Poor Clematis...is there any help???

[MB MinnieGirl]

I think I already know the answer but am just looking for somebody to tell me there is hope.

I have a beautiful Clematis that is right off of the back porch. I planted it two years ago and it's done so well that I needed to get a more sturdy trellis for it which I did today.

That's when it happened. As I was winding it through the new trellis I heard 3 snaps. I looked down and about 3 - 4 inches up, the vines snaped in different places. It is not all the way through.....meaning the remaining of the vine didn't fall off onto the ground. I checked and there is a crack or break in each vine from the bottom....am I for certain to loose this beautiful plant I grew from a tiny start? Or is there any hope and something I can do to help repair the damage done?

Thank you for any help!!!

It had just bloomed it's first flower of the season yesterday and has about 30 blooms ready to pop....but they are all well above the breaks, cracks.

~~~Kelly

 

[bobbiwoz]

I think there's hope, and you may get some blooms later this season! I only say this because I cut my plants back to 3-5 inches each winter, and the plant does grow and produce lots of blooms.

In your case, if the plants didn't completely snap/break away, I think I would reinforce the stems with tape of some sort, see what they offer in a gardening center, and support the plant at the break, maybe it will scar over. I can't say for sure that will work, but I would ask someone at a garden center.

I love the clematis, and have planted a vine or two in each house that we've lived in.

Bobbi

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I'd try to support the vine with ties onto a trellis as best I can, and watch it for a week to see what the vine does. If the leaves start to wilt and/or go brown, just prune the clematis back. It'll probably put on some vigorous new growth. Depending on the variety and bloom time, it may bloom for you, but then again, it may not this year.

I wouldn't bother taping it, though...that would give a spot for moisture to collect, and possibly a site for disease to enter. Or it might strangulate the plant. Either way, I think it'll be better for the plant just to leave it exposed to air and support the rest of the vine well.