With their beautiful flowers, the strong-growing clematis are a wonderful eye-catcher. In the garden, on the terrace or on the balcony: the climbing plants look good everywhere. Provided, of course, that the hobby gardener cares for them properly. A lot can go wrong. In today's article we will take a closer look at the most common mistakes and the questions associated with them and explain how you can avoid them or solve the problem. Clematis care made easy!
Caring for Clematis: The most common mistakes
If the climbing plants don't bloom, then the question arises: why? This could not only be due to pests and diseases. Much more often this is a mistake made by the hobby gardener.
Yellow leaves and few flowers: wrong location
The clematis has a special location requirement: in nature it is mainly found in forest areas, where it is in full sun at the top and in partial shade at the bottom. In the home gardentolerates the clematisboth sun and partial shade. However, a place in light shade proves to be optimal. Another mistake that is often made is that the climbing frames are mounted directly on the wall of the house. However, it is much better to mount them at a distance of around 8 cm to 10 cm.
Here you will finda few ideas for climbing aids.
Clematis care mistakes: watering incorrectly
Good water supply is very important, especially for young plants. Clematis cannot tolerate drought well. The climbing plant has many fine roots that dry out quickly if there is not enough water. Then the plant begins to lose its leaves.
Caring for Clematis: Too much fertilizer
The clematis needs regular fertilization, but too much of a good thing can cause it to wilt. Over-fertilization is first noticeable on the leaf tips and young shoots. They yellow and die. In this case, acting quickly helps: First stop the fertilizer application, then water the plant well to flush out the excess fertilizer in the soil. If that doesn't help, the soil can be replaced (if planted in a container) or mixed with sand and nutrient-poor soil (if planted in the garden).
Ignore the cutting rules
The clematis plants are divided into three groups depending on the variety. The plants that belong to the first group are not cut back. The second group is made up of varieties that have a lightneed pruning. The third group is cut back heavily. To do this, the young plant must be cut close to the ground immediately after planting. This cut allows it to develop its roots first and not waste any energy on sprouting.
Choose unsuitable planting partners
The clematis cannot tolerate root competition well. Trees, shrubs and perennials with dense root networks can crowd out the sensitive climbing plant. A root barrier helps solve the problem.
Caring for Clematis: 5 Common Problems with Solutions
Clematis does not bloom, or rather only blooms at the top.Check which cutting group the respective variety belongs to. If the clematis is not pruned properly, the flower buds may also be removed and it will not bloom. Another possibility is that the location is too shady and only the upper parts of the plant receive sunlight.
Slimy sap is coming out of the trunk, what should I do?The red juice is a sign of bacterial infection. Injured areas or interfaces are susceptible to various bacteria. To prevent the spread, cut back the diseased shoots and dispose of them with household waste. Under no circumstances should you leave the shoots lying around or compost them.
The clematis leaves turn brown and fall off: what could be the problem?One possible cause is oneFungal disease. Signs of a Fusarium infestation include: mold on the trunk, one-sided wilting of the flowers, curling of the leaves.
Clematis has gray-black leaves and mold spots:The black leaves indicate wilt fungus. But what can you do about clematis wilt? The first step is to cut off all affected shoots and dispose of them with household waste.
Clematis has holes in the leaves:This is most likely due to caterpillars eating holes in the plant leaves. The most common are weevil caterpillars. In this case only one thing helps: TheCollect caterpillarsand relocate to another location. Another reason for eaten leaves is snails.
The plant has aphids:The earwigs eat aphids. An earworm hotel offers the possibility of quickly and easily transporting the beneficial insects to the infected climbing plant and then relocating them once they have eaten the aphids. The earwigs themselves also like to help themselves to the flowers of the clematis when there is no other source of food.
Clematis is a beautiful, flowering climbing plant. But proper care is crucial. This doesn’t just include fertilizing and watering. You should also check regularly for pests and diseases and prune the plant properly
