Overwintering Clematis
lucyfretwell
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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Mairead
8 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (24)I (try) to control the amount of water the pot receives in fall when it's rainy, but I forget or I'm lazy. If the soil gets too wet, I shove one end of a strip of cotton fabric, (like from an old towel) into a drain hole about 2 inches, and let the rest of the strip of fabric hang out of the drain hole. I keep the pot raised up so the strip can hang down. The fabric wicks excess water out of the pot. Once the temps are reliably below freezing during the day - I put the pots into the garage. I keep a little snow on top of the pots so the surface doesn't dry out during winter. I keep the pot in the garage until the soil thaws and we're getting rain and not hard freezes. This year I'm going to keep a strip of fabric in all my pots so I don't have to worry about over-watering....See MoreOverwintering Potted Clematis Indoor and Outdoors
Comments (4)I live in Montreal, Canada where winters can be pretty harsh. We often have a couple of weeks of -25C (-13F) temperatures. I've had 2 clematis in pots since mid 2020. They continue to be in pots as I do not have a sunny spot where I can plant them. One is a "Lady Betty Balfour Clematis" (Zone 4). I've lost the label of the other one but I think it must be rated for Zone 4. For the last 2 winters I've been moving both of these potted clematis into our garage which stays at ~15 - 18C (59 - 64F). I cutback the clematis when I move them in (around mid Oct when the outside temp is around (12C Max & 4C Min / 54F Max - 39F Min). By mid Jan the clematis start sprouting and since the garage has almost no light, the sprouts are a very pale green - almost white. I bring them out by late April and cut back all the new (whitish) sprouts. Both the clematis start getting new normal green looking sprouts in a couple of weeks and start blooming by late May to mid June. I'm not sure if what I've been doing so far is OK but it seems to work and I plan on doing this again, this winter....See Moreoverwintering clematis
Comments (2)If they were my plants, I would sink the pots in the ground and leave them alone until you are ready to plant them in the ground in their permanent positions next year. Clematis take time to get established any time they are planted and removing them from their pots, planting them temporarily in the ground, and them digging them up once again to put them in their permanent position is going to put them back twice. Another advantage to leaving them in their current pots and burying them in the soil is that most plants put on the most root growth in the fall as the air and soil temperatures begin cooling down. Allowing your clematis to sit in their pots over the fall and winter and into next spring will allow the plants' root balls to get larger and thereby increase their take off once planted next spring. The soil will act as an insulator and any mulch that you add with further insulate the roots allowing them to continue growing much longer into the fall and winter. Realize that root growth will continue some time after the top portion of the plants has been nipped back by frost. Another point to consider is that it is generally advised to plant clematis in the fall in the ground so that they have a minimum of 6 weeks to get settled in before the colder weather arrives. I see you are in zone 5 and don't know exactly when colder weather arrives so to be on the safe side, I would be hesitant to remove the plants and plant them in the ground in your garden now. As to your browned out leaves--that could be due to the plant not being watered adequately and it allowing the top portions of leaves to die off so that the plant has less leaves to lose water from via transpiration, it could be the plants response to being in a black pot sitting in the full sun at the nursery, or depending on the variety, it could possibly be clematis wilt. I would be tempted to leave the plant as it is, water it well, put the whole pot into the ground, mulch it well, and keep it watered if Mother Nature is not being cooperative. Next year, when you are ready to plant the clematis in the garden, I would cut the top growth back so that you have two or three nodes left above ground once planted, fertilize it with some slow release low nitrogen fertilizer, and see what happens....See MoreOverwintering Clematis in Containers
Comments (2)The temperature is more important than light. You want to keep the plant as cool/cold as possible in your basement, 32-50F would be ideal. You don't want to overwater, but give it a bit of water once every 3 or so weeks. Light isn't necessary if it's truly dormant. Then in the early spring, cut it back and get it outside, gradually exposing it to light....See Morelucyfretwell
8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agoMairead
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agolucyfretwell
8 years agoMairead
8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agolucyfretwell
8 years agolucyfretwell
8 years agoMairead
8 years ago
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