Clematis can grow in one place for more than two to three decades, and its marvelous and inimitable flowers adorn garden plots for 3-5 months a year. The long, luxurious flowering and unpretentiousness of the plant have become the reason for the universal love of Russian flower growers for these delightful flowers. Given such a long period of growth without replanting, it is advisable to immediately create favorable conditions when planting clematis in open ground in the spring.
How demanding is Clematis?
Before you begin the process of planting clematis, it is advisable to know in advance what this flower likes and what it doesn’t like. Subsequently, correcting your mistakes will be very difficult, and sometimes impossible.
Choosing the right place
Before planting clematis in spring or autumn, it is advisable to select in advance a suitable site where the flowers will feel comfortable. After all, the condition of the plant, as well as the abundance and duration of flowering, depends on how responsibly you approach this process.
Clematis are very light-loving.For luxurious and long-lasting flowering, they must be sufficiently illuminated by sunlight. However, under direct, scorching rays, the plant will feel depressed. This condition will invariably affect the flowering of clematis - in the bright sun, the flowers lose their brightness and gradually become smaller. Over time, the varietal characteristics of a plant may be irretrievably lost.
The ideal place for planting clematis in the spring will be an area illuminated by the sun until noon and for several hours in the evening.
Areas where melt or rainwater stagnates, as well as places with high groundwater levels, are completely unsuitable for clematis. Stagnation of moisture can provoke the occurrence of various diseases. The root system begins to rot and the flowers may die.
It is undesirable to plant clematis both in spring and autumn along the walls of a house, blind, windproof fences, or outbuildings where water from the roofs will fall on the plants. Humidity plus a lack of fresh air can cause the development of fungal diseases and the appearance of insect pests on vines.
The minimum distance from walls or fences should be at least 50-70 cm. It is advisable to take care of supports: small trellises, arches, nets, trellises before planting clematis in the ground in the spring. They will simplify further flower care.
It is acceptable if the clematis is slightly blown by a light breeze, but drafts and piercing winds are destructive for it.
Soil preparation
Proper preparation is no less important than choosing a place for a flower garden.Before planting clematis in the ground, it is necessary in the spring, a week before planting, to prepare the soil.
The soil on the site must be checked for acidity. Clematis grows poorly and bloom very sparsely on acidified soil. It is also undesirable to plant flowers on loam and sandy soils. Therefore, make sure in advance that the soil in the area where you decide to plant clematis in the spring is properly prepared.
Acidic soil is deoxidized by adding chalk, dolomite flour or slaked lime during soil preparation. Heavy, loamy soils must be loosened with sand and enriched with nutrients. Humus, humus or peat are perfect for this.
The result should be a loose, fertile, mineral-rich soil mixture.
When to plant flowers
It is difficult to answer the question: when is it better to plant clematis - in spring or autumn? Most gardeners advocate planting flowers in the spring, but some plant them in early autumn.
For most varieties of clematis, spring is the best time to plant in open ground. Until autumn, the plant will have enough time to take root and properly prepare for winter. Clematis planted in open ground in spring have a more powerful root system and high resistance to many diseases.
In early spring, clematis can be planted in the southern regions of Russia, as well as in the central regions, where the climate is milder.But in the Urals or Siberia, you should not start planting work before the third ten days of April or the first ten days of May.
Of no small importance when determining the timing of planting clematis in the spring is the type and variety of flowers. It is advisable to plant early flowering varieties as early as possible. But vines that enter the flowering phase later can be planted a couple of weeks later.
Whenever you decide to plant clematis, in spring or autumn, it is important to adhere to the following rules:
- It is advisable to complete spring planting work before mid-to-late May. Later planting is undesirable, since the flowers take a long time to get sick and have a harder time withstanding the transplanting process.
- Summer planting has a negative effect on plants.
- In the fall, all work must be completed at least 1-1.5 months before the expected frost.
When replanting clematis in the spring, the condition of the planting material is of great importance. If you purchased seedlings with an open root system, then the flowers need to be planted as quickly as possible.
But if you managed to purchase plants in containers (containers or flower pots), the root system of which is in a nutritious soil mixture, then you can plant clematis in the ground in the spring after a couple of weeks, when the weather is good outside. In this case, the flowers are grown at home, and as soon as the appropriate time arrives, they are planted in the ground. During growing, it is necessary to regularly monitor the soil moisture in the planting containers and prevent it from drying out.
It is undesirable to be late in planting clematis in open ground in the spring, but you should not rush. Spring return frosts can nullify all your efforts.
Clematis planting process
The process of planting clematis in the spring does not take much time and effort compared to the preparatory work.
The minimum dimensions of the planting pit are 60x60x60 cm. Such large sizes are due to the fact that subsequently the plants will grow in one place for quite a long time without replanting. And your task is to provide the clematis root system with the necessary nutrients.
When planting clematis in rows, it is advisable to prepare a trench, the width and depth of which is also at least 60 cm. The distance between the nearest bushes should be at least 1-1.5 meters. Closer planting is undesirable, as the vines grow quickly and strongly. In just a couple of years they will have to fight with each other for a place in the sun, which will immediately affect the flowering of clematis.
Arranging planting holes or trenches with drainage is a mandatory procedure when planting clematis in the spring from a container or from a purchased pot. Whatever form you purchase the plant in, drainage is essential. Pebbles, broken bricks, and expanded clay can be used as a drainage layer.
