flowerchild Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I have two clematis plants side by side. The leaves started dying rapidly from the bottom to the top on both. I had fertilized them for the first time ever this year, but used appropriate fertilizer and very sparingly. My friend who lives in another town had exactly the same thing happen to her clematis. Is it the weather or possibly a disease? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It could be a lot of things but what comes to my mind is clematis wilt which is caused by a fungus. This wet weather is ideal for the growth of all sorts of fungal diseases. This particular one will not kill the roots so your clematis might come back. You should cut the affected stems off just below the soil level. Another possibility is that the roots have rotted from the excess rain and not so great drainage. It also may be nothing. Clematis are winding down now and this may be a normal reaction to the hot weather. They like their roots to be cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmiline Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Mine are doing the same thing. They do it every year. It is about the time where they stop blooming and start to fall. I wouldn't sweat it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Clematis suffer from a fungus that causes this. It is carried over winter in the soil so there is no cure, only treatment that may allow it to grow strong enough to fight the fungus. Clematis Leaf and Stem Spot http://gardening.wsu.edu/column/07-23-00.htm Caring for Clematis http://www.gardencrossings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/about.culturalCare/pageID/33/ How To Plant Clematis http://www.catkin.org/gardens/ Penn State Clematis Disease http://extension.psu.edu/pests/plant-diseases/all-fact-sheets/clematis-diseases Pay particular attention to the Penn State information. It tells you what to use to fight the fungus. Be sure to plant/replant as the previous links describe and prune/fertilize as indicated. You can call your Cooperative Extension at any time and get this type of researched information for free. A Certified Master Gardener will return your call and you can ask any Horticultural questions till the cows come home! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I think that I'm with Emmiline on this one since it happens to her clematis every year. It is probably just stress from the weird weather. Plants under stress should probably not be fertilized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerchild Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 Ok thanks. I'll do my research. I appreciate the info! This was way worse than the normal lower level browning. All that was left was top green leaves and a couple blossoms. hopefully they'll be back next year. If not, I enjoyed them for 20 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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