I posted on GardenWeb about whether I should plant in the ground this year my small clematis vines that I grew from cuttings. They’re still pretty small, although they started growing pretty well this year. Here’s my post and a response:

I have some [clematis] I grew from cuttings taken when I pruned mine last year, and I’m keeping them in pots for now, too, since they’re still small. They started growing pretty tall, and I also snipped them back to about 8″ tall so they can concentrate on root development. Mine are still in 4″ pots, so I need to move them up to 1 gallon soon, I think.

I’m still not sure if I should plant them outside this fall or next spring. They seem so tender! At least the skinniness of their stalks and all. Are they tougher than they look when this small?

Response:

The usual recommendation – plant them when they will fill 1 G pot with their roots. If you can see their roots through the drainage holes in the bottom of the 1 G pot, it means they are strong enough to be planted in the garden.