affected and is blooming well. Can someone suggest an organic remedy?
Help please, clematis Jackmanii leaves have turned yellow
need more detail. age of plant, size of plant. fertilizer history . did it bloom this year yet? etc
honeysuckle is so different in there are little requirements for fertilizer and they can thrive in drought if established.
more detail please for diagnostics.
Yellowing leaves is generally a sign of one of three things..
1.Too much water
2. Magnesium Deficiency
3. Iron Deficiency
Can you rule out the "too much water"?
If so ..are they solid yellow or yellow with green veins...Jeanne
Thanks niobe and Jeanne for your quick response.
The Jackmanni has been in place for 5 years. Last year mid season it started to show signs of yellowing leaves with green veins. I added extra compost as a side dressing with Greensand and sprayed it with a seaweed and fish emulsion. Although it looked better the yellowing was spreading slowly so I used a planrt spike of "Ironite Plus" 12-10-10. The yellowing seemed to stop although some of the lower leaves didn't entirely recover.
This year the vine started out with green leaves that quickly turned yellow, some are solid yellow. So far I only sprayed the leaves with seaweed. The Jackmanii has not bloomed yet.
I added the Lonicera sempervirens 2 years ago.
This corner area along the driveway does suffer when it rains really hard and continuously. The water washes through that corner and puddles on the side walk in front of the fence. I thought the rain might be washing away nutrients.
On the opposite end of this narrow fence garden, about 10 ft. away. is a healthy Etoile violette twined through a Autumn Sunset Rose. Underneath is a beautiful full "Caramel' Heuchera. The Heuchera under the Jackmanii has dwindled in size and vigor.
Here's a photo of the leaves.
Soils will eventually be depleted of nutrients if you don't renew them...I topdress all my flowerbeds yearly with a couple inches of Composted Cowmanure and Compost ONTOP of last years mulch..then I add a couple inch layer of mulch ontop of the newly applies Composts..(In the forest floors the same thing happens with leaves falling and decomposing year after year) What happens when religiously following this regime is the worms in your soil will till in the decomposed mulch and compost into your old soil..feeding the micro-organism and rejuvenating the soil with vital nutrients that your plants can access..I have very rich soil from this and very vigorous healthy plants..In early spring I will broadcast with my handfeeder some 13-13-13 all over my flowerbeds before putting down my new compost and mulch...I would sprinkle some Epsom Salts around your clematis and water in ..or you can put a couple tablespoons of Epsom Salts in your watering can and stir and then water them...Hope this has helped...Jeanne
add a half a beer and 2 tblsp epson salt to 2 gallons of water. top dress for sure. if needed so this and also prune back to 3 nodes form the ground and let it regrow.
why beer?
Beer or Molasses are a sugar/yeast form that helps feed the micro-organisms in the soil..they won't aide with the yellowing of the leaves IMHO..Jeanne
This link may help you as well. http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/clematis/faq.htm#q8
Thanks for the link Shirley.
I tried everything suggested for the last 2 years, added a raised edging that diverts the rain, 2 years of compost, mulch, Epsom salt, organic fertilizer and I have a beautiful blooming clematis that is huge but..... the leaves still turn yellow.
Now what?
I don't know much, but that just looks like chlorosis to me. Poor plant drainage, pesticides, herbicides, compacted roots, iron deficiency are some causes, but there can be others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorosis
Kathy
Here's another thread about Jackmanii leaf chlorosis. This isn't you is it?
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/clematis/msg0601290320867.html
And this from a horticulturist site:
"Can you tell me why my clematis leaves are turning yellow? Also, how do I get my Christmas cactus to bloom? (Wimbledon, N.D.)
A. Classical symptoms of manganese (Mn) deficiency! Could be brought on by poor drainage or low organic matter content in the soil. Another possibility could be excess iron being available from a chelated form being applied.
When the interveinal chlorosis shows up on older foliage like this, and the new growth appears normal, it is manganese deficiency. Iron deficiency shows the same symptoms, but on the new growth only.
What to do? There are several manganese formulations available. I would suggest looking for a Mn EDTA chelate or an organic complex. This is a trace or micro-element, so not much is needed. If you have not mulched the clematis with peat moss or compost, I'd suggest doing so."
Here's the link to the site: http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/flowers/clematis.htm