Why do clematis leaves dry

This article will discuss the most common reasons why clematis leaves dry, as well as how to solve this problem.

Why do clematis leaves turn black and dry?

Introduction

Clematis are flowering vines and are commonly used for vertical landscaping and decoration of gardens and balconies. With their help, you can revive even the most modest landscape, decorate garden arches, gazebos, pergolas. Clematis is also used for the construction of hedges. The implementation of certain agrotechnical recommendations will allow this plant to reveal its best qualities and, for a long period, please its owners with lush and abundant flowering. Caring for clematis primarily consists of protecting it from wind and stagnant moisture in the soil and providing it with reliable support on which its shoots can climb up. Often, it is the strong wind that is the main threat to the health of clematis. If the support for the vine is not strong enough, strong gusts of wind can knock it down and damage the shoots of the plant. This will lead to a deterioration in the general condition of clematis, which becomes an easy target for fungal infections. First of all, the leaves of clematis are affected. Such dangerous diseases include verticillosis, also called wilt, causing wilting and death of the vine.

One of the ways to reduce the risk of spreading fungal infections in the garden is to choose clematis varieties wisely. To date, through the efforts of breeders, varieties have been bred that are resistant to infectious diseases. These include varieties such as “Prince Charles"(" Prince Charles "),"Violet star"(" Etoile Violette "),"Betty Corning"(" Betty Corning ").

There are also varieties resistant to fungal diseases with large flowers: “Niobe"(" Niobe "),"Gypsy Queen"(" Gypsy Queen "),"Pink Champagne“(“ Pink Champagne ”) and others.

Gray spot (phomopsis)

Among the main diseases, why clematis leaves dry, infections caused by fungi of two genera are in the lead. The first is called Phomopsis and affects clematis, usually from May to June. Symptoms of the disease are spots of a dirty yellow-brown hue that appear on the lower leaves of clematis, which are closest to the earth's surface. Gradually, the spots become larger and affect the entire leaf plate, necrosis begins, which leads to leaf fall.

Phomopsis wilt threatens not only the leaves of clematis, but also its shoots and stems, and can destroy the entire ground part of the bush. This fungal infection is especially dangerous for large-flowered hybrid varieties of clematis, although the original species are also susceptible to this disease. However, for them it does not pose a mortal danger: in case of infection, the leaf plates can become covered with medium-sized gray spots, but the plant will survive in most cases.

Why do the lower leaves of clematis dry

Early diagnosis of Phomopsis wilting will allow starting the fight against the disease at an early stage and preserving the plant. This is not difficult to do if you make it a rule to regularly examine the leaves of clematis in order to detect the first signs of infection. Particular attention should be paid to the oldest leaves located in the lower part
shoots (first third of the length). Inspection of clematis leaves should be started in May, when the Phomopsis fungus is activated.

To avoid the spread of infection, it is important to promptly clean the area of ​​dead leaves, including those left over from last year, since fungal spores can hibernate in them. Do not forget about the disinfection of garden tools, especially those tools that pruned infected shoots and leaves.

To carry out disinfection, it is enough to process the inventory with boiling water or an alcohol solution.

Clematis: leaf tips dry

A favorable factor for the development of a pathogenic fungus is the high humidity of the environment, when after rain moisture remains for a long time on the surface of clematis leaves, as well as as a result of dew loss. To avoid this, you should choose areas with good air circulation for planting clematis.

Phomopsis wilt is characterized by a fairly high rate of development and can destroy a plant in just 14 days. Therefore, it is extremely important to notice the appearance of the first spots in time, cut off and burn the affected parts of the clematis bush, and treat healthy shoots with preparations of fungicidal action. Cut off diseased shoots and clematis leaves are not suitable for composting, as they can become a source of infection for other plants.
Early detection of a lesion by fomopsis will allow you to take action in time and save the plant. In the case of an advanced disease, it will most likely die.

Fusarium

Why do clematis leaves dry? Fusarium

If the lower leaves of clematis turn yellow and dry, there is a second pathogenic fungus that poses a serious danger to clematis, it is called Fusarium and is the cause of fusarium wilting. Most often, the disease affects large-flowered varieties of clematis, as well as young and not yet matured bushes. It is quite simple to distinguish fusarium wilting from fomopsis: in this case, the edges of the leaves begin to change color and dry. The border of the leaf plate acquires a brown tint, gradually changes affect the main part of the leaf, moving towards the middle. As a rule, all parts of the plant above the affected area begin to wilt. Most often, fusarium wilting manifests itself with the arrival of heat, in mid-June, when the air warms up to + 25-30 degrees. First of all, the infection affects the oldest shoots, as well as those parts of the plant that are damaged and weakened. For this reason, it is very important to carefully carry out gardening work so as not to violate the integrity of the plant tissues. Building lasting
supporting structures will protect them from damage as a result of strong winds. Strong temperature changes can also damage young clematis, so it doesn't hurt to take care of shelter for them.

Clematis leaves dry: what to do?

In clematis, the lower leaves dry and turn yellow. When these prikanakov are found, it is important to take measures in time so as not to lose the plant. These include the following procedures:

• All shoots located in the lower third of the stem are pruned.
• All fallen leaves, including those left over from last year, are collected and removed from the site.
• The garden tools used to trim must be thoroughly disinfected.
• The collected plant residues and fallen leaves of clematis are necessarily burned.

The use of fungicidal preparations makes sense only if clematis is damaged by phomopsis, while with fusarium, this measure is useless. If the plant has been infected with Fusarium, the grower can only remove the diseased parts of the plant to prevent the spread of the infection. If the pruning of infected shoots and leaves was carried out on time, the clematis bush will recover quite quickly, since the Fusarium fungus does not penetrate into the tissues of the root system, affecting only the ground parts of the plant.

Clematis leaves turn yellow and dry. Preventive measures

As preventive measures to prevent infectious diseases, you can use simple actions:

• For planting clematis, you should choose dry areas where the groundwater is quite deep. It is important that there is a shelter from strong winds, and also the correct light regime is provided. Clematis need sunlight for several hours every day.
• Direct sunlight, meanwhile, is a danger to young plants, so it doesn't hurt to take care of a little shading. A mesh material is suitable for this.
• Air circulation in the beds with clematis is very important, therefore, supports for these vines should not be placed close to the walls of buildings and fences. The distance between them should be at least 8 cm. In this case, rainwater flowing from the walls of the buildings will not flood the clematis plantings.
• Air circulation must also be present in the soil, therefore, the soil in the area with clematis must be made loose. The required degree of friability can be achieved by adding compost or humus. This will allow the soil to better allow air and water to pass through.
• Weed protection also plays an important role, therefore the soil surface around the clematis bushes should be covered with a mulch layer. It can be formed from sawdust or crushed bark.
• When watering, it is important to direct the stream of water to the root of the vine without touching the clematis leaves.
• Young clematis under the age of 3 years need abundant watering and regular fertilization.
• Loosening the soil around clematis must be done very carefully so as not to damage their root system and not provoke the development of a fungal infection. For this reason, it is not recommended to do this with a rake.

Conclusion

Providing clematis with protection against fungal infections is not so difficult if you follow some guidelines to keep your plants healthy. Regular foliage inspection clematis will make it possible to detect signs of the disease in time and take appropriate measures. Timely processing of the vine will keep it alive and protect other plants from infection.

Why do clematis leaves dry? video