How to Root Autumn Clematis Cuttings

Late-flowering clematis plants provide your garden with bright blossoms late into autumn, long after many other flowers have wilted. If you want to propagate additional autumn clematis plants in your garden, you can do this with cuttings. By properly pruning a healthy portion of clematis, the cut stalk will sprout new roots and grow into a full clematis plant.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

• Pruning shears
• Knife
• Hormonal rooting agent
• Hydrated lime pellets
• Trowel

1. Cut a 1-foot stalk section off your clematis plant in early summer, in the middle of the stalk. Avoid cutting directly into a y-shaped junction or "node." Clematis cuttings work best when they are internodal, or between nodes.

2. Slice a 1-inch slit in the bottom of the autumn clematis cutting. This slit provides more surface area for the stalk to sprout roots.

3. Dip the cutting in a hormonal rooting agent. Autumn-blooming clematises can root without hormonal powders or gels, but hormonal rooting products increase the likelihood of rooting success.

4. Mix hydrated lime pellets into your garden soil. Autumn clematis plants prefer soil with lime.

5. Place the cutting in moist garden soil so about half of the stalk is underground. When placing your stalk in the soil, make sure it will receive partial shade. Clematis plants thrive in environments that are slightly shady, but still receive daily indirect sunlight.

6. Water generously. Clematis plants prefer very moist soil. The ground should always be wet to the touch. The plant will root within one to two weeks, and you should notice new bud and branch growth within three to four weeks.