I need to begin the day over. lol. Yes, Wildfire! Hopefully someone here is growing it and can help out. The soil it's in is great, I didn't have to add anything.

My mrs cholmondeley has looked the same for weeks too! I like to think the roots are doing their growing and the top will come later . Also , all my other Clems are taking off. Very pleased !!

I was doing a check on the clems today, and while they're all growing pretty darn good, except the Wildfire, I noticed the leaves are turning light green.

Two Huldine's are planted near each other, and one plant has lighter leaves than the other.

Also, since I read it's okay to fertilize them as babies with Rosetone, I did that last week. Now I learn it's best not to fertilize them the first year. Do you think it would be okay to use the Epsom salt on them since they were also fertilized?

Only thing, we're expecting more rain tonight and tomorrow, I'd hate to see them get root rot. Maybe once the rains move out I should do it?

I didn't over think the Clematis I planted years ago that grew like crazy. Just stuck them in the ground and watered them. Never pruned or fed. My problem now is I over think how to grow them which will probably kill them! lol

Why would you think you need to use Epsom salts? Do you have a magnesium deficiency in your soil? That is the only plant need it will address - it doesn't make plants grow better, faster, stronger or any other rumor you may have heard :-)

As long as your soil is well draining - a requirement for growing clematis - then you don't need to worry about root rots. Your vines will be fine. If you want do any sort of fertilizing their first year, just mulch the root zone well with compost. This will help add to the soil quality, provide a few nutrients and help keep clematis roots moist by slowing soil moisture evaporation.

It's not a rumor at all. Epsom salt helps get Clematis leaves back to their original darker color. I had this problem on a 35 year old Clematis that I thought had died 25 years ago, and I rescued it. After a week the leaves started to get light green and it was suggested I use Epsom salt with water. I did, and they're back to normal.

Do a search here in the Clematis forum on Epsom salt. I also did a treatment on a Hibiscus a few years ago, and it also worked.

Even with good drainage, adding more water with the rains and cool air, the soil is having a hard time drying out. It's been mostly cloudy for almost a week now. So I'm hesitant to add more water.

As GG48 said, it only helps with a magnesium deficiency since it is magnesium sulfate. Perhaps your soil has a magnesium deficiency. Have you had a soil test done? I would get a soil sample tested at a soil lab to see if it will help. I generally add nothing to newly planted clematis (and other plants for that matter) since I prep the beds before planting and generally have soil that is high in organic matter and well-drained, though I do mulch with compost. I think it's far easier to create problems for new plants by adding too much fertilizer and excess minerals than the other way around.

"It's not a rumor at all. "

It most certainly IS a rumor and a very persistent one at that. There is NO scientific evidence that Epsom salts does anything for plants and trained horticulturists - not dubious online chat room sources - are quick to confirm that. It is not even all that good for correcting magnesium deficiencies unless applied in quantity.

The Myth of Epsom Salts