Content
Luxurious and unpretentious clematis is gaining more and more recognition among flower growers, but, unfortunately, like all living beings, the flower sometimes gets sick, and the first alarm signal is that the leaves of clematis turn yellow. To correct the situation and save your pet, you need to understand what happened to the flower and how to help it so that it will continue to please with bright colors in the future. After all, even when the flowering stage is over, clematis continues to perform a decorative function, thanks to its thick green foliage.
Reasons why clematis turns yellow
There may be several reasons why clematis experiences discomfort:
- Violations of flower planting rules.
- Failure to comply with watering standards.
- Nutrient problems.
- Diseases.
- Pests.
It happens that they combine in various combinations and attack the flower together, but there is no need to despair; everything is fixable and curable. By following simple rules, clematis can be quickly cured of ailments.
Violation of the rules of planting and care
If clematis turns yellow, first of all you need to make sure that no gross mistakes were made when planting the flower, or that changes in environmental conditions have not occurred over time. Planting takes place in mid-spring or early autumn, in a carefully selected location. The merciless rays of the sun, as well as excessively dense shade, are unfavorable for clematis. If a flower is planted in spring, be sure to install a support nearby, because clematis is a climbing plant. During autumn planting, it needs to be covered with leaves or other insulating materials to protect it from frost.
Everything was done correctly, the unwanted neighborhood that creates shading was safely gotten rid of, but the problem remained - the leaves of the clematis are still turning yellow. Perhaps it’s a matter of moisture; its excess, as well as its deficiency, can harm the flower. Clematis needs watering most in the spring, when new shoots appear on the flower, and in the summer, because it needs strength to grow and bloom.
Due to the lack of the required amount of water, the foliage overheats, which leads to starvation and weakening of the flower, and it cannot resist disease. Then the tips of the clematis leaves dry out, the size of the flowers decreases, and their number is greatly reduced. In the middle zone, the norm for watering is once a week, in the southern territories - much more often.
Loosening is another important technique in flower care. To retain moisture in the ground and to prevent its rapid evaporation, the top layer of soil must be loosened, which will reduce the number of waterings.
And we must not forget about mulching, that is, applying a protective layer of material to the surface of the earth above the root system of the flower. Semi-rotted manure sprinkled with peat is best suited.You can also use a mixture of sand and ash in proportions of 10:1. This prevents the possible spread of fungus in the ground.
Fertilizer shortage
Despite the right location and care, the situation has not improved, and the clematis is still not pleasing to the eye, and the leaves still turn yellow? Then you need to think about feeding the flower. After all, every year clematis renews its shoots and spends a lot of energy on long-term flowering. For this purpose, feeding with mineral fertilizers is recommended.
The flower needs to be recharged with 16 elements, but there are fewer of those that make you wonder why clematis leaves dry out - only seven:
- Magnesium.
- Sulfur.
- Nitrogen.
- Iron.
- Manganese.
- Zinc.
- Copper.
A lack of magnesium initially provokes the appearance of small spots, and as they grow, the tips of the clematis leaves dry out and curl upward. This happens if the bush grows on sandy soil, at the end of summer after flowering, weakening the flower. To avoid this, magnesium sulfate is used for prevention, which helps a lot, even if the clematis leaves are already drying.
When young leaves begin to turn yellow and spots appear closer to the edges, this signals that clematis is experiencing a sulfur deficiency, which is easily replenished if calcium or ammonium sulfate is used to feed the flower.
Do not forget about fertilizing with peat, humus, and manure, thanks to which the flower receives sufficient nitrogen. Without it, the leaves become yellow in color, with a slight reddish tint. In spring, clematis can be fertilized calcium or ammonium nitrate. They also resort to a remedy such as urea.
When yellowing begins at the top of the clematis and gradually moves lower, leaving dark green veins on the leaves, this is a signal of iron deficiency. If this happens, it means that the flower is located on soil that contains a large amount of calcium.
Sometimes this can be observed in the spring, when the root system of clematis, due to insufficiently warm temperatures, poorly performs its functions. In this case, we can expect that the phenomenon will go away by itself as the soil warms up, and, accordingly, the roots of the flower. This also happens on calcareous soil.
To correct the situation, fertilizers are applied to acidify the soil. You can use a solution of sulfuric acid, dilute ten milligrams in ten liters of water, or use iron chelate.
Similar symptoms appear when clematis feels a lack of manganese, only the foliage on the flower turns yellow at the same time. In this case, manganese sulfate will help.
In order not to puzzle over why clematis dries out, it needs to be fed with zinc sulfate. After all, the lack of this important element, which takes part in photosynthesis, leads to yellowing of the leaves of the flower. This happens when the soil is overly limed.