The flower planting algorithm will look like this:
- After arranging the drainage at the bottom of the planting trench or hole, it is necessary to make a slight elevation.
- You need to place a flower on this mound.If you purchased clematis in pots or containers, then before properly planting the plant, you need to remove it from the container and place it, along with a lump of earth, on a hill.
- If you plant clematis with an open root system, then the roots are carefully straightened and placed on a hill. Proper planting assumes that the rhizomes should be positioned freely, without bending.
- Pay attention to the basal neck of the flowers. It should be located at the level of the soil surface or a few centimeters below. It is undesirable to deepen the base too much, otherwise you can provoke the occurrence of plant disease, and, as a result, the death of the entire bush.
- Fill the holes with soil, gradually compacting it with your hands. There is no need to compact the soil too much.
- Abundant watering after planting or replanting clematis in the spring to another place and shading on hot days are mandatory measures.
Make sure that spring rains do not over-water your flowers.
How to transplant and plant flowers
Of course, clematis can grow without transplanting for more than twenty years. However, it is still advisable to plant large bushes at least once every 5-7 years. Over time, the soil under the bushes becomes poorer, and nutrients become less and less. The root system is growing, so it is imperative to renew the flowers.
It is better to plant or replant clematis in the spring, when the weather is warm enough outside. The optimal time for planting is late April - early May.In the northern regions of the country, this deadline may be shifted 1-2 weeks later. In autumn, flower bushes can be planted until mid-to-late September.
It is advisable to transplant adult clematis in early spring or autumn after flowering.
More details about how and when you can replant clematis to another place.
Aftercare for flowers
Proper care of clematis after planting in the spring is the key to abundant and lush flowering. It consists of carrying out standard activities familiar to every gardener:
- moderate and timely watering;
- loosening;
- garter and mulching;
- feeding and processing;
- pruning and preparing flowers for winter.
Watering and loosening
During the first year after planting clematis, watering should be frequent, but not too abundant. During this period, flowers build up their root system and vines. Therefore, the plant needs a lot of strength for active growth.
However, the plantings should not be over-flooded with water, so as not to create conditions for the occurrence of fungal and putrefactive diseases of the rhizomes. It is enough to water the plants no more than 2-3 times a week, spending 3-5 liters of water per bush. The main thing is that the soil under the clematis bushes is always moist.
It is advisable to loosen the soil after each watering so that the clematis roots receive a sufficient amount of oxygen. 3-4 months after planting, loosening can be abandoned, as there is a high risk of injury to the growing root system.
Garter and mulching
Gradually growing shoots are tied to a support as they grow to form a bush and prevent young branches from breaking off. If the shoot is single, you can pinch the top to encourage the flowers to reach tillering.
Clematis respond well to mulching. This event will protect the flower garden from weed, reduce the rate and schedule of watering. After all, under a layer of mulch the soil remains moist much longer.
You can mulch the soil under the bushes 7-10 days after planting clematis in open ground in the spring, when the first signs appear indicating that the flower has taken root. The maximum thickness of the mulch layer is 5-7 cm.
In the fall, the old layer of mulch can be carefully incorporated into the soil, and a new layer can be laid on top of the soil, thus preparing the plant for winter.
Feeding and processing
Feeding is an important stage in caring for clematis in the spring. If planting work was carried out in accordance with the recommendations described above, then there is no need to feed the flowers in the first year.
But starting from the second year, it is necessary to provide the plants with regular replenishment of nutrients. After all, during the period of violent flowering, clematis need a lot of strength, and your task is to replenish the balance of the missing elements.
In spring, clematis is fed with nitrogen-based fertilizers. Before flowering begins, you can feed the flowers with fertilizers based on phosphorus and potassium.
Clematis responds well to watering the soil under the bushes with milk of lime. This composition deoxidizes acidic soil well.
Feed clematis necessary in accordance with the recommendations of experienced gardeners.
After planting in spring and early summer, young, non-lignified shoots of clematis can attract insects that cause irreparable harm to the flowers. Therefore, it is advisable to regularly monitor the plants and take immediate action if pests appear.
Pruning vines and preparing the plant for winter
Pruning is one of the stages of mandatory care for clematis after planting in open ground. In spring and summer, regulatory pruning is carried out to form bushes.
You can use this simple measure to force the plant to bush. You can use pruning to direct the vines in a certain direction according to your imagination. Pruning also helps to encourage earlier and more abundant flowering.
In the fall, at the end of flowering, the vines are pruned according to the recommendations for each variety. Some varieties do not need pruning, and for some, all vines are cut off at the root in the fall.
In the spring, when you open the clematis, you can carry out sanitary pruning of the vines. During this period, frozen, old, dried out and damaged shoots are removed. It is advisable to carry out this activity when the buds have already swelled and it will be clear which shoots need to be removed and which can be left.
You will learn how to properly plant clematis in the spring from the video.
Conclusion
So, you have learned when and how to plant clematis in open ground in spring. As you can see, the planting process does not require any special skills or abilities.All that is required is to follow the recommendations of experienced flower growers. And the reward for your work and care will be the unusually luxurious and abundant flowering of clematis - to your joy and pride, to the surprise of others.
