Vicki, generally speaking clematis wilt affects a whole stem and does not spread from the bottom of the plant upwards. In fact, the symptoms usually start at the end of the branch and work downwards. When it affects plants in bloom, it usually affects the branches with the flowers on them first since one theory about the disease is it is caused by a deficiency in the vascular system of the plant. The plant responds by loosing the extreme portions of stems so the root system doesn't have as much plant to support with water and nutrients. There is no known cure for this disease except to cut the infected branches off and destroy them (ie do not use in your compost).

However like I said initially it may be that your clematis has something else going on with it than wilt. Some clematis tend to loose their lower leaves and leave the plants with a condition as "naked legs". My triternata rubromarginata is doing the same thing right now and is in flower. Knowing the type of your affected clematis might help determine if this is the case or not. Also, if the plants are otherwise healthy and growing like gangbusters, wait until flowering has ceased and try giving the plant fertilizer. Some plants loose their older leaves if the plant is nutrient deficient. As I said, try this after the plant has finished flowering since there are reports that fertilizing when a plant is in bloom shortens the bloom cycle. This being said, I have used compost or composted cow manure on my plants in the past when they were in bloom and didn't see any effect on the bloom cycle.

Post pictures if you can of your plants. This might help with the diagnosis!

Does wilt always cause the stems to blacken? I one that looked wilted, however it was a dark green and looked very wilted/almost dried out. I am watering nightly for the most part. If there is an occasion where I can water at night, then I do water the next day.

Carolyn

True clematis wilt is supposed to cause the stems and foliage to turn black in color within a very short time. Plants that are still green several days in a row but that look wilty, are probably just suffering from too much water loss (ie faster water loss by transpiration and evaporation than what the roots can take in). I have seen this quite frequently when we have gone from cool gray days to full hot blazing sun conditions. If the situation doesn't respond to watering and the leaves/stems don't turn black, I would be tempted to remove the vines to allow the roots to accomodate the top growth it can handle.

I use Cleary's in the spring of each year as I read this would help. I use it for my roses anyway so I had it. I have over 100 clems. and I have to say I haven't had any wilt which is surprising. I don't know is this is because of the Cleary's which is a fungicide but I will keep using it.

Alotofplants I have yet to see anything that is documented that it will prevent clematis wilt especially since quite a few people think it may not even be fungal related but rather vascular related. If you use it and don't have wilt, then you may want to continue using it however I would have to see data from an independent lab doing controlled experiments to believe that it is the reason you don't have wilt. Perhaps you are one lucky gardener, have growing conditions that tend to make your plants grow with a balanced top growth-root growth balance, or some other combination of factors. Glad you haven't had wilt though! ;)

Very interesting observations, everyone and I thank you for your expertise. I am unaware of a product identified as Cleary's and assume that it is a fungicide. This is a preventative effort to avoid wilt, or do you just include this along with your fertilization program annually?

When I figure out how to post a photo, will include an image online.

My clematises all now have the brown leaves with the exception of Sweet Autumn and general Sikorski and an english variety.

Vicki

I do not believe wilt is fungal, I believe it is vascular. However, I am not a biologist nor plant pathologist. I dropped out of college, stupidest thing I've ever done.

College sometimes gains you nothing BorS. I too think it is more of a vascular immaturity issue than fungal related issue. Several studies I have seen in various journals points to this since the purported fungal agent that causes the disease could not be isolated from infected plant material.

This is interesting. The vascular immaturity would also explain why the plant can generate new stems the following year or the year after and be fine....... Makes sense to me!

Carolyn

Carolyn it would also explain why clematis that are wilters early in their life will often outgrow it as they mature.

What source can I reference in order to learn more about the vascular properties of the clematis? This is unfamiliar to me and would like to educate myself further. Hope you can direct me to a book or a site online. Thanks folks.

