Clematis wilt.

Anybody got an effective treatment for this annoying condition? My Marie Boisselot has it on some of it's stems while others are flowing away freely. I'm no expert on Clematis but know all the basics about positioning, shaded roots, pruning of the varieties and mine get lots of grub. None of my other Clematis have wilt....YET! except this 1. I know clematis can be extremely fickle and probably I'd be best to dig this 1 up and buy another but loathed to do that as this 1 is about 15 years old and when not wilting looks lovely with huge blooms. If the worst comes to the worst and it gets really bad with wilt, am I bonkers to try and take cuttings from it with regard to the cuttings then being susceptible? I've has success with Montana cuttings before but never tried with the big flowering types. Are they tricky to strike and any tips. Thanks.

 

"Plant deep" is the only thing I know of. Don't think that is a cure, just enables the plant to come-back from underground stems.

 

P.S. If tricky to strike then layer it? Saw a useful tip on YouTube the other day. Get a really flimsy 9cm square pot [I normally throw them away when I buy a plant in one - I'll keep them from now on!]. Cut two vertical slots in opposite sides, about 1/2" wide. Half fill with compost, route the stem [to be rooted] through the slit'ed sides, and fill up with more compost - then put a rock on top to stop the pot moving. He scraped off a bit of "bark" gently with his finger, dipped his finger in hormone rooting powder and rubbed it onto the exposed cambium.

When he came to move he was rooted to the spot ...

... I'll get my coat!!

 

Excuse me asking, but how does the stem die? If it starts at the top and shrivels down the stem then it is mollusc damage at the base. If it dies from the bottom up then it is Wilt. Cut the dead stem across at the base and look for a purple circle, if there, then Wilt, if not then again more likely mollusc damage.

 

Now wait a minute Palustris, I'm pretty certain the die back is from the top down not the wilt way. It is lashing with rain atm but when /if! it stops I'll go and investigate. I presumed maybe wrongly that it must be wilt as the die back has happened before in previous seasons. I don't have a huge slug/snail problem with my Hostas getting away scot free most years but that said I definitely have slugs and snails. I would rather it was mollusc damage as no doubt easier to combat. I have various other Clematis which are fine, are some Clematis more tasty to slugs/snails etc than others maybe?
I'll let you know when I have pruned of an affected branch. Thank you.

 

It is only that Wilt is far more unusual than people think. And it is better to have a proper diagnosis than to go digging up a perfectly good plant. If some of the stems are unaffected then I would go with the mollusc damage myself. From what I read about Wilt, the whole plant should collapse, in one go, and very quickly too!

 

It did eventually stop raining so been out and cut down as far as I could the 2 (thought it was only 1) affected shoots. I couldn't cut them right down to the ground as didn't have my glasses on! Will attack further tomorrow. I don't see a purple circle Palustris when I have cut across the stems but the stems do seem to have a reddish blotchy appearance, bit like the reddish tinge you get on Rhubarb on the stalk close to where the leaf begins if this makes any sense at all! IE not the bright red bit which is good for eating. It does seem strange tho that it isn't all the stems and ones next door to those affected are totally healthy. I will put down 1 of my trusty beer traps near the Clematis and see if I get any visitors! Thanks Armandii very interesting article. My plant does have reddish blotches but not lesions as such. On inspection the affected stems do seem very dry despite us having had bucket loads of rain recently. I'll cut the affected stems down as far as I can , see what the trap produces if anything and hope it won't all collapse as it's flowering it's head off atm and looks beautiful.