Clematis Wilt is a systemic condition that only really affects plants that are under sufferance. Ernest Markham in his book Clematis, published by Country Life Ltd., even has a name for the fungus that is supposed to … Clematis wilt . Remove infected leaves as they are detected. Clematis wilt is caused by a fungus that enters the plant through a wound made by an insect or an abrasion, such as rubbing from a plant tie. I’d like to suggest the following. Types affected. It’s spread by water splash, and blocks the uptake of water in the stems, causing instant collapse. Control. Apply a fungicide to protect plants. If those are the symptoms then the plant does indeed have clematis wilt. Clematis wilt: … Ensure good air circulation around clematis stems. It is known that the clematis wilt fungus requires a certain level of humidity to grow and in research, leaves or stems are placed in high humidity environments to encourage their growth. The common cultural practice of planting at the base of clematis could be increasing the incidence of clematis wilt. Affected stems should be cut down to ground level and the remaining stems and the surrounding soil sprayed with a fungicide such as Bio Systhane (active ingredient myclobutanil) or Supercarb Systemic Fungicide … Infected foliage must be disposed of immediately, as the fungus … ... Fungicides which have shown activity include carbendazim and thiophanate methyl (benzimidazoles) but these both have the same mode of action and resistance develops to them very quickly. Irrigate plants in a manner that keeps water off the foliage. Many theories have been advanced as to the cause of Clematis Wilt. Other active fungicides … Healthy Clematis should not suffer from the wilt, however if you have a clematis that is of the large flowered kind ( eg Group 2 varieties ) that has all of a sudden drooped overnight ( or very quickly ) then water in a good quality fungicide