Here's some info on pruning. It was written by venu209 on that DG site (hush, we can't say the actual site name here lol). So I am officially giving them the credit for this article.

Maybe it'll help:

I saw some crocus blooming today. What a wonderful sight after a long and snowy winter. Living in the USA this winter seemed to mean living Under Snow Advisory. So with the perky crocus blooms ushering in spring, thoughts of pruning ran round my mind. Just how had my clematis fared through the cold blustery winter? After a few initial inspections, I smiled and headed to the garden shed to..get....my .....PRUNERS. Feared by some and loved by others ( I fall into the latter group) it was tme to wake the pruners from their winter slumber.
So you may have heard about the group 1, group 2, group 3 pruning techniques. Some would like to befuddle us more by referring to it as groups A,B,C. I'll stick with 1,2,3. I remember reading about pruning when I first started growing clematis. The advice was to prune to the first set of buds. Okay, great, but what did that really mean? Flower buds? There were no flower buds in March! The first set of buds? Did that mean the first set from the outermost end of the stems or closest to the ground?? The advice should be written as such: Cut just above the first set of leaf buds closest to the ground. That sentence sums up group 3 pruning. When your clem breaks dormancy, live that sentence. You may ask, how do I know when my clems break dormancy? Well, that can be determined by those leaf buds. You will see small, fat, fuzzy things on your vine, similar to pussy willow. That's the sign that your clem is waking from plant hibernation. Now, you may notice that during this pruning process you will be cutting away many leaf buds growing along the stems. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. REALLY!! So there you have it folks, group 3 pruning. But wait, what about groups 1 and 2 ?!?

I thought I was done, shame on me. So let's talk about group 1. This won't take long......don't prune it. That was easy! Too easy perhaps? No, it's true. If your group 1 clem gets large and unwieldly, then prune it judiciously for shape and to keep it contained. Otherwise, leave it be. This can be done anytime during the growing season. So that leads us to group 2. I didn't do that in order, did I?

Group 2 is pruned after it's initial and most stupendous bloom period. In my experience, I find myself pruning the group 2 clems in midsummer. They seem to enter a semi-doormant period in the height of summer. That's when I prune them by about a third or half. I also take out any stems that have browned out due to wilt or heat. Those I take to the ground and send out with the garbage rather than the compost bin. So now I'm done...well almost.

Just a couple of tips and tricks. Not sure what Clematis you're growing or what group it falls into? Watch it for a growing season and record it's bloom time and flower type. If it flowers early with a large bloom, it's probably a group 2. If it blooms later in the season, it's most likely a group 3. If it seems to bloom whenever it feels like it, but not big blooms, it might be a group 1. But we know all about group 1, don't we? In any case, even if you use the inappropiate pruning technique for your particular clem, the chances are slim to none that you'll kill it, you just might have to wait a bit longer for blooms. If patience is a virtue, then gardeners are incredibly virtuous.

Here's another scenario you might have thought about. The Clematis growing through your shrub. Yes, sounds nice. The weigelia that puts out an awe inspiring spring bloom but is just another green shrub the rest of the season would be beautiful with a clem blooming in it. And it will be, but, and this is a big but, make sure the shrub is mature and large. If you plant a 2 year old shrub with a 2 year old clem, the clem will outpace the shrub 10 to 1. Trust me on that one ;) A group 3 clem might best suit that circumstance as you can prune and yank it before your shrub has leafed out.

Okay, I'm really done. I hope I have helped anyone that was stuck knee deep in the clematis pruning quagmire, Oh and by the way, if your Clems are babies, throw out all the group 1 and 2 pruning. Just do group 3 pruning for the first year or three. You will be rewarded. Remember that virtue thing.

Can't remember the 1, 2, 3 ? Here's a little poem:

One, for the pruners, means no, nada, none
Two, for the pruners, means only cut some
Three, for the pruners, means lots to be done

Many Thanks for the information!Good Advice.

I would not fertilize in fall. You do not want to stimulate growth and Clematis don't need lime.

Pruning stimulates growth and with winter coming it is better to stimulate growth in spring. In your zone your weather won't be severe enough to kill it if you get a bunch of new growth before frost. So, you should be ok even though the timing isn't ideal.

To prune in winter instead of spring it is best to do so after frost so that new growth isn't stimulated.

'clematis don't need lime' - I see that comment often but in my garden there is a clear difference in flower-power between clematises grown near a source of lime (e.g. concrete foundation, concrete curbs or concrete support for posts) than those that are not close to a source of lime. Clematis also seem to be native to regions with limestone soil.

Mine are near the curb, probably about a ft to 2 ft away, and my soil is on the alkaline side ranging from 7.8 to 7.6, and my clems don't do well at all. I am in the process of trying now to lower the pH somewhat.
Be careful with lime, have a soil test done first, because your soil may already be on the alkaline side and you'll make things worse.

Do not apply lime to Clematis. Use Gypsum instead. Work a small amount of gypsum into the soil next to the plant and water.

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on Growing Clematis in South Africa

Gypsum = Plaster of Paris

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on Growing Clematis in South Africa