a sick clematis

I'm pretty new to this forum (& growing clematis), so would appreciate some advice please.
Last year I planted a clematis on an east facing wall, and put stones around the base to keep the soil/roots protected.
Although it seemed fairly healthy, and has started shooting off along my fence in different directions, all of a sudden the central point (where it splits into different directions) has suddenly gone brown, and the immediately surrounding leaves have also gone brown and very brittle.
A similar brown patch has appeared near the base of the plant too, yet the rest of it still looks perfectly healthy and green, with new buds about to flower.

Can anyone tell me what the problem might be, and how to fix it - do I have to chop it all down and hope it regrows, or spray it with something, or water it more/less?

Thanks,
Carol

 

could be too dry, could be a cold site, have you muclhed it and sprayed a foliage feed?

 

Thanks for your reply.
I have not tried spraying or mulching...but i am trying to give it lots of water each evening.
It is a fairly windy area of the country, but it does get the sun most of the day (late morning through to mid afternoon).
I will try to get some feed for it, and keep up with the heavy watering - but do you think I will also have to prune it right back, or will the "live" bits of the plant continue to flower?

 

Is it an early, mid or late flowering plant, take cuttings for fresh plants but dont cut right back until autumn.

 

I think that's too much. You are making it reliant on your watering it, and its roots will grow close to the surface (where they will dry out during the day)

A couple of buckets of water (so 15 - 30 litres say) per watering, applied twice a week in dry weather, once a week during a "not so dry" Summer period, so that the ground is thoroughly soaked down to a depth of several inches would be better than watering more often

Dunno what other folk think?

 

It sounds to me like Clematis Wilt. For a start, stop watering it. Google clematis wilt, and compare the symptoms.

 

I've got a clematis on a west facing fence that's doing exactly the same. The leaves are brown from the bottom to about halfway up then it's green and healthy and the flower buds are swelling and opening.

I thought it might be the dreaded clematis wilt at first. But after looking about a bit on the internet, I don't think it is. Wilt causes black leaves and causes the flowers to wilt too. My flowers are fine.

I think it's either - the hot weather we've had and I've not watered it enough during it, or it's been rocked about by wind. I didn't realise it needed to be quite so securely fixed to it's support. I've got about a foot of it at the bottom that isn't attached to anything before it reaches the trellis it's growing up. I'll have to stick a small cane or something in to hold it steady.

 

Hi there Jo

It definitely doesn't sound like clematis wilt. With the dreaded wilt, you can have a perfectly healthy plant in full bud one day and the next it just curls up and dies. This happens from the tip of the plant - so the new leaves and buds go first.

I think your hunch about the weather is correct. Clematis like to have their feet in cool, damp soil and they can quickly sulk if they dry out too much. The wind won't have helped, either. Give it a good mulch with compost and keep it watered.

Even with a lot of tlc, clematis can still look a bit scraggy around the bottom (can't we all!) and it's not unusual to have a few browning leaves. But you can give your plant a good prune after flowering to keep it tidy.