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Clematis Diseases

Name: Clematis Diseases
SKU: ART-3397

Informational table showing disease name, symptoms, pathogen/cause, and management of Clematis diseases.

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Updated:

April 3, 2023

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Disease	Symptoms	Pathogen/Cause	Management
Leaf spot	Large spots form on the leaves, become tan or black in color and may have a zonate pattern within them.	Phoma (formerly, Ascochyta), Botrytis, Cercospora, Cylindrosporium, Phyllosticta, and Septoria	Ensure good air circulation around clematis stems. Remove infected leaves as they are detected. Irrigate plants in a manner that keeps water off the foliage. Apply a fungicide to protect plants.
Clematis wilt	Plants with dark brown to black Ascochyta leaf spots develop a stem canker that leads to plant wilting and dieback.	Phoma (formerly, Ascochyta) clematidina	See leaf spot management above. Prune infected stems.
Powdery mildew	White fungal growth develops on the leaves. Leaves wither and die.	Erysiphe	Apply copper sulfate, potassium bicarbonate or sulfur as soon as mildew is observed.
Rusts	Slightly swollen areas on the vine have eruptions of yellowish spores.	Aecidium and Puccinia spp.	Ensure good air circulation around clematis stems. Remove infected leaves as they are detected. Irrigate plants in a manner that keeps water off the foliage.
Phymatotrichopsis and Phytophthora root rots	Wilting and dying plants have a rot at or slightly below the soil line	Phymatotrichopsis or Phytophthora	Ensure good air circulation around clematis stems. Remove infected leaves as they are detected. Irrigate plants in a manner that keeps water off the foliage.
Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV)	Yellow mottling and spotting occurs on leaves.	Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV)	This virus is moved from infected clematis and some weeds by nematodes. If plants are vegetatively propagated from infected stock plants, new plants will have the virus. Remove infected plants