Winterizing Clematis in Pots
heidi145
16 years ago
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buyorsell888
16 years agonckvilledudes
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Have small Clematis in 4' pots, should I move up to larger pot?
Comments (8)I agree with Janet and as she well knows I have beating this drum for several years now. The old adage of heads in the sun and feet in the shade is an old wives tale. Moisture is what is required and that typically occurs when the roots are shaded since it slows down the evaporation of the water in the soil and the consistent moisture is the critical element, along with appropriate fertilization. For what it is worth, I have potted up countless numbers of clematis into one gallon sized pots and left them in the sun where they get morning sun thru midafternoon sun and they have been fine. One definite advantage of sinking the pots in the ground is that you won't have to water the pots as much since the soil will act as an insulator to the desication of moisture from the potting mix. Just make sure that the surrounding soil drains well or your pots could hold too much moisture and cause root rot....See MoreWintering potted Clematis
Comments (5)For my first clematis and learning how to care for it, I had a clematis in a 1-gallon since spring 2013, and I thought it probably would have died over the winter, but it certainly came back, and that is including this harsh winter where so many people had plants that died. So if I had it to do again, if I did leave it in the container, I would probably mulch the container throughout the growing season and including winter, and also might go to a 2 or 3-gallon in the first season because I didn't know how well a 1-gallon would do, but just know that 1-gallon worked. When I did transplant it in the spring a few weeks ago, the root ball was not that big and did not fill the 1-gallon, so it probably could have stayed there for another growing season, or perhaps I could have done other things to help it grow better in the 2013 season. It is now about 24-30" tall with 2 primary vertical vines, so I think my lack of knowledge on how to care for it in the first year did not detrimentally hurt it....See MorePotted clematis - Winter protection tip?
Comments (2)Depending on the size of the pots, you could always dig a hole in the garden and sink the entire pot in the hole. The soil will serve as insulation and it will be as if the plants are truly planted in the ground. If the pots are easily moved, then you have several options. You could move the pots to a protected corner outside and pile leaves or bales of straws up around the pot to offer more insulation. You could leave the pots outside until the plants have gone dormant for the season and until it starts getting below freezing and staying that way for extended periods of time and then move the pots to an area where it will stay near but above freezing so that the clematis remain dormant the rest of the winter. This could be an unheated garage or even basement provided the basement is not heated. I personally would never try to keep a larger clematis actively growing over the winter since it is likely not get get enough light and start getting leggy and more prone to get infestations of various critters such as mites, aphids, etc. If you have a greenhouse or a solarium where there is plenty of light, then I would try to keep the plants actively growing and only then. JMHO, someone may have other ideas....See MoreWintering over Sweet Autumn Clematis
Comments (3)The last 2 years I have found large pots of clems at a bargain price in November. I dug holes near the foundation, sunk the entire pots in the ground, put a green chicken wire around & filled the wire circle with about 12" of chopped leaves. All 5 I have done this way grew in the spring. Then I pulled up the pots & planted in their permanent location. Felt it was to cold too plant in Nov here in NE Iowa. Good luck!...See Morejanetpetiole
16 years agonckvilledudes
16 years agojanetpetiole
16 years agonckvilledudes
16 years agocovella
16 years ago
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