How often should clematis be watered, and how should cuttings be taken?
Clematis is a relatively common plant in our daily life, with high ornamental value. Its main ornamental feature is its flowers, which bloom in summer and come in changeable colors, very eye-catching. Many people grow clematis now, and when growing it, many people probably want to know exactly what its watering technique is.
How to water clematis (how often)
For clematis to grow well, the root system must breathe smoothly, so watering should alternate between wet and dry. The potting soil should be allowed time to dry out; generally, when the soil 2-3 cm below the surface is dry, it can be watered. If it is a plastic pot, that is a different matter: you can go by the weight of the potting soil, and water when it becomes lighter; for a clay pot, observe the potting soil, and when it turns white it needs watering. When watering, it must be watered thoroughly, and the concept of watering thoroughly is that at least water flows out of the bottom of the pot. After watering, pay attention to timely ventilation. In summer, water once every two to three days; in winter, generally water once a week.
How to take clematis cuttings
1. Branch selection. Choose healthy branches, preferably semi-lignified ones; branches that are too tender or too old are unfavorable for rooting. Semi-lignified means that the new branches of the current year will show lignification about 1-2 months after flowering, which is the transition from tender shoots to lignified branches; choose branches with healthy leaves and no pests or diseases.
2. Soil. Soil is equally important. If you want to just stick it into ordinary field mud and have it root, that possibility is not great. The commonly used cutting media are perlite + vermiculite 1:1 (with pure vermiculite I do not know why the branches always tend to rot), akadama soil (just used this year), and water propagation (mineral water). After choosing the soil, simply insert the branch into the soil.
3. Position. After cutting, finding a good orientation is essential; it cannot be too sunny or too shady, and the sunlight can be appropriately blocked. Before rooting, leaves will certainly wilt if the sunlight is too strong. Place it in a position with scattered light, with appropriate ventilation, and pay attention to keeping the leaf surface moist; if the leaves dry out, the cutting is basically hopeless.
4. Potting up. Clematis rooting does not mean it has survived; if no bud points emerge, it is still useless. When you see many small tender buds appear, it can basically be confirmed as surviving, and it can be potted up for growing.
How to prune clematis
1. As for the pruning method, both seedling age and pruning type must be taken into account. For one-year-old small seedlings, no matter the variety, they can be hard-pruned——leave 1-2 nodes above the soil surface and snip it off; the branches can even be cut off entirely close to the ground to encourage more new branches. For household potted plants, appropriate hard pruning can keep the plant shape compact.
2. From the second year on, pruning must be done according to the pruning type. For example, Clematis macropetala and Clematis montana basically do not need pruning. Only when the plant shape needs to be controlled should a little pruning be done after flowering as needed. In addition, there are varieties that need light pruning; leave a height of 1-1.5 m for pruning. For those that grow rampantly and need hard pruning, only leave 2-3 pairs of buds, that is, a length of 30-50 cm, for pruning.
How to deal with withered branches of clematis
1. Although clematis wilt occurs frequently, it is generally not fatal. If only one or two branches wither, the method is to prune off the withered branches from the blackened point, and it will not affect the other healthy branches. If the whole plant withers, after pruning everything and keeping only the root system, it may still send out new branches in autumn.
2. The withered branches actually do not need to be discarded. If discovered in time, cut off the tender top branches with flower buds, keep the semi-lignified part of the branches, and after putting them in water for a while the leaves will perk up, and they can be used for cuttings.
The method of watering clematis is actually not difficult; as long as you see that the potting soil is dry, you can water it. In terms of propagation, clematis is generally most commonly propagated by cuttings, and when taking cuttings you can choose a suitable time. After cutting, maintenance needs to be strengthened so that clematis can grow better.