Achieving flowering from purchased Asao clematis is much easier than keeping it in the winter and making it bloom again. The plant is not so much capricious in care as it requires some (minimal) knowledge about its features. The popular name in Russia for all clematis is "clematis".
Clematis "Asao": description
Japanese selection variety. Named after the Japanese city where it was obtained in 1971.
Clematis ("Asao") Asao is distributed through horticultural nurseries. Introduced to England (from where it began to spread across Europe) in 1980.
Large (up to twenty centimeters in diameter) flowers appear in May - early June in the middle zone of the Russian Federation on overwintered shoots of the previous year. Do not fade up to two weeks. The second portion of flowers appears on the shoots of the current year from mid-summer. If last year's shoots with faded buds are cut out in time, then this flowering will be very lush, the diameter of the flower will be slightly smaller (up to 12-15 centimeters), but the number will exceed June. The longevity of the second wave depends on the age of the bush, the quality of pruning, fertilizing and the correct planting (from the formation of root buds).
Flowers on a plant both simple andsemi-double, open only in the first wave of flowering. The color is intense pink with light streaks in the middle of the petal. The center of the flower is yellow. Faded buds persist throughout the season and are pleasing to the eye with a silvery color.
The plant is strongly leafy, a liana up to three meters high. Support required. The diameter of the bush is up to 80-100 centimeters. The root system is medium in size, growth is moderate. This feature makes it possible to grow Clematis Asao in containers.
Reviews of flower growers about growing a plant in the middle zone of the Russian Federation speak of its fairly high winter hardiness with a well-formed shelter and proper pruning before winter.
Shade-tolerant, prefers planting sites with low shading in the afternoon, sensitive to watering regularity (loses flower stalks with irregular watering), but does not tolerate high groundwater.
Ideal for beautiful landscape silhouettes.
Clematis Asao: planting and care
Buy a plant preferably in the spring. Otherwise, the plant will be difficult to take root, and it is almost impossible to deal with the shoots (last year's and this year's).
Due to the fact that Clematis Asao, like all other representatives of this species, forms root buds, you need to properly place the seedling in the soil. A root hole measuring 60x60 cm and up to 30-40 cm deep is ideal for planting. It needs to be half filled with deciduous humus, adding a little soddy soil (sandy or loamy, the pH reaction should not be alkaline), make sureso that there are no roots of perennial weeds, especially such as pavilika, thistle and burdock. Place the seedling so that its root collar is five to six centimeters below ground level.
This is necessary so that, firstly, clematis does not dry out in summer, towering above the soil with its roots, and secondly, so that root buds do not freeze out in winter. Fill the remaining voids with a mixture of turf and humus, pour water at ambient temperature (not from a well and not from a well), add soil when settling. Mulch on top (it can be coniferous litter, wood chips). If very sunny weather with high daytime temperatures is expected, it is necessary to cover Asao clematis with spunbond or other non-woven fabric for a week. Periodically need to be watered as the soil dries.
Properly planted clematis can bloom in the first summer after planting. Not abundant and not very large flowers, but will bloom.
Pruning and shaping the bush
Breeders classify Clematis Asao as pruning group B (or second) according to the generally accepted classification. It includes clematis with an early first flowering on last year's shoots and a second bloom in the middle of summer on newly grown shoots.
For abundant flowering, the seedling of the first year should not give a tall bush, so you need to monitor the shoots and not let them grow in length more than 60-70 cm. Pruning should be sharp, disinfected in a weak solution of alcohol and carefully dried garden tools. The young seedling is susceptible tovarious viral diseases, so there is no need to provoke the plant with a contaminated tool. By winter, the seedling should form strong shoots, it is better to cut thin and small ones before shelter for the winter: they are not needed for next year's flowering and will weaken the plant.
Seedling of the second and subsequent years requires a different approach to pruning. After emerging from hibernation, the plant must be checked for broken shoots, broken off parts must be cut off. After flowering of the first wave, it is necessary to cut off last year's shoots, leaving only newly grown ones. It is on them that the flowering of the second wave takes place.
After flowering, before wintering, you need to cut the shoots, leaving them one and a half meters long. Small and broken ones must also be cut.
Preparation for wintering in the middle zone of the Russian Federation
Since Clematis Asao is bred in Japan, it should be treated as a rather heat-loving plant.
Preparing for winter comes down to the following activities:
- you need to remove the cut shoots from the supports, carefully roll up the ring and lay on the ground;
- fill with loose peat, you need two buckets per bush;
- top cover with spruce branches, in its absence, you can use cut garden plants (raspberries, chrysanthemums), large sawdust;
You need to fall asleep and cover the clematis when the temperature steadily goes into a slight minus (up to five degrees).
In winters with little snow, plants need to be covered with snow.
Working with clematis in spring
Releasethe plant from the shelter must be extremely careful. The first warm days do not give rise to a complete removal of shelter. Night frosts lie in wait for tender shoots, and in these cases death awaits them. The clematis itself will not be affected, but the first wave of flowering in early spring will no longer be.
Only when there are no night frosts below minus five, you can release the plant from the "dungeon". Overwintered shoots begin to bud, after a week or two they will begin to bloom, and new shoots will come out of the ground. By the end of May, buds will appear on the old shoots, and their full disclosure will begin in early June.
Feeding
The plant changes its crown every year, so there is a fairly serious forage ration for it. Four times a season - this is the top dressing plan.
The first time - in the spring after the growth of new shoots. This may be a solution of urea (1 g per 1 liter of water) with the addition of humus. Before top dressing, you need to shed the soil thoroughly, as the roots of the plant can go deep into the ground.
Second time - after the first wave of flowering. Organics - a weekly infusion of herbs, diluted one to ten (a liter of infusion per bucket of water). You need to spill it thoroughly.
Third time - before summer flowering. You can use a solution of chicken manure, or special complex fertilizers for perennials.
Last time - a month and a half before pruning. A weak solution of mullein with the addition of humus will do.
Reproduction
Two methods are acceptable for propagation, judging by the reviews of amateur flower growers: cuttings and layering.
The essence of grafting is as follows. A formed new shoot is selected (the stem should not be light green) with good leaves. Cut off with a sharp knife, you can use a scalpel. It is cut into several parts, each of which should have a pair of leaves. One of the leaves is cut off (so that water evaporates less), the stalk is lowered into the Kornevin solution (or equivalent) and planted in a sand-humus mixture. Roots will form within a month. To preserve the microclimate, you need to close the container with a bag, periodically viewing and removing excess moisture from it.
A year after cuttings, the seedling is best kept in a container.
To get Asao clematis layering, you need to bend a well-formed shoot to the ground, fix it with a bracket in a small container prepared in advance (so as not to damage the main root system) or at a distance of 40 cm from the main bush. Sprinkle with earth. During the season, the root system will form. You need to constantly check whether the roots are growing. The following year, a new plant can be planted.
Container landing
Clematis Asao has a small root system, so it can be grown in containers.
As a container, it is better to take a ceramic container (15-20 liters). It must be disinfected if previously used. A ten-centimeter layer of drainage is placed at the bottom, then a mixture of humus with soddy soil. Clematis will grow well ifmonitor soil moisture and feed monthly. Due to the fact that clematis should winter under cover, the plant must either be transplanted into the ground or dig a container in the greenhouse, then cover it as described above..
