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Pinching back question

16 years ago

Yesterday While at my parents I found a local nursery that was selling 1 gallon clems. I have not taken them home yet, so I have not really looked at the root systems. I never have in the past even with puney clems pinched them back to establish roots, but I have been reading that you all pinch them back and I see the benefits now. Some of the puney clems I have bought in the past still only have 1 vine comin up, and look terrible. So these I plan to pinch for sure. But how do I do this, I don't want to mess them up. THe new plants look good on the top so far but each only have one to two new growths.

I purchased Kardynal Wys., multi blue, blue light and Flordia Sie. (sp) all one gal. purchased at 12.99 each. Supposedly, these are last years that they are just trying to get rid of so they canmake room for their new babies that are not moved up from the growing nursey yet. So I am very excited to see what type of roots these have going on.

So anyway, would you keep them in the pots if: the roots look good, would you pinch them back? Or just find them a home?

I will try to post pic. later today when I get home.

Thanks for all your help in advance.

Jeanne, in case you read this my DH says that I got a package from Texas!! Yeah me, he opened it and watered it, but I have not been home yet.

If you don't have Burbon, I think I may have two self rooters from last year that are tuggable, so I will pull them plant them up get them on heat and get some roots going. I also have Tye Dye that has one baby (I started last year) and one more but I can't think of what it is right now. I will check when I get home.

Laura

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Comments (3)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
16 years ago
One gallon sized clems are typically going to be 2 or 3 y.o. plants and are already going to have a fairly well developed root system. Provided the roots fill the pot properly, I never bother to pinch them back but plant them, let them grow the first season and then prune hard the following March. If they were smaller, bare root offerings from a mail order source, I might take a different approach :-) It certainly won't hurt them to pinch them back, if that's what you want to do. Depending on their size, if I were to pinch, I'd take them back by a third to a half, removing the top growth to right before a pair of leaf nodes.

Did they really overwinter florida 'Sieboldii' in zone 5? Was it indoors? There's a lot of conflicting info on how hardy the floridas truly are, but most literature suggests they are NOT as hardy as most clems and prefer a very sheltered winter location or grown in a container and brought indoors. I can honestly say that I have murdered this particular cultivar more times than I care to admit but typically have remarkable success with nearly all other types of clematis, even those seemingly "dead-from-wilt" ones dug up and returned to the garden center for refunds. I would not have thought my climate anywhere severe enough to cause this plant problems, but it simply will not survive for me :-(
jeanne_texas
16 years ago
Laura..So glad to hear from you!!..I just emailed you worried if my baby had made it to you or not!!..Thanks for letting me know as I didn't know you weren't home..Those that are only one vine..I would hard prune..this helps the clematis to shoot up more vines...yet in saying that ..I agree with GG..those in the one gallon are most probably older and more mature and should do just fine!!..One gallon clematis here are about 25 bucks !!..Jeanne
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opheliathornvt zone 5
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