The growth of clematis is also adversely affected by a lack of copper, which appears when using excessive doses of humus or fresh manure. The flower begins to turn yellow due to metabolic disorders, to improve it, use copper sulfate.
Fungal diseases of flowers
The main enemies of a flower, which often answer the perplexed question of a caring gardener, why clematis has dried up, are fungal diseases. They are varied, act differently, but the result is the same. Despite watering, fertilizing, and various fertilizers, clematis withers and the leaves turn yellow. And if the cause is not recognized in time, the flower dies.
There are several types of diseases caused by fungi:
- Rust.
- Spots on leaves.
- Necrosis.
- Wilt.
Rust on clematis
Yellow-brown spots and growths on clematis leaves can be noticed in early spring. Gradually they dry out, while new leaves grow, suffering the sad fate of their predecessors. Rust does not kill clematis immediately; it can overwinter, and in the spring disease will spread and destroy the flower.
To protect it from such a fate, in the fall the stems are cut off to the very roots. Of course, this leads to the fact that there will be no flowering next year, but it is better to wait a little, and, a year later, enjoy the beautiful flowers again, than to let the clematis die. Along with the diseased shoots, you need to remove the surrounding flower weeds, since they can then become a source of infection. The collected raw materials are burned.
It’s good when the disease is noticed on time. This makes it possible to cure the plant faster. As soon as the first spots appear, the parts of the clematis on which they appeared are torn off and destroyed, and the flower is treated with oxychome, polychome, 2% solution of Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride.
Spots on leaves
If the leaves of clematis dry out, the process begins with the appearance of small spots that quickly spread throughout the flower - this is the fault of fungal pathogens. There are many types of them, and it is not always possible to recognize the culprit. Sometimes they join forces and parasitize clematis together. Fungi cause spots of various shapes to appear at different times of the year, but this does not change the essence of the matter.
There are several types of them, they are recognized by color:
- Ascochytaosis. The appearance of dark brown spots on the surface of the leaves.
- Cylindrosporium. Ocher-yellow color of spots.
- Septoria. Grayish spots with reddish edging.
There is only one good thing about this situation: they die from the same drugs containing copper. For prevention in the fall and early spring, clematis is treated with a one percent solution of copper or iron sulfate, and in the summer Bordeaux mixture and its analogues are used for these purposes.
Necrosis
This disease is also caused by a fungus. Its name saprotroph belongs to the genus Alternaria. It is quite harmless, appears in the fall, lives on old, dying leaves of the flower. But sometimes it becomes overly active, then the young leaves and shoots of clematis dry out and the question arises - what to do? You just need to stop it in time; to do this, the affected parts of the clematis are torn off (which you should not forget to burn), and the flower is treated with products containing copper.
Clematis wilt (wilt)
Another disease that is caused by a harmful soil fungus. There are several types of them, and they parasitize on the roots of clematis.Fungi belonging to the genus Verticillium and Fusarium manifest themselves in approximately the same way. Making their way from the soil into the root system, they block the access of juices to the flower stems. Another of their brothers from the genus Koniotirum, which works in the same way, but is located on the ground part of the clematis, on the shoots, immediately above the ground.
Sharp winter temperature changes can lead to the same unhappy outcome. As soon as the first signs of clematis wilting appear, you need to pour a 0.2% solution of foundationazole a couple of times to the very root of the flower. To prevent disease, such watering is done in autumn and spring.
Viral disease (yellow mosaic)
A rare viral disease transmitted by insects such as caterpillars, ticks, and aphids. There is no cure for the disease. It is necessary to tear off the diseased parts of the clematis in time and treat the flower with pest control agents - colloidal sulfur, karbofos, potassium soap. Phlox, delphinium, peony, hosta, bulbous, aquilegia, sweet pea should not grow nearby, they are also susceptible to infection. It is better to avoid unwanted proximity.
Pests
Another reason why clematis dries is the spider mite, which sucks the juices out of it. Its appearance is indicated by white dots on the leaves, and when it settles in, it is difficult not to notice the entangling web on them.
Insectoaricides and acaricides help get rid of the invasion. It happens that they use improvised materials - dishwashing liquid diluted with water to form a soap solution. To achieve better results, after treatment, wrap the flower with plastic wrap for two days.
The author of the video will share with you about some of the reasons that cause yellowing of clematis foliage.
Conclusion
Now it’s clear why clematis dries out and what to do about this problem.The main thing is to carefully observe the flower so as not to miss the first signs of the disease, and take the necessary measures in a timely manner. With proper care, attention and care, it will delight you with magnificent flowering for a long time.
