skip to main content

Can I root prune to control clematis size?

14 years ago

Rather than remove a Clematis 'Duchess of Albany' which overwhelms it's space, I'm wondering if I can reduce the root ball by a third on each side. I have the plant on a trellis which is 10 feet tall by 42 inches wide and the plant gets two feet taller (then cascades down) and is easily six feet wide, covering it's neighbors.

Does anyone have any experience in root pruning a clematis?

Thanks for any help.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

jeanne_texas
14 years ago
I would NOT root prune your clematis..it is better to dig up and transplant to a more suitable location..you could kill your clematis by root pruning it..to leave in it's place you can prune the vines to shape it..being a pruning group 3 it loves to be hard prune...prune to shape and keep in bounds or relocated or give it a new trellis to fit its mature size...Jeanne
buyorsell888
14 years ago
I wouldn't root prune her either. You can hack off any offending growth.

I know a Tom who lives in Wilsonville, that I sold Clematis to years ago. Do you have wisteria too???
Related Discussions
Pruning Fruit tree to control size vs root stock growth
Q
Comments (12)
OK Brandon - here is my explanation :-) I wrote that response last night sipping my glass of wine while waiting for dinner to cook. Seems to me that over the years I had seen some rootstocks increase in length (IOW, the graft appears higher than it did initially) but maybe that was just a perception of the increased diameter or the soil level declining. This morning, after I think about and have sufficient caffeine, it doesn't seem very logical at all. I take it back :-)) Ken, I think you need to get out more :-)) All sorts of fruit trees can be grown in containers and it is an excellent way of growing tender or semi-tropical fruits in colder climates due to portability. And essential to those who garden in limited spaces like rooftops or apartment balconies. It helps if it is a naturally small tree or on dwarfing root stock but even that is not essential. And root pruning does not affect fruit size, just as growing on dwarfing root stock does not result in dwarf fruit - if all other cultural conditions are met, the fruit will be of normal size, regardless of the size of the tree or any necessary root pruning. container blueberry, root pruning is necessary for any woody plant confined to a container. Obviously the root run of a tree in the ground is far larger than a container will provide. Container grown plants will become rootbound eventually and rootbound plants are unable to get adequate moisture, access nutrients and lose vigor and decline. Root pruning restricts the growth of roots to fit the container and regenerates feeder roots that die off quickly when limited by the container size, heat, insufficient nutrients and dry soils. Unless you have a very large container, this type of growing is a natural dwarfing or stunting process, similar to bonsai. Top pruning may also be required but proper root pruning is essential.
...See More
can I prune my out of control smoke tree?
Q
Comments (22)
Given the location of the tree (under the utility lines) and it's current condition (dead wood, leaning growth, nearness to the fence, and lack of sufficient pruning and training up until now), I could agree with butterfly4u's last recommendation. I've grown a number of these, both at my home and at my arboretum. I've also pruned and cared for them for clients. Thankfully I haven't had to deal with one in quite this shape before. Some of mine have succumbed to Verticillium wilt. From my experience, this genus seems somewhat more disease prone than many other alternatives. If you do want to keep this tree, there are at least three options. One is to coppice the tree. I guess that was butterfly4u's first recommendation, although I'm not positive about that. That option was already discussed above. Another option would be to stool the tree and select one or more shoots (originating from below the root collar) as the new trunk or trunks (depending on whether you preferred a more tree or bush form). This would be done in late winter/very early spring and would be done by cutting the entire tree down to within about an inch of the ground. As with coppicing, this would produce long, lanky growth. In this case, that growth would be desirable because it would form your new trunks. Assuming the tree was healthy, new sprouts should shoot up quickly. Attention to excess shoot removal and training would be required for a few years. The third option, to keep the tree, would be gradual pruning and training. If you decided to go with this method, I'd start by properly removing the stubs in the lower part of the tree. These should be cut to just outside the branch bark ridges and collars. I would consider removing "E" completely to reduce the leaning look of the tree. Branch "D" could be reduced back to just over position "2" on "E". This would also reduce the leaning effect. Be sure to perform proper reduction cuts here, as shown in the link below. There may be no prefect solution for the branches on scaffold "A". A few heading cuts (usually not recommendable) may be necessary to bring the canopy down away from the utility lines. Careful and detailed maintenance (removing excess shoots and followup pruning) for a few years following this pruning might lead to a satisfactory result. As with routine coppicing, this will lead to lanky growth. It would also produce wounds that won't be covered over for a long time (one of the main problems with heading cuts). Since this is not a large tree, that would pose a significant danger if a major limb failed, heading branches on "A" back may be acceptable. Of all of these options, I'd personally go with either butterfly4u's last recommendation or stooling, depending on how much I liked the tree and how much time I was willing to spend on it in the next few years. Here is a link that might be useful: Proper Reduction Cut
...See More
Will I kill my sweet autumn clematis if I prune it now?
Q
Comments (4)
Considering its a clematis suitable for winter zones as well as the warmer ones and can expect to be hit by snow, I cant see why it cant be cut back --at least somewhat--to prevent heavy snow bringing it down. So, go ahead cut it back as you wish as long as you feel lthe plant has hardened off for winter. But as you said its still has buds and last remnants of flowers, I'd wait until after a hard frost before cutting it back.
...See More
Can I pinch candles on full size Scot's pine to control size?
Q
Comments (5)
You'd get the resulting modified habit from the point where you started pinching out - the growth made before then would still have the same open structure. So, for awhile at least you would have a similar appearance to a recently transplanted specimen, that has long branches with balls on the end where cutting of the roots stunted the top growth made afterward. In time, it might be possible to develop a more dense outer shell that filled in, to hide the previously developed, sparser interior. Note that pinching it taking out the central candle in each whorl, and leaving the ring of shorter candles around it. You can also shear pine family conifers, as is done on Christmas tree farms - all of the new shoots are shortened, instead of cutting (pinching) out any entirely.
...See More
oretom
Original Author
14 years ago
The Duchess was pruned (to the ground) of a third of this spring's sprouts (there were about sixty to eighty) and another third "pinched" at six feet later in the spring. I use Steve Solomon's organic fert recipe on my plants and reduced the cottonseed meal (nitrogen source) by half in her ration.