Vicki

Vicki, the vascular system of any plant is similar to the circulatory system of humans. It carries the nutrients from the soil roots to the other portions of the plant. Two terms often referenced in relation to the vascular system of plants is phloem and xylem. You can go to any library and check out a botany book and you will find a section on the vascular system of plants or Google it or the two terms I mentioned. You will find a wealth of information.

clematis wilt is a fungal disease caused by the fungus Ascochyta clematidina which is soil borne and affects the plant right at ground level. The best fungicide I have found to treat it is benomyl but i am not sure if that is still available. Other remedies that will help is to remove and replace about the top inch or so of the soil and try to increase the airflow around the base of the plant. it also helps when you plant the clematis to plant it about 4 to 6 inches deeper than it is planted in the pot so if you do get wilt it will die to the groud but the buried leaf nodes will produce new growth within a short period of time.

There are conflicting reports out there as to the cause of clematis wilt and purported cures for it. Read the article from the International Clematis Society's website for more information. Benomyl has been banned in the US!

Here is a link that might be useful: Article on clematis wilt

I have almost 15 clematis, most of which were purchased in the last 2 years. All of them, even extremely healthy plants have had wilt on at least one stem. About half of them only had one stem to begin with and the stem completely wilted after a few weeks of growth. most of my plants are co-located with various other perennials in a raised bed (some are in pots) in what should be optimal conditions. Often, the plant will send up new shoots almost immediately, sometimes it takes a few months. Sometimes the same thing will happen to the new growth although it usually takes longer and the stem growth may be several feet long at that time.

After reading heavily on the subject (I'm no horticulturalist) I'm convinced that this is not a fungus induced wilt even though it does occur from the tip down and the leaves turn black within a day or 2. Supposedly a fungus induced wilt must exhibit purple veins in the leaves and I have never seen this.

From what gathered it's the failure of the root system to deliver enough nutrients although nobody's really sure. Sometimes it's from stem damage (mechanical or from insects) although I have never been able to find any damage on mine.

It is frustrating and I know some people have lots of clematis and never see it but I think it often happens with immature plants. I have 2 plants I got from Silver Star that had very robust root systems compared to many of my other plants (and they had 5 viable stems) and one of those had wilt on a single stem and the other has had no wilt at all. This is the only plant out of 15 or so that has never had wilt.

So I'm hoping that next year I will have plenty of healthy, large clematis with lots of flowers.

The wilting problem happening to my Clematis does not happen at soil level. It happens at the tips of the vines during periods of rapid growth and especially after sunny hot weather. Which often occurs immediately following rain and clouds.

Sections wilt and then turn black or brown and dry up. I cut them off.

It only happens to newly planted Clematis up to three or four years old. Especially those that were small or weak when I planted them. I did not properly prune them hard when planting or in spring, they are type IIs and Ville de Lyon.

None of the new ones I have been pruning hard and pinching since planting last year have done it and there are plenty of type IIs included.

If it was fungal, the plants would not outgrow it. It would also occur again on the same plant, in the same season. Hard pruning and pinching would not affect a fungus.

I believe it is vascular and by hard pruning and pinching I'm letting the roots catch up to the vines and reducing the stress on the vascular system.

Thanks for the post buyorsell,

Silver Star recommends hard pruning the first 2 years regardless of the pruning group.

Is this basically what you saying for the first few seasons?

I don't really see this as that unusual, in terms of pinching and hard pruning. I have some tree peonies and pinching blooms the first year or 2 is highly recommended since making those huge flowers takes so much energy from the plant.

I also planted 2 climbing roses last fall and although healthy it seemed all they wanted to do was make tons of flowers. I started pinching all flowers and non-vertical growth. Now they are sending up the climbing canes that are already about 10' tall which I think is somewhat unusual the first season.

Silver Star recommends hard pruning the first 2 years regardless of the pruning group.

Is this basically what you saying for the first few seasons?

Yes, I didn't know to do this with my first Clems and they wilted and grew scraggly and bloomed very sparsely. I have learned. Sadly many people won't do it to their Clems or to anything else. They want instant gratification.

Alexh, I also purchased clematis from Silver Star Vinery this spring. One of them, Solina, got 3 feet tall and the whole plant wilted. I just cut the plant back to the ground and it has since re-emerged.

