Clematis "Taiga" 101!

matthewcaminer

I planted this gorgeous Clematis "Taiga" in a pot with fresh multi-purpose peat-free compost last September, and am delighted with the result. But I have some very basic questions:

1. Do I dead head it?
2. Do I feed it? If so, when?
3. Do I prune it? If so, when, and how hard?
4. Does it need tying in to the grid it's against?
5. What other questions have I forgotten to ask?!

Thank you!

punkdoc

It needs to be in much better compost. Next winter I would take it out of its pot and put it in a mixture of JI3, plus some MPC and a little manure.

In Spring i would give it a general Rose or shrub fertiliser, then liquid feed until it starts to flower. Do not feed when they are flowering.

They do not grow very tall, but you could tie it to that support.

Prune it back to about 1 foot in late Winter.

matthewcaminer

Thanks @punkdoc - very helpful.   I should have said that I did put in some farmyard manure as well as the MPC.

And deadheading?   Will it help to to flower more and for longer, or simply make it like neater?

punkdoc

It won't make it flower more.

Fairygirl

Hi @matthewcaminer. It's a Group 3, so you'd prune it back to a nice pair of buds at the end of the winter/early spring. 
No need to deadhead.
You might find it struggles in the pot - as it's quite a vigorous plant, so you may need a bigger size for it if you can't plant it in the ground. However, the bigger problem is the fact that it's only in compost, which isn't enough to sustain a hearty clematis. The nutrition in compost doesn't last very long, and the compost itself breaks down and 'disappears'. If you repot it next year when you've cut it back, and use a soil based mix, that will give it more sustenance. Each year you can add a bit of compost to the top layer too.
Feeding is normally done when they start getting going in spring. There are specialist foods, but a slow release food is ideal - Miracle Gro or something similar, or a rose food. Alternatively, you can use something like tomato food, but you should stop any additional feeding once they're budding up. 

These are useful sites for info  
https://thorncroftclematis.co.uk/clematis-taiga-8601-p.asp

https://www.taylorsclematis.co.uk/Clematis-Taiga.html

https://www.clematisinternational.com/growing.html

matthewcaminer

Brilliant, @Fairygirl , thank you!