Clematis Manchu: description, planting and care

Clematis Manchu is very popular with Western florists and landscape designers. This beautiful liana, better known as clematis, can decorate any home plot, however, in our country this plant has not yet become widespread. In our article, we will talk about the features of Manchurian clematis, how to reproduce it, and introduce you to the intricacies of caring for it.

Some botanists consider Manchurian clematis to be a separate type of clematis, while others attribute it to a variety of direct clematis, so today the place of this plant in the classification has not been unequivocally defined. The homeland of the spectacular liana is the southern part of the Far East, as well as the northeastern provinces of China.

From the side, the thickets of this plant look like fluffy clouds, which cover rocky mountain areas with a solid flowering carpet and envelop the crowns of stunted trees.

Unlike most other vines, this representative of the flowering flora is not able to twine around the support on its own., therefore, in its natural environment, clematis behaves like a ground cover - it lies on the surface with a dense cap or crawls along the ground.

Small compound leaves form a decorative openwork mass, the flowers are cruciform, small - the diameter of each does not exceed 2 cm. During the day they open completely, directed upwards. The flowers exude a pleasant aroma, which, under the influence of the sun's rays, is intensified many times over. Petals are white, pointed in shape, stamens and anthers are pale yellow. The seeds are quite numerous, they are tiny "nuts" of beige-brown color.

The flowering of Manchurian clematis in central Russia occurs in the second half of July - August and lasts from 4 to 6 weeks.

Clematis Manchu is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, easily tolerates cold winters, as well as summer heat.

Like the vast majority of clematis, it does not differ in excessive demand for the acidity of the soil, but at the same time it does not tolerate stagnant water - from this, the roots of the plant quickly die. It has good immunity, so it rarely gets sick, most often it is affected by snails, as well as slugs and spider mites.

Planting of Manchurian clematis is carried out in the autumn-spring period. In order for it to take root well and begin to grow actively, one should take into account the peculiarities of the soil, choose a healthy seedling and follow all planting rules.

There are no strict deadlines for planting this vine. - any warm time will do when the air temperature at night is above 5 degrees.

It is best to plant the Far Eastern clematis in a sunny place about a meter from the vertical support.

For the same reason, you should not choose a place with high groundwater for planting, otherwise the root system will quickly rot.

Suitable seedlings can be purchased in specialized nurseries, it is very important to carefully examine them before buying them - the shoots should be elastic, there should be no creases, pest larvae or any damage on the roots. The leaves of the planting material should be green, clean, without signs of ulceration, red or whitish spots.

The site for planting clematis should be prepared in advance - in a few months it is dug up, thoroughly loosened and fertilized. For a young seedling, it is necessary to prepare a planting pit 60x60 cm deep, the bottom should be laid out with expanded clay, pebbles or other drainage material with a layer of 10-15 cm, then covered by a third of soil mixture consisting of sand, peat, ash and humus, taken in equal amounts, at this should remain about 20 cm to the ground level.

If you plan to plant several seedlings at once, then a distance of at least 1 meter should be maintained between them.

The direct process of planting Manchurian clematis includes several stages.

• Before planting, the rhizome must be soaked in a solution of "Kornevin" or any other root formation stimulator.
• A seedling is placed in the prepared hole, the roots are carefully straightened and sprinkled with earth so that the root collar is closed by 15-25 cm. If it is located higher, clematis will not be able to form a strong root system.
• At the end of the work, the land around the seedling is mulched: for this, they take chopped bark of conifers, sawdust or peat, after which the young plant is carefully tied to a support and watered abundantly.

In order for clematis to grow well and delight its owners with abundant flowering, you should follow the rules for growing this vine.

Manchurian clematis does not tolerate excess water, but at the same time its lack also leads to weak growth. In warm weather, the plant needs 2-3 watering per week at the rate of 2 buckets of water for each bush.

In the spring-autumn period, one watering per week and 5 liters of water for each plant will be enough.

After moistening, the ground often becomes hard and covered with a crust, therefore, as soon as the soil dries, it is necessary to carefully loosen it, but so as not to damage the root system of the vine.

