Planting clematis with seeds is used only for small-flowered species, which in this case retain all parental characteristics. As planting material for hybrid varieties, one-year or two-year-old seedlings are used, purchased in specialized stores, or obtained by vegetative propagation of clematis already existing in the garden. Planting and caring for vines are the same for plants grown from seedlings, and for seedlings obtained by grafting, dividing, layering, etc.
Planting clematis seeds
The area under clematis should be well lit and protected from the winds. In warm regions and even in central Russia, certain species and varieties develop well in partial shade, but in the North-West, in Siberia, abundant flowering is possible only in the sun. It is undesirable to plant clematis closer than half a meter from the fence and the wall of the house, under the slope of the roof, where the soil is too dry for the plant, and rainwater flowing from the roof can damage the shoots and flowers.
For culture, fertile, loose, sandy or loamy soil with a neutral, slightly alkaline or slightly acidic reaction is preferable; it will not grow on saline, heavy, acidic and damp lands. If necessary, the soil structure can be improved by mixing the excavated soil in the planting pits with fertile compost or humus, a little superphosphate and dolomite flour. This is usually done a year before planting, so that the soil settles and changes its reaction to a more alkaline one, assimilating the added lime. In lowlands or with close groundwater, creepers are planted on bulk mounds, providing good drainage at the bottom of the pits and timely removal of excess moisture.
Species with a taproot system transplant painfully, and are immediately placed in a permanent place, clematis with fibrous roots take root easily, they can be temporarily planted in a garden bed and grown within one to two years.
Clematis: planting and care
Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted throughout the season; for plants with open roots, the best planting time is April – early May, when the soil has already warmed up enough, but active vegetation has not yet begun. In later periods, they take root worse and do not have time to prepare for winter. It is also acceptable to plant clematis in the fall, in August – September. If a seedling is purchased after the onset of cold weather, it is better to postpone its planting until spring, digging it up in the garden for the winter and carefully covering it, or storing it in a cellar at a temperature not exceeding +5 ° C, where the roots should be sprinkled with a slightly damp mixture of sand and sawdust. Indoors, such bushes eventually sprout, therefore, after planting in the spring, clematis with young shoots must be shaded for some time.
It is better to plant rooted cuttings in pots at the beginning of the season, grow them there until autumn, and only then move them to the ground.
Clematis seeds are planted in spring in greenhouses or seedling boxes, and in areas with a mild climate – directly into the ground.
Planting clematis seeds: video and description
The interval between seedlings should be from 70 to 150 cm, depending on the variety. Before landing or immediately after it, supports are installed – wooden and metal gratings, stairs, nets, etc. Removable structures or attractive architectural forms are preferred, thanks to which the garden will remain decorative in autumn, winter and early spring, when clematis usually have neither flowers nor even green shoots. The recommended height of the supports is 2-2.5 m, the diameter is no more than 2 cm.
For better survival, the root system of seedlings is pre-soaked for several hours in cold water or a solution of any phytohormones (epin, root, etc.), and then planted in pre-prepared planting pits 50x50x50 cm in size on light, or 70x70x70 cm on heavy soils. A mound of fertile land is poured in the center, the roots of the liana are evenly distributed over its surface, and they are covered with earth so that the root neck is at a depth of 3 to 10-12 cm, depending on the degree of development of the bush. Such deepening protects the roots from freezing and overheating, promotes the development of a tillering center, on which new shoots are laid. Experts recommend covering the root neck with sand with the addition of crushed coal and ash, which will prevent it from rotting.
The planted plant is watered, shaded from the sun, protected from the wind, mulched. In the first year, it is actively watered, weeded, but not fertilized. For better development of vines, the root zone can be shaded with low-growing ornamental plants, separating their root systems with the help of some delimiter to a depth of at least 30-50 cm.
In the videos below, planting clematis in a garden plot is shown in more detail and clearly: