Q. I believe in one of your columns
regarding cat’s claw to avoid mulching the base of the plant. Of course I had already done this and the plants are struggling where I very
much want them to thrive and go nuts with no issues.
Six plants
were planted 2 summers ago; they are on a drip system, and I hope to wean them
from regular water once the granite mulch is covered; they receive full sun.
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. In fact it is
considered an invasive plant in much of the southeastern US to east Texas. It has been declared a huge pest in coastal
Australia where it climbs over everything and in places where there is 43 to 40
inches of water a year minimum it will begin to suffocate neighboring plants by
climbing all over them.
with drip irrigation. It can tolerate a wide range of soils. They may have some
trouble getting established on really hot walls during summer months. But once
they cover the wall they will do a good job shading it and reducing the
reflected heat from that wall and glare.
It does like to grow along waterways
and so would be a pretty bad pest if it escaped along the Colorado River or any
of our surface waterways in lower elevations of southern Nevada. 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.
It
will do well in rock mulch provided it gets adequate water. I would not allow
it to climb on stucco or house siding for more than a couple of years. When it
does, pull it off and cut it back and let it regrow a different direction. This
should be trained to cinder block walls or the like. I would not plant this
vine in wet climates.
from the trunk at least a foot until it 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. Also as it
gets older it will get top heavy and fall back on itself creating a very interesting
look. You can also 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. It can be propagated by these tubers as well.