Amateur (me) botches planting job - Need advice!

17 years ago

I found a real bargain this weekend, a huge Nelly Moser for $5. Tons of vines. So this morning I get my big hole ready with cotton burr compost and bone meal, but then I realize that all the vines are twisted and wound all over each other on this 10" tall trellis. The trellis is metal, so I can't cut it off. Finally I proceeded to try to unwind the three major stems but they were long... maybe 5 feet apiece. And I heard the sickening sound of stem snapping at least 3 times in my unwinding. At last I got the thing in the ground and twisted tendrils onto the chicken wire I put up on my fence to hold the stems up.

But should I even have bothered? Is the thing doomed to die, or dead already? What should I have done, just planted it with the trellis too, all wound around like that? Should I go get another one and dump this one? Aren't snapped stems just an invitation to wilt or worse? Ugh, I feel sick about it. Help a newbie, please!

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Comments (8)

janetpetiole
17 years ago
Considering that you will need to cut the clematis back hard the following year, unwinding them when planting it isn't worthwhile.

As soon as the ground thaws in spring, you can gently remove the little trellis.

I suspect your clematis should be fine.
yodio
Original Author
17 years ago
Hi Janet,

thanks for the response. So should I go ahead and cut it back now? I've read that cuts are a portal for wilt. Or do I need the leaves for the clematis to grow its roots? Oh and also, I checked the tag, it's a Dr. Ruppel, not a Nelly Moser, but I suppose that's irrelevant! :)
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janetpetiole
17 years ago
Where did you read that cuts are a portal for wilt? Wilt is likely caused by an immature root system unable to support excessive top growth, which is why you will want to cut it back. All the experienced people here cut back clematis when they plant to about 5 sets or at least that seems to be a general rule.

Dr. Ruppel is a stunning clematis. Nice choice.
buyorsell888
17 years ago
I whack all of mine off at about twelve inches when I plant them and I plant them deep too.
yodio
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the advice. I'll cut them back tomorrow. I did plant it deep (I think)... covered the first (very full) set of leaves and mounded the compost. It's planted in front of a white picket fence that has old fashioned red climbing roses on either side (they bloom in May-June and sometimes again in Sept). My question is about support. The fence is about 4 feet high. Right now I've put up chicken wire about 2 feet wide but from what I read here that's no good. So what do I put up and how wide should it go? I think Dr. Ruppel grows to 9 feet? Thanks!
yodio
Original Author
17 years ago
Just an update. I cut all 3 stems (too drastically, according to MIL) down to the 2nd node. The leaves all browned and shriveled and I thought I'd killed it for sure. MIL said there'd be nothing to phhotosynthesize. But now all three stems are growing tiny new leaves at the bottom nodes. So fingers crossed!
buyorsell888
17 years ago
Should be just fine. MIL is mistaken, Clematis that are planted deep, can and do come back from the buried crown.
lostmermaid
17 years ago
They even come back after a year of nothing!
Mom planted a Dr. Ruppel, it grew the first year and flowered. She has not seem it for the last two years but behold! This year it is doing well and flowered again. It is on the west side of an arbor which is on the east side of a house(about 10' from the shed) under an apricot tree which is 30' from a 100' black walnut. It receives almost no direct sunlight. Maybe an hour mid summer, very late evening.

She thought she had lost it too.
Dana