Something is cutting the stems on my clematis

13 years ago

Hi,

Anyone had any problems with young stems on clematis. I pruned all of my clematis very severely which was a mistake as now something is cutting off the new growth on them not all but most of them. Jackmanii seems to have survived. Have put some pellets around which keep disappearing but stems are still being cut off.

How long is this going to last?

Any suggestions of how to solve this?

Thanks.

Featured Answer

millieon
Original Author

13 years ago

Will check for earwigs tonight, although I have seen a small dead mouse since putting out the pellets. The neighbours all have mice in their backyards so it could be them, not sure.

Sweet Autumn will grow back and there are still some stems left.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/MillieON/DSCN9356SA.jpg

John Paul II shows no life after couple of weeks from being cut off.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:586219}}

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Comments (15)

janetpetiole
13 years ago
Sounds like earwigs. Go out tonight with a flashlight, you'll probably see those ugly buggers.
buyorsell888
13 years ago
Pruning them is never a mistake. It will be beneficial.

Sluggo Plus is labeled for earwigs. They have plagued me in the past.
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I do the same BorS since I treat all my clematis for the most part as type IIIs for pruning purposes each year. Ginny, you could probably also treat all your clematis as type IIIs since you are in zone 9 and have a long growing season so that your type IIs could regrow and bloom as normal, albeit a little later in the season. Your Comtesse is a type III so there is no need to worry about the parts of the vine with no apparent buds showing. Just whack her down and she will return on the parts of the vines that appear to have no swelling buds or green growth. The one caveat here would be if you have not treated her as a type III and let her remain unpruned for several years and the older growth below the green growth has become woody and very thick. Even so, if the plant has been doing well and been fertilized appropriately, she should push new stems up from the crown. Marie Boisselot is a type II pruning group. How has she been pruned the past couple of years? The fact that she has growth coming up a foot or so high may mean she is just one of those clematis that develops bare legs as the plant ages (ie. the older lower growth become woody and thick and has no leaves or flowers that low on the plant). For her you have several options. Allow her to continue growing and see if the lower portions of the stems do put out any new growth. If not, hide the bare legs by planting a shrubby clematis at her feet and allow the stems to cover the legs. Secondly, do nothing and just allow the plant to have bare lower legs. Thirdly, wait and see what happens when she does bloom. If nothing sprouts on the lower portions of her legs, cut half the stems back to almost ground level and wait to see if new growth emerges from the crown. If it does, then cut the other half of the vines down and allow the plant to come back from the ground level.
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janetpetiole
13 years ago
Why don't they plague you now?
maggiepie_gw
13 years ago
Cutworms are doing the same thing to some of mine.
Grrrrrrrr!!
janetpetiole
13 years ago
Oh, that's depressing. I don't think that is earwig damage.
buyorsell888
13 years ago
No, that looks like something bigger than an earwig but it will come back.

I've been using Sluggo Plus for a couple years now and have reduced earwig populations in my garden. Now, to reduce root weevil populations....
river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana
13 years ago
Maggiepie, I don't know if this works for cutworms but I want to try it:

"To keep cut worms from cutting off individual plants simply push a small stick a couple of inches down on each side of the plant stem. a cutworm eats around the stem and this will prevent them from doing any harm to the plant. I have never lot a plant of any kind to a cutworm since using this method"

Quoted in GW Vines Forum, for quote see post near bottom of page:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com

Link to post & thread below. It's ok, isn't it, to quote here as long as I give ref? I'm a newbie so please help me GW netiquette. (I'm still struggling with my baby clems & really appreciate the help that I get here.)
JMG sprouts problem/help
mnwsgal
13 years ago
It could be rabbits or deer. I had many stems cut off last year about 6-8 inches from the base of the plant. Hate it when the vine is about to bloom and then wilts because it was cut off. I put fencing around the lower parts of the plants and haven't had any damage this year. With the early spring there has been very little rabbit/deer damage even though I have seen rabbits about.

The plant should put out new growth from the crown.
summermusicz4ia
13 years ago
Several years ago a friend had a huge, established clem turn brown, found rabbits had chewed off all the stems! That's when I headed for the home improvement store to buy several rolls of green vinyl-covered chicken wire. We have all our clems fenced now, about 12" high.
opheliathornvt zone 5
13 years ago
Yes, I had to fence most of mine at the base, too. You don't see the fencing after they start to grow.
millieon
Original Author
13 years ago
It's not rabbits as I have seen any around here. It could rodents of somekind even voles/moles as we all had grass damage from them over the winter. New construction is going on around here.

This morning I transplated some chives around the clematis, garlic would have been better but don't have any. Next step will be mouse traps with butter and then maybe will have to fence them all in and hope for the best.

Thanks for all of the responses.
maggiepie_gw
13 years ago
Thanks river crossroads, have heard of putting collars around plants but not the stick method. Can't hurt to try it.
Usually after finding a new shoot lying on the ground you can often find the grub by digging around in the area. I usually carry an old pair of scissors and snip them in half.
Bit messy but very satisfactory!!
millieon
Original Author
13 years ago
...just to let you know this morning I saw a baby rabbit running around so he could be the culprit
buyorsell888
13 years ago
A chicken wire collar around the base of the plant should protect from rabbits.

Something is cutting the stems on my clematis

millieon
Original Author

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Something is cutting the stems on my clematis

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