Pinching back Clematis in spring...

19 years ago

Hi everyone.

I have been noticing a lot of comments regarding pinching clematis to control the spring growth. I have a couple of Jackmani Superbas(9 years old, and very large) along a fence which I have tried, to no avail, to train completely sideways so they will not hang over the fence too much. I posted on this problem last year, and have tried to train every stem, but they get completely attached to each other so quickly, and so it didn't work too well. The huge top that grew over the fence kept blowing back over to my side on really windy days, nearly pulling the whole wire trellising down.

I was wondering if pinching would work in my zone; how much would it reduce the height, when to stop , how much to pinch, and how long would the flowering be delayed?

TIA

Judith

Featured Answer

nckvilledudes

19 years ago

Judith, pinching out the growing tips is done to encourage the plant to put out more side branches and to hopefully stimulate more shoots from the crown. The pinched branches are going to have the tendency to cling just like any other branches. Pinching will help to make the plant more compact but just to a certain extent since once you stop pinching the plant will continue to grow up. Realize that any plant is genetically predispositioned to grow to a certain height and will do so once the pinching stops. Growing conditions, soil fertility, sun exposure, age of plant, etc. all play roles in how high tall any plant gets, but its genetics also play a major role.

Trying to get a clematis to grow horizontally is going to take a lot of attention on your part. Daily attention is most likely needed to get the vines to grow the way you want and not to have them twine back on themselves.

Have you considered adding an extention on your fence to allow the clematis to grow up it vertically instead of horizontally? Don't know the type of fence you have but you could sink two 2 X 4 posts at either end of the clematis and put wire fencing between the posts like I have done on my post and fencing trellis to allow the clematis to grow up. It is the structure in the far background.

If you have a wooden fence, you could add wooden extensions to the top of the existing fencing.

Just some ideas for you to ponder.

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Comments (6)

judith5bmontreal
Original Author
19 years ago
Nckvilledudes; I have stood and stared at that clematis, wondering if I could add a wire extension. There is a bylaw in my neighbourhood stating that fences cannot be higher than 6 feet (which that section is), but I guess I would have to check if they mean extensions, too. Also, the fence ( solid white aluminum - see photo) is shared with the neighbour behind me, so I would have to get their permission too. It would certainly solve the problem. As for daily attention, well, spring starts out well, with me out there rain or shine, tying and training, and then suddenly, one day, I come home from work, and there they are, all tangled up! They just wait for me to turn my back! Anyway, thanks a lot for all your ideas (and photo); I will have to check if I'm allowed to do this kind of thing, If so, it will be another fall project to add to my list:)
Judith

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carolfm
19 years ago
Judith, we have a restriction on the height of the fence but we have no restrictions on placing a trellis against the fence of any height :-). Could you put a trellis that is taller than the fence behind the clematis?? You might want to check that out. It worked for us.

Carol
nckvilledudes
19 years ago
Judith, I know what you mean about starting the season off doing everything and then WHAM things come up and the plants take off. Looks like you have one very healthy clematis there so I can only imagine how much time it would take to keep that monster contained!! LOL

Carol's idea sounds like a good alternative if that is doable with your association's bylaws.
buyorsell888
19 years ago
I think slipping a big trellis in front of the fence is the best idea. Do it in early spring when you hard prune the Clems down.
judith5bmontreal
Original Author
19 years ago
Hi everyone, so sorry I took so long to get back to you! Well, your suggestions are great - I will check into the possibility of adding some kind of trellising to the top of the fence (with the neighbour AND city hall). If I can't do that, my other option (from buyorsell) would be to buy those 8 foot pre-fab trellis pieces and attach that to my side of the fence. The only way I could secure it to the fence is by tying it to the black rim along the top. I can't put nails through it as it is a shared fence. Thanks to all of you for your help
Judith