Clematis Is Growing Poorly & Fruitless Santa Rosa Plum & Apricot
Question:
Why is my Clematis growing poorly? The lower leaves have turned brown and a few of the ends are shriveling up. Over all, most of the leaves look poor. The Clematis next to it is thriving and getting ready to bloom. I'd like its neighbor to do the same. What should I be doing?
Answer:
In solving this mystery, I’d investigate the planting depth. I’d remove some of the soil to locate the top of the first root. Clematis and plants in general are buried too deep if the top of the first root is more than a half inch below the soil surface. It is very common to plant in a bowl shape hole. Unfortunately, the sides collapses quickly inward burying the plant. Instead, the root ball should be at or above the soil surface after planting. You correct this by digging the plant up and raising the top of the root ball to the soil surface using a shovel and filling in the void under the plant with soil to prevent it from resinking. Mulch is added later to insulate the roots and conserve moisture. I believe the number one non-pest reason in clay soil for erratic plant behavior, and stagnate growth then dying is being planted too deep.
Question:
My Blenheim Apricot and Santa Rosa Plum trees are not bearing any fruit. They are five years old, very healthy with lots of foliage. Also, they didn’t bloom this winter. Do I need mates for them?
Answer:
Blenheim Apricots and Santa Rosa Plum are widely planted in backyard gardens. Their self fertile so they don’t need a second variety to set fruit, but they do have to bloom in order for fruit to set. Fruit is formed on the second year or older wood. The primary reason they fail to set fruit is pruning to heavy in the winter and cutting off the fruiting spurs. Usually, you remove fifteen to twenty-five percent of the growth each Growing year. The winter chill is next in line as a cause for no fruit or flowers. This is the variety specific number measured in hours. The chilling hours accumulate for every hour the temperature are below forty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, we don’t see this is being a problem with Apricots or Plums except for those trees planted along the coast. You have a pollination problem when the tree flowers but no fruit forms. The chief pollinator for fruit trees are honey bees. Honey bees are inactive when the weather is damp, rainy and cold during the blooming period. Excessive moisture, rapid changes in temperatures and other forms of stress near or during the blooming period can also abort or limit the flowers. And then in some years, they don’t flower for no apparent reason which maybe the case here. So, you may have to wait another year to see if the problem self correct its self.
