Do I need a bigger pot?

17 years ago

Or do I need new soil? (Ok, here's the short story: We're going to build a house and I'm hopelessly enthralled with gardening and clems in particular that I bought a little Niobe 2 years ago and put it in a large pot (20in round, maybe 18in deep?) and this spring it doesn't look so good).

I have ONE spindly little vine since the snow crunched the others off. Last year I faithfully pinched it back (I lurk a lot) and it looked OK. This spring, compared to the 2nd year Miss Bateman's I have in the ground at our current residence, I've got nothing. They have leaves and new shoots coming up, while Niobe has one tiny nub just poking through the soil and no leaves yet. Do I need new soil and/or a larger pot for my Niobe? I hate to give up on it now since we're hoping to start bilding in the fall and I *might* be able to plant it next year.

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Comments (6)

nckvilledudes
17 years ago
The only way to tell if the plant needs a larger pot is to see if it is rootbound by gently taking it out of its pot or seeing if you can see roots coming out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. It could be that it is rootbound and needs replanting. As for changing the soil, I have had clematis in pots for several years and not yet needed to change the soil in the pots.

The one other question I have for you is what did you do with the pot over the winter? If you left it outside in an unprotected pot, it could be that did the plant in if the pot froze solid and the plant could not take up water during the winter months. Could be that the crown rotted if it stayed too wet. There are a couple of things that could be going on with your clematis in my opinion since it sounds as if the ones in the ground did okay.
jeanne_texas
17 years ago
Miquel hit the nail on the head..My first thought was oh no..potted plants in your cold zone are in more danger than those planted in the soil for if left outside to fend for themselves as they have no insulation like mothernatures soil...I would have put my pots either in a warmer garage or stored somewhere in my house till Spring...Jeanne
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gladahmae
Original Author
17 years ago
I haven't brought any of my clems in for the winter and haven't had any problems yet. We got a lot of snow this winter, and I always hunker them down into a snowbank near the house so they aren't exposed to the really cold temps. We don't have a garage and our house is too small to bring pots into, or I definately would!

So, I guess my next question is how in the world do I get this plant out of the pot to check the roots without severely damaging it? It's still alive, it just isn't being "vigorous" at all.
jeanne_texas
17 years ago
Being alive and showing growth is ok and wonderful..I wouldn't bother it to be honest..some are slower to get going than others and isn't it just beginning Spring there??...Jeanne
gladahmae
Original Author
17 years ago
Ok. Bad news. I took it out of the pot and it was rotten. *sigh* Guess I get to buy another one. Maybe I should just wait until I have a real place to put one before I buy anymore.
jeanne_texas
17 years ago
ahhh..so sowwy to hear that....Jeanne