The Clematis (Clematis) is one of the most beautiful climbing plants ever. It beautifies gardens, house walls and fences with its pretty flowers, which bloom in white, pink, purple or even blue. So it's no wonder that people want to propagate their clematis. We explain exactly how this works below.
If you have onelush blooming clematisyou can easily propagate them and grow them both in pots and directly in the garden. We'll show you the best methods for propagation and give you tips on how to keep everything going well.
When is the right time for propagation?
The clematis is a hardy climbing plant that adorns many German gardens. For thePropagation of this plantThere is no restriction on time – you can do it all year round. And what's even better,compared to other plantsThe clematis is fairly easy to propagate. So you don't have to be a professional at all to do it well.
The easiest way: propagate clematis through cuttings
If you want to propagate your clematis through cuttings, you can do so all year round as long as the ground is frost-free. What you need:
- well developed mother plant
- sharp knife
- rooting hormone
- toothpick
- Garden needle or small stone
- optional: potting soil and plastic pots
Be careful that clematis root between leaf nodes, so with the lowering method, plant the shoot at the point between pairs of leaves, not at the node.
Preparation for propagation of clematis
To propagate clematis through cuttings, bury 4-inch plastic pots at the base of the mother clematis plant. You can also just use the garden soil. The vine you work with should be healthy and long enough to rest above the ground nearby. Place the pots under the sections of the shoot you want to propagate. Or place it along the surface of the soil where you want to leave it until it roots.
Cut the shoot open
Using a sharp knife, cut the shoot between two pairs of leaves. The cut should be about two centimeters long.
While holding the knife into the cut, slide a toothpick into the cut to separate the stem sides slightly. This will prevent the stem from healing before it has a chance to take root.
Then, using a small brush, coat the cut trunk with rooting hormone.
Dig in clematis cuttings
The pots are already placed in the ground around the base of the mother plants and filled with some moist potting soil. Or the soil is already loosened and ready for planting.
Now carefully press the cut part of the stem into the soil (be careful, clematis can break so easily) and cover it with more potting soil. This part is much easier in the ground than in a pot unless you have buried your pot.
You can use garden needles to hold the vine underground or use a rock heavy enough to do the job.
Wait until the shoot roots and forms leaves
Now comes the hard part: waiting and making sure the little pots don't dry out. (It can take all summer for cuttings to take root; some varieties root faster than others). Digging lightly into the soil and adding mulch will help the plant retain moisture.
How do you know that your young plants are rooted? You will see vigorous growth that shoots up. Good, strong growth. At this point, you can check for roots by carefully digging and checking the soil around the trunk area you layered.
Cut off cuttings and relocate the plant
Pull the small pots with the rooted clematis out of the ground and when you see that they are well rooted, separate them from the mother plant and you can now repot them into larger containers or plant them in their new location.
Propagating clematis through cuttings: This is how it works!
The second best method would be to propagate clematis through cuttings. Late spring or early summer is best suited for this, i.e. the months of May, June and July. This method works best on species with small flowers such as Clematis montana, Clematis alpina and Clematis viticella. We explain step by step below how to cut, plant and root the cuttings.
What you need:
- Clematis mother plant (older than two years)
- Plastic bag with wet paper towel
- 7cm pots with high quality potting soil
- Drip tray
- Rooting powder
- sharp knife and cutting board
- large ziplock bags
- Popsicle sticks or chopsticks
Please note that you must perform the following steps immediately after taking the cuttings, otherwise the cutting will die.
Propagate clematis by cuttings: cut off a healthy shoot
Add the potting soil to the pots, water thoroughly, top up the potting soil and water again. Place the pots on a drip tray and have a chopstick and a ziplock bag ready for each pot.
Clean your knife with rubbing alcohol and use it to cut off a healthy shoot from your plant. Cut the cutting just above a leaf node (the part of the stem from which two leaves grow).
Immediately place the cut end between warm, damp paper towels and place that end in the bag.
Preparing cuttings for planting
Cut the shoot into several pieces - first cut 2 cm above the pair of leaves. Then cut one of the leaves and make the final cut about 5 cm below the leaf junction.
Dip the prepared cuttings in the root activator and then place them in a pot of potting soil, leaning each cutting against the inside of the pot. Up to 4 cuttings fit in one pot. Cover the part of the stem with the rooting hormone with soil and press it lightly to remove any air pockets. Then water the clematis cuttings and additionally spray the leaves with water.
Cover clematis cuttings
The cuttings need a warm, humid climate, so place the pots in large ziplock bags or in amatching mini greenhouse. It takes around two to four weeks for roots to form.
Can you propagate clematis by seeds?
You can of course propagate the clematis plant by sowing. However, this method would not be recommended because it can take up to 3 years for the seeds to germinate and take root.
In summary, clematis is an easy plant to propagate, and offshoots and cuttings can result in beautiful young plants. You can do this all year round, even in winter as long as there is no frost.
Read about the most common mistakes when caring for clematis and how to avoid themin this article.