If during planting a nutrient mixture based on river sand and humus was introduced into the pit, then in the first year of life the clematis no longer needs to be fed, in the second year a weak mullein solution is introduced and fertilized with complex mineral preparations several times per season.

The fertilization scheme is as follows:

• nitrogen-containing top dressing is applied during the growing season;
• potash - at the stage of bud formation;
• phosphoric should be used in the dormant stage at the end of flowering;
• minerals are desirable to be introduced immediately after clearing clematis.

Keep in mind that the Far Eastern clematis buds are formed exclusively on the shoots of the current year, so gardeners stimulate their enhanced formation. For this purpose, with the onset of autumn, all the processes are cut off, and in the spring the procedure is repeated until the first leaf appears. - then you can get a lush, abundantly flowering liana in the new season.

The root system of clematis is well developed - this largely contributes to the resistance of the plant and good survival, but, on the other hand, it also provokes the appearance of fungal infections, when the rhizomes are damaged by their spores, the bush begins to wither quickly.

If, nevertheless, the plant encounters a fungus, it must be dug up, cleaned out the rhizomes, removed all affected areas and returned to their place, and then filled with Fundazol solution.

If any spots of light or reddish color appear, carefully examine your green pet - they can be rust, as well as powdery mildew and gray mold. The affected areas should be cut off as soon as possible, healthy parts of the bush should be sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.

All types of nematodes are capable of destroying the root system in the shortest possible time - in this case, the vine dies quickly. If such a nuisance occurs, the plants should be uprooted and burned, and nothing should be planted at the site of the former planting for 2-3 years.

Clematis Manchu easily tolerates winter cold, nevertheless, experienced flower growers recommend preparing this vine for frost.

When the air temperature in autumn drops to -5 degrees, the plant needs to be insulated for the winter. To do this, cut it off, and the remaining bush is abundantly covered with fallen leaves.

For backfilling, you can take peat - in this case, you will need about 4 buckets of substrate. In regions with cold winters, the embankment is additionally covered with agrofibre or roofing material, as an option, you can make a protective structure out of boards. When the snow falls, this convenient structure will reliably protect the Manchurian Clematis until the onset of the spring heat.

Manchurian clematis at home can propagate by seeds and cuttings. The first process is quite laborious and time-consuming - you can get vine sprouts only two years after planting the seeds.

They are covered with a substrate of peat and river sand, taken in equal quantities. - such a soil mixture provides good air circulation, and in addition, water does not stagnate in it.

For cultivation, it is best to take the seeds of the next year - they have the maximum germination. The seed must be dry, and its protective layer must be intact, without signs of damage. The seeds are placed sparsely on the surface of the prepared soil, you do not need to deepen them - just sprinkle them with sand.

Manchurian clematis belongs to heat-loving plants, therefore, for its germination, a temperature of at least +25 degrees is required - for insulation, the container is covered with a film.

To prevent the seedlings from being washed out during watering, it is best to use trays of water for moistening.

With the arrival of spring heat, when the air temperature at night reaches +20 degrees, cones with sprouts can be taken out into the yard, but only if there are already several leaves on the seedlings.

A year later, the seedlings will become so strong that they can be moved into open ground to a permanent place. - this is done only after the threat of repeated spring frosts has finally passed.

There is also an easier option to propagate clematis - rooting by cuttings; this is best done in wet, pre-calcined river sand.

Reproduction through layering is even more effective - for this purpose, the young lateral stem of the vines is carefully bent and pressed to the ground, fixing with a hairpin, this place is sprinkled on top with sand and watered. A month later, roots grow next to the lateral buds, and the buds themselves begin to sprout - after that, the rooted part of the plant can be carefully separated from the mother and transplanted to a new place.

Manchurian clematis is a decorative liana, which is widely used by landscape designers for vertical gardening of the site. Arches and gazebos, framed by beautiful snow-white flowers, look very impressive.

The clematis-woven fence is a decorative hedge.

A pleasant bonus will be a delicate aroma, which will surely create a harmonious atmosphere on your site, pleasing to the eye and conducive to relaxation and restoration of mental strength.

You can get acquainted with the features of clematis care in the following video.