I am lucky that Ville de Lyon is the only Clem that has had the entire plant wilt. Hania and Violet Elizabeth only lost portions.

I don't think I've ever had an Atragene Group wilt on me....Anyone else?

Are some of you arbitrarily cutting back the brown vines now or do you just do this at the beginning of the growing season, i.e., Group I, II and III? When you prune back the dried clematis vines, the new tender growth will emerge but is that recommended by the experts? I personally would like to see a completely green plant but right now the bottom portions of a few of my clematis are brown and dry with flowers toward the top; is it your opinion to cut back the brown stems now only which would, in actuality, bring the plants down to the ground?

V.

If your vines are brown at the bottom it isn't wilt. Wilt starts at the top.

It is bare leg syndrome and whether you can cut them back now depends on your climate. I am in zone 8 and I am cutting some back now, hard, regardless of pruning group.

Ditto here. Just came back in from chopping some down this summer. Agree with BorS, what you describe Vicki isn't wilt. It happens all the time here in my southern garden due to the heat and humidity. I will have blooms again either late summer or early fall as a result of my actions. I was rather rough with several of them, cutting them back almost to the ground!

As I was hitting the submit button I saw I should have said was just back in this morning from cutting some back.

I just cut Ramona, Violet Elizabeth, Rosy O'Grady, Henryi, Willy, Barbara Harrington, Richard Pennell, Hagley Hybrid, Gillian Blades and Fireworks almost to the ground. They are either browning out on the bottom, mildewed, wilting or scraggly.

I cut back Etoile Rose, Princess Dianna, and Gravetye Beauty a week or so ago as all were mildew infested and severely browned out. Today, H. F. Young and the President were cut back due to their browned out leaves. Just a week and one half or so ago, I cut back triternata rubromarginata which had severe die back and browned out leaves. It had begun putting out new foliage but if this is typical for TRM, it will be removed from the garden this fall. It is a thug and takes up a lot of valuable real estate that could be used to house other clematis.

Hello everyone, I have been experiencing wilt on one of my new clematis bought last fall. I did a search on treatments and found this post from 2007 with so much information and am bumping it up to the top since so many of the new folks have been asking about clematis wilt lately. I am planning on pruning Princess Diana back to get rid of the affected vines and will hope for more robust new growth.

Tracy

My C. languinosa 'Candida' wilted the 1st three years. It would put up 2 or 3 beautiful stems, grow, produce buds, and then wilt all the way to the ground. I just left it alone. The past 2 years it has skipped the wilt, growing and blooming very well. That has been the only wilter. Most of mine are C. viticella hybrids.

This is a wonderful post, thank you. Just want to be clear, though, because Friday, I noticed my clematis 'Silmakivi' (Gr. III, which had just begun to bloom the day before!) was suddenly limp and droopy...wilted.

I just put it into the ground last summer (perhaps late spring, don't recall). So, based on this thread, this could be due to its vine (which is gigantic already, about 3'!) is overwhelming the still-young root structure, and I should cut off the wilted vine? There's a very small one at the base; may I let that one be?

Thanks so much for your help. None of my mother's clematis ever did this that I can recall.

Also, should I pinch back all the flower buds as well when the vine comes back?

Thanks so much, all! I really appreciate your help.

(Love 'Silmakivi', too, it's lovely.)

thenightingale, Type III Clematis don't usually have the wilting problem discussed in this thread. Are you sure it isn't just dry?

Soak it thoroughly and if that doesn't perk it up, then cut it back.

Type III's should be hard pruned every winter/early spring. They bloom on new growth.

Just purchased my first Clematis and within a few days of transplanting it the leaves started turning black. I love the beautiful flowers but I am not knowledgable when it comes to caring for them. I included a photo because I transplanted it at the same level it was in the original container. After reading on your site about planting below leaf buds I wondered if it is not planted deep enough. Can you tell me if I need to build up the soil deeper and remove the stem that seems to be dried up in the photo? It is a Comtesse De Bouchaud.

This is a photo of the full plant.