I bought this clematis plant at a local Loblaws garden center for really cheap, I didn't know what they are supposed to look like at the time. All the ones they had looked the same and some were completely dead. Later I bought a second one and the leaves were a nice green and there were remains of the flowers still attached. This one however never changed much and in fact some leaves near the base have dried up and fell off. Even though I water it daily. I haven't found a place for it in the ground before winter so I transplanted it to a bigger container and watered it with some miracle grow in case of nutritional deficiency. I was reading today about clematis disease and found something that resembled the leaves on my plant, which was some kind of fungal disease. Do you think it has a fungal disease? Whatever it is, do you think it will recover?
I do think this clematis can recover and thrive. It would help to know its name before giving further advice. Also for you to tell more specifically where in Canada you live because the hardiness of most plants depends on where you are growing them.
I fully agree with what Margot requested !!! In addition, I think that very often the problems of plants depend on cultivation errors and it is therefore necessary that your cultivation method is in line with the indications provided for this plant. The first golden rule for successfully cultivating clematis is: "HEAD TO THE SUN AND FOOT TO THE SHADOW". They love the light, although they prefer to have the root system arranged in a shaded area. To have luxuriant plants, you need to choose a position in the garden where they can have their roots in fresh, moist and fairly drained soil, without stagnation of water and enjoy a bright or sunny position depending on the cultivar. It is good practice for clematis in pots to place a perennial or seasonal plant at the base of the clematis that will shade the foot during the hottest hours. It is sufficient that this has a minimum height of about 40-50 cm, as long as it does not have roots that compete with the roots of the clematis. Clematis develop the root system in depth, therefore they need deep containers, depending on the specimens to be planted, which are 35 to 50 cm high, preferably in earthenware. It is important to take care of the drainage of the pot bottom with pebbles or expanded clay, about 2 cm, in order to prevent the roots from stagnating water, make sure that the holes in the bottom of the pot are sufficiently large, avoid saucers otherwise raise the pot with shims. Clematis require consistent watering in case of drought seasonal trends. In general, it should be watered regularly from spring to autumn. Since it is important that the roots are well wetted, many people bury a PVC tube in the pot that reaches them and that is where they pour the water. To promote flowering it is necessary to carry out regular and continuous fertilization during the vegetative phase. In fact, fertilizer for flowering plants is added to the water every 10-12 days for watering. Only after having ascertained that the correct cultural indications have been followed can we think that plants that have a generalized dryness as their only evident symptom may be "sick". Since we are talking about Clematis, the fungal disease you say you have read about could be Clematis wilt a disease of clematis caused by the fungus Calophoma clematidina (syn Phoma clematidina, Ascochyta clematidina). It must be said, however, that the leaves of your plant are dry but not withered and that Wilt is a rapidly developing pathology and, for this reason, it would be useful to know how long the plant began to dry out.
I live in Toronto, the clematis name is "Asao". It has been in this condition since I purchased it probably 3 weeks at least. The container it came in had a fine mulch layer about one inch thick covering the base of the plant. At the store it was under those bright partial shade outdoor canopy, not direct sun, when I brought it home it was exposed to direct sun for at least 4 hours of the day and it has been very hot here this year, today it was 31C. I noticed also when watering the drainage is very fast so a lot of water I apply exits rapidly at the bottom of container. And yes I was referring to clematis wilt. I have to also mention that when I visited the garden center again a few days ago I noticed a lot more of the clematis they had are withered, the leaves are all shriveled and brown ready to come off the stem. They were plants that looked like mine originally. I can't tell if they water the plants regularly, I'm going to go back this weekend and ask them why these clematis they are selling look like are all dying/dead. I could ask for a refund if it will be a lost cause. If it can recover I will try and revive it.
@sjs good morning, just saw this. Firstly, yours is an early flowering Clematis, so it is gradually winding down now and concentrating on it's roots for next Spring. Secondly your placement in that much sun is not doing it any favours at all. The old adage of feet in the shade and the top in the sun is fine. But direct heat of 31° C it will not tolerate for too long at all. At the store you say it was given some shade, so there is your answer. Garden centres know where to keep their plants looking their best to attract customers. If you replicate this, then it has a fighting chance. One thing that has been mentioned recently from Ron I believe, is that you should avoid buying these cheap sickly plants. Sometimes they just do not survive. The fast exit of water IMO is showing the compost has disappeared over the months at the garden centre and that the roots are unable to take up the moisture. I would be considering checking to see if it is root bound and repotting with a quality compost. Everything that @Margot and @Arlette have advised I totally agree with btw. Just thought I would add my opinion.
I don't grow clematises in containesrs, but I still think, that watering daily is way too often. I usually water my clematises maybe 5-7 times during the whole season. And I have very sandy soil, that drains quickly.
I feed mine once every two weeks in growing season and water once a week even during the extreme heat. They like moist soil, but not over watered. So that is a good point by Sulev.
