Clematis Vine Won't Grow! - Ask Extension
I've planted 4 different kinds of clematis vines in 3 different planters and NONE have performed well. On all of them the leaves end up going brown an...
Knowledgebase
Clematis Vine Won't Grow! #412050
Asked July 05, 2017, 8:56 PM EDT
I've planted 4 different kinds of clematis vines in 3 different planters and NONE have performed well. On all of them the leaves end up going brown and falling off. Usually it happens one strand of vine at a time. In the past 5 weeks there has been no new growth on any of them. The roots are shaded, the leaves get 6+ hours of light and I've been carefully monitoring the soil moisture. I also fed them after planting. Other types of plants in the same containers are thriving and doing well. Please help!
Philadelphia County Pennsylvania
Expert Response
Clematis fail to flower for the following reasons:
1) not enough sun - they need at least 6 hours of sun which you indicated they receive.
2) poor soil - you indicated that other plants are doing well and assuming you used the same soil that is less likely to be the problem.
3) plant age - clematis need at least 2-3 years to develop an appropriate root system before blooming. Is this the first year for your clematis?
4) soil nutrients - you indicated that you fertilized the plants. What was the fertilizer composition? High nitrogen content (first # on the label) will promote leaf growth at the expense of flowering.
5) pruning off the flower buds - pruning should not occur until after bloom in the spring or summer. If you pruned the plant last fall you may have pruned off the flower buds.
6) poor variety - some varieties are just poor bloomers. Can you share the variety you selected and and how old the plants might be?
7) wilt disease - the leaves blacken and fall off during the summer. The plant will survive but may sap the energy to bloom. You might want to continue to observe the health of the vines to see if the die back persists. If so, you may have wilt disease. The following link provides more detailed information on other clematis diseases and how to detect and treat them:
http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/clematis-diseases
1) not enough sun - they need at least 6 hours of sun which you indicated they receive.
2) poor soil - you indicated that other plants are doing well and assuming you used the same soil that is less likely to be the problem.
3) plant age - clematis need at least 2-3 years to develop an appropriate root system before blooming. Is this the first year for your clematis?
4) soil nutrients - you indicated that you fertilized the plants. What was the fertilizer composition? High nitrogen content (first # on the label) will promote leaf growth at the expense of flowering.
5) pruning off the flower buds - pruning should not occur until after bloom in the spring or summer. If you pruned the plant last fall you may have pruned off the flower buds.
6) poor variety - some varieties are just poor bloomers. Can you share the variety you selected and and how old the plants might be?
7) wilt disease - the leaves blacken and fall off during the summer. The plant will survive but may sap the energy to bloom. You might want to continue to observe the health of the vines to see if the die back persists. If so, you may have wilt disease. The following link provides more detailed information on other clematis diseases and how to detect and treat them:
http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/clematis-diseases
