I would leave two or three sets of swollen buds and I would prune all first or second year Clems this low regardless of cultivar.

I'm putting a manure/compost blend on mine as I prune them.

Thanks for your response, buyorsell888.
I haven't seen but a couple of buds on my newest clems so maybe I shouldn't prune them at all. Also I don't have any compost or manure so is there anything I could purchase to feed my clems? I do have acccess to rabbit feces. What about using that?

Thanks,
suebot in CT
sbot@ur.com

I have seen postings that a rose fertilizer is the way to go. I just pruned my Jackmanii down and gave it a dose of Rosetone. I also have applied coffee grounds blended in my blender with my daily banana peel. Sounds gross but last year Ole Jack was spectacular! I have heard that you should stop all fertilizing as soon as you see flower buds begin to form.

SUE!!..Hey girl..so nice to see you have emerged back to the forums just like Spring..even tho you might see only one leaf bud at the bottom doesn't mean there won't be more..just take your finger from the soil and follow the vine up and when you see the 3rd leaf axil..cut above it...
"I have a Wisley, Elsa Spath, and Polish Spirit that I planted in the ground last summer. "
Hard Prune all of them the same way we talked about in the previous Paragraph..then next year you'll try treating your 2's as 2's!..Polish Spirit is a 3 anyway...
I feed mine 13-13-13 and they responded so well..it's also called Tomato Fertilizer or you can feed then with your Rose Fertilizer....Sue swears by Rosetone...I also gave mine their Spring Tonic!!..Alfalfa Tea..they are going WILD!!..This is year 3 for many of my clematis at my new home..so I am so excited you can probably hear me squealing with joy all the way up in Canada!!...
Here is where I pruned my Clematis "Venosa Violacea"....Jeanne
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Hi Jeanne, you helped me on the rose forum, and now I am clematis crazy. I have 3 that I purchased on sale last year (in 3 gal pots, so the root balls were big) and I am happy to say that they are all coming back up, YEAH! and as you know I just bought two from Silver Star.

So what I am reading is that I should prune above the 3rd leaf axil on all of these newbies..is this to make the growth bushier? And should I do that again next year (not that I'll remember....)

I also have these clematis planted near roses, and I use a specific rose fertilizer. I hope that will be good for the clematis as well.

Thanks.

Hey Buford..glad to be your enabler..LOL..The pruning you are referring to is for Pruning group 3's..it's called hard prune...for they bloom on the new vines put out that season...I also hard prune my 2's the first pruning year after they have been planted into my gardens..the purpose of this is to let them establish a bigger root system for the longevity of the plant...one thought is that "Wilt" is caused from the small root system not being able to handle all that new growth..regardless of the reason..it only benefits your clematis...Your Rose Fertilizer is purrrfect to use...I also use 13-13-13..aka Tomato Fertilizer..either do well...
If you don't know the pruning types you have you can research COTW aka Clematis on the Web using their search feature or just list them here and we can tell you....Jeanne

Don't put fresh manure of any kind on any plant! It has to be composted or it will burn.

I used cheap bagged manure/compost from Home Depot in Feb when I pruned and will switch to Rose Tone as the Clems really get going.

Thanks Jeanne, I know what the two clematis I just bought are, pruning group wise. I identified two of the 3 I bought last year (they were end of season sale, no tag but only $5! A bargain) the other one I'm not sure what it is, but I'll hopefully be able to identify it when it blooms. They all died back to the ground this winter, but are coming up strong. So I just pinched off after the 3rd axil. Thanks for the tip!

I just have to figure out where to put etoile violette...

You are welcome..I have my clematis "Etoile Violette" planted with my DA Rosa "Abraham Darby"....Jeanne
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Rabbit poop is a cold fertilizer & can be applied around plants. It's considered superior to other manures