clematis pruning late fallW

Question

We had clelmatis blossoms till the first frost took down our red maple leaves. I have been watering every two weeks with a Miracle Grow weak mixture. I can’t tell the dead vines from those that last bore flowers. I’d like to cut the entire plant, at base of trellis, so that in spring the vines that climb will be productive and I won’t have a bunch of brown vines that will detract from the whole vine display. I’m a believer in hard pruning. If I cut the base vines to about 6″ and cover them with red mulch, I think I’ll get a good start next spring. I can train the new vines to the trellis to give the neighbors a good show. Can I prune the vines, strip the trellis and look for a slightly slower start in the spring.? Thanks, Rich Ford

Answer 1

It will be ok to do this, but I'm not so sure I would feed them so often. You would be better off going a week or even two, or three between feedings. Definitely don't feed them during dormancy. They will not be able to use all of this nutrients during this time, and will likely develop a high salt content in the soil. It won't hurt the plant to give it a heavy pruning, and can actually help it out quite a bit.

This article will give you more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/clematis/growing-clematis.htm