Hi, I was advised to stop using miracle grow as it just produces loads of new leaf growth and the energy is gong into making the leaves and not the flowers, I am sure others will be able to help further.

Which Miracle Gro product have you been using, Patricia, and how often have you applied it? Some are high nitrogen, but some aren't, some are much more balanced.
Are your clematis in the ground or in pots?

Hi In the ground, its just the basic in a box Miracle grow not the one for azaleas, probably once a fortnight.

thanks marion for your advice, as well. should I use proper clematis food, it all becomes so expensive thats why I use the all round MG. x

Okay, Patricia, stop using the Miracle Gro immediately. I do use this, but I grow my clematis in pots - I use the one you've got about every month, and every week between April and June I use a different feed with an NPK of 6-6-6, not 24-8-16, which is what your miracle gro is.

You do not need to feed clematis which is growing in the ground in this manner - all they need is a topdressing of Growmore in about March or April, pricked or turned into the soil where you can, stick a mulch of something humus rich like soil conditioning compost over the top, and leave it alone. They'll grow just fine, and flower well too. Because you've over fed them, they've taken up a lot of nitrogen and have produced a lot of leafy growth in response.

Well said Bamboo!

As a general comment re-feeding!

Most stuff that is planted in the ground only needs feeding once a year, usually in spring as new growth commences.

Usually this takes the form of a 'balanced' fertiliser.

To check if this is what you are buying look on the packaging for three numbers e.g. 7-7-7 or 21-21-21 these are balanced fertilisers!( the numbers vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but they mean the same)

By law,the numbers must be displayed somewhere on the packaging!

If the first number is the highest this is a high nitrogen fertiliser and is usually associated with foliage!

If the middle number is highest this is a high phospate fertiliser which is usually associated with root growth!

If the last number is the highest this is a high potash feed usually associated with flowers and fruit production.

Sometimes you will get mixes where the first and last number are the same this is to promote healthy foliage to photosynthesise and take up the potash for flowers and fruit.

With flowers, flowering shrubs and fruit you can supplement the feeding with a high potash feed when they come into bud, the balanced fertiliser used earlier will do the rest!

This link will clarify the above;
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Fertiliser/Fertiliser.htm

I hope this information helps to clarify feeding plants!

I

what a lovely response I knew I could count on you!! thanu

Hi Bamboo and Tegee, I now you have both advised growmore to me on a precious question and I am going to follow your advice next year, I just noted your comments about plants in pots and I have 16 pots in my garden with various trees and shrubs, should I follow your advice to Patricia for the only the pots, I have in them small weeping cherry tree, camelia, small standard lillac tree, hydrangeas and a star magnolia, they are in very big pots. Sorry for jumping in.

If you mean the feeding regime I mentioned that I give my clematis, no. For the shrubs you mention in pots, I'd give either a top dressing of Growmore in March, when you remove the top layer of compost and replace with fresh, and then a second lot 6 weeks later. Either that or use Miracle Gro in April, May and June once or twice a month, but not later than mid June.

Thanks Bamboo.

No idea what advice you were given on growmore, but it is a good idea to use a supplement such as seaweed meal in conjunction with it when preparing soil beds to provide the trace elements that growmore doesn't.

thanks all for your response most helpful, x