I have no where in my garden to move this monster, if root pruning is going to kill it---and I'd like some more input on this---then I guess I'll just dig it up and trash it.

There must (of course) be another Tom in Wilsonville as I don't have a Wisteria. I'd be pleased to meet you though, as I've read many of your posts on this forum. How would you like a really healthy Duchess of Albany???
buyorsell888
14 years ago
I didn't think "my" Tom was computer literate LOL. Hey, I just remembered another Tom that I knew in Wilsonville. Do you have prematurely silver hair and blue eyes? I worked in Wilsonville for almost nine years. I know there are about fifteen thousand people in Wilsonville now and I'm sure there are loads of Toms. :)

I thank you for the offer but I have no room for the Duchess. I've got about sixty Clems crowded on to my tiny lot in SE PDX already. I'm giving some away myself. Her cousin Princess Diana is one I've just dug up and haven't decided whether to keep or not. She mildews really badly for me.
judith5bmontreal
14 years ago
I've never tried dividing a clematis myself, but my sister has one (group II, large bluish flower, but can't remember the name) that she has split up several times. She just takes a sharp shovel and slices off a chunk from the side (she doesn't dig the whole thing up), then fills in the hole beside the mother plant with compost or soil. Of course, she cuts back the part that she removes. The mother plant doesn't seem to skip a beat. At least this would reduce the size of the root ball, thus sending up fewer stems next spring.
Judith
buyorsell888
14 years ago
I just divided Durandii by accident trying to dig it up to move it. Both sections are now growing in the pots I dumped them.

I don't think taking chunks out of the rootball will control the size though. Clems tend to grow really well here, bigger than published sizes.
FrozeBudd_z3/4
14 years ago
I have the same situation with Duchess of Albany. I had deeply amended the soil and the thing has grown like crazy, it's now probably about 12' high and still throwing all sorts of new vines, at this rate it will obviously be flowering away till hard frost. Next spring, I will limit the number of stems, though I'm sure that these will just branch out and again produce tons of new vines. If I can't tame the beast, then I'm gonna have to replace it with a less vigorous variety ... maybe, Princess Diana ... well, I hope she's less aggressive.

Oretom, my sister had given her Ville de Lyon a real root pruning this spring. The plant has been kept within a large container and become a solid mass of roots. I had advised her it's probably not the best idea to be slicing away at the roots, though she went ahead with doing so. She then moved the plant to a slightly larger contaniner and although it has not grown as large and lush as usual, it certainly does not appear to have suffered too terribly much.

Terry
oretom
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the feed back all, I posted a photo to the Hortiplex section just for fun, BTW.

I should root prune just as an experiment, but I have a C. 'Jackmanii' I think might do well where the Duchess is...maybe I'll just move that and off the Duchess.

As noted above, we do sometimes suffer from overgrowth hereabouts.

Related Stories

WINTER GARDENING Pruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses

By Annie Thornton

Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape

PLANTING IDEAS Great Garden Combo: Rose + Clematis for Small-Space Impact

We all need somebody to lean on. And when a rose supports a climbing vine, the results can totally transform a small garden

GARDENING GUIDES Got Frost-Damaged Plants? How It Happens, and When and How to Prune

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Crispy brown leaves are a sure sign that Jack Frost has been to your neighborhood

GARDENING GUIDES Tidy Up Sprawling Native Shrubs With These Pruning Tips

By Oakley Gardens

Sound horticultural pruning methods work for native and nonnative plants alike

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Clematis Virginiana

By Pollination Press LLC

Devil’s darning needles, a vigorous vine native to eastern North America, likes partial shade and many types of soils

FEEL-GOOD HOME Rejuvenate Your Home With Deep-Rooted Traditions

By Apartment 46 for the Home

Give the subtle energies and spiritual side of your home some attention, and watch newfound calm and beauty blossom

Rooting for Indoor Trees

By Living Small: City & Small Space Consulting

Houseplants tend to get all the glory indoors, but trees deserve their place in the sun — and in your living room, your entryway, your ...

ART The Beauty of Bonsai — Living Art, Rooted in Harmony

By creative jewish mom.com

Create your own emblem of nature's balance with an art form dating back 1,000 years

MODERN HOMES Houzz Tour: A Modern Home Rooted in Its Place

It's partially buried in the earth, but with a cantilevered roof and strong colors, this Ottawa home is anything but shy

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE Roots of Style: Pueblo Revival Architecture Welcomes Modern Life

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Centuries-old details of adobe construction still appeal in the desert Southwest, adapted to today's tastes

Sponsored

More Discussions

Could this be Jackmanii Superba?

11

Atragenes, Alpinas for the south?

11

Anyone grow Brother Stefan?

6

Recommend a clematis for zone 6b please

7

Pruning of type 2?

1