A. Cat claw vine is a very vigorous tropical and semi tropical vine that is one of those rare plants that does well in the tropics and the desert. If the mulch is staying wet and in contact with the plant then this might be a problem.
Claw Claw in Arizona
Cat claw
vine is considered a pest in much of the southeastern US, from Florida to
central Texas. I would not plant this vine in wet climates.
It does
like to grow along waterways and it would probably be invasive if it escaped
along the Colorado River or any of our surface waterways in our lower
elevations of southern Nevada.
Not so
in the desert where we can restrict its growth with drip irrigation.It is a
beautiful vine, it is aggressive and nearly pest free. It may die to the ground
during cold winters or just drop its leaves when it gets below freezing.
This
vine may have some trouble getting established on south-facing walls during
summer months. But once they cover the wall they will do a good job shading it
and reducing the reflected heat and glare from that wall.
It will
do well in rock mulch provided it gets adequate water and the soil was
composted at the time of planting. I would not allow it to climb on stucco or
house siding as it may cause some minor damage.
When it
does climb on these surfaces, pull it off, cut it back and let it regrow a
different direction. This vine should be fine growing along the ground or allowed
to climb cinder block walls.
In your
particular case I would pull mulch away from the trunk at least a foot until
the plant gets firmly established. Fertilize once a year in the early spring to
push new growth.
It loves
the heat so fertilizing lightly during summer months will not hurt it. As it gets
older it tends to get woody at the base revealing wood stems. To reinvigorate
it cut off one of the older stems and let it regrow with new leaves to cover
bare areas.
You can cut
it back to the ground in late winter after it has been established a few years.
The underground tubers will send up new shoots that will start the vine all
over again.
What additional minerals would you recommend to encourage faster growth? Southern California here, soil is compacted sand with minimal available minerals. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIf you want a short answer, mix 30 to 40% compost to the soil and then push growth with monthly applications of nitrogen fertilizer. Read on for a longer answer. I think I know what you are getting at. I try to think of plant growth as kind of a bastardization of Liebigs Law of the Minimum. Justus von Liebig formulated in the 19th century the “Law of the Minimum,” which states that if one of the essential plant nutrients is deficient, plant growth will be poor even when all other essential nutrients are abundant. We use that concept today. If iron is in short supply to the plant, you can add all the nitrogen you want but the plant will not become green. You cant substitute one nutrient for the role of another nutrient. I bastardized that idea and applied to all the things necessary for plant growth...sun or light, water, nutrients (fertilizer), competition from weeds, etc. You can throw all the fertilizer you want at a plant but if the soil is not amended to the plants needs, or you are giving it too little or too much water or its too bright or too dark...if you don't solve these other issues then the amount of benefit the plant gets from an added fertilizer is far less than what could be its potential. And you will also find that if you "fix" these other issues that are limiting plant growth first then the applied fertilizer required is much less and its impact can be phenomenal. So before you begin playing around with fertilizers make sure the soil amendments are correct, you are watering at the right time with the right amount, that it has enough sun and then play around with fertiizer. Remember that increased amounts of nitrogen push more growth, phosphorus improves root growth and flowering, seed production and oil production, potassium is not well understood but plants need quite a bit of it and then make sure you have adequate levels of calcium, magnesium and sulfur. Additions of compost usually have alot of plant nutrients so you dont need alot more fertilizer. Composts made from animal waste are typically high in phosphorus but potassium might be in short supply. But I have found compost and additional nitrogen for pushing growth to be usually enough.
DeleteI've had Cat's Claw vines for 5 years on a block wall in Las Vegas. They look healthy, lush and green, however, they've never flowered. They are fertilized in early spring and are watered every other day in summer. They face east but also get plenty of sun from the south. Do you know why they're not flowering and have any suggestions on how to get them to do so? (I also have Tangerine Beauty Crossvine on the same wall, and it flowers regularly.)
ReplyDelete