How to properly propagate rhododendron at home
Country estates, dachas cannot be imagined without exquisite flower beds or cozy flower beds. Most often, areas are decorated with unpretentious flowers. You can give your landscape design an extraordinary look with the help of a spectacular rhododendron shrub. This culture is considered capricious to grow, and not all growers know how to propagate rhododendron on their own. To multiply the shrubs, several techniques are used.
How to propagate rhododendron by cuttings
Annual shoots are suitable for cultivation of culture - both lignified and leafy. The grafting procedure is started as soon as the rhododendron has faded. Approximate guidelines: May 20-June 15 - deciduous varieties, June 20-July 10 - evergreen.
The grafting procedure includes several stages:
- A stalk 5-9 cm long is cut from the shoot. It is advisable to choose a shoot site with leaves and a couple of internodes.
- The bottom of the cutting is cleaned of branches, an incision is made on the bark with a length of 2-2.5 cm. The branches are soaked for a day in solutions of growth stimulants.
- Fill the container with loose fertile soil. The cuttings are buried in the ground at an inclination of 30-40 °.
Containers with cuttings are placed in a protected from drafts, illuminated place, providing a temperature regime of 20-25 ° C. To maintain high humidity, the containers are covered with polyethylene. Cuttings are planted in a permanent place of growth in the spring.
Reproduction by layering
This method is great for propagating plants growing in open areas. The popular method is quite simple to perform and is carried out in the spring. The essence of the procedure:
- the lower branches of the bush are tilted to the ground;
- the middle part of the branch is split and added dropwise to a depth of 10-15 cm so that the top of the branch is located above the ground. To fix the branch in the groove, use a hairpin;
- during the season, the place of digging is watered;
- for the winter, deepened branches are not dug out, but left to winter, covering with spruce branches.
In the spring, the spruce branches are removed, and the layers are dug, cutting off from the mother bush. This is how young rhododendrons are propagated, in which the branches are still quite flexible.
Advice! No more than 3-5 layers are rooted from one bush.
Seed breeding rules
This is not the most common home breeding method. The main disadvantage of this technique is a long period of growing seedlings. Seeds are sown in late February, early March. The seed germination technology is standard:
- containers are filled with loose soil (peat-sand mixture is suitable);
- planting material is simply distributed on the surface of the earth, observing a distance of 1.5-2 cm, without sprinkling;
- the containers are covered with glass, plastic wrap and left in the room. It is important to regularly moisten the soil to ensure high humidity under the shelter;
- as soon as shoots appear, the covering material is removed, and the containers are placed in a cooler room (air temperature - 10-12 ° C).
Plants dive into separate containers at the end of June. In summer, rhododendrons are kept outdoors, and for the winter they are transferred indoors. Thus, the plants are grown for 4-5 years, only then are they planted in a permanent place of growth.
Dividing the bush
This method is advisable to apply to old, lushly overgrown bushes. The technique is not complicated. But experienced flower growers note that this is a rather painful procedure for a plant. The mother bush is divided into several parts using a sharp shovel, and the small roots at the base are cut with a knife. The resulting cuttings are planted in pre-prepared holes and are not transplanted for at least 2-3 years. During this period, the plants grow and strengthen the root system, shoots grow, and a bush is formed.
If, when dividing the mother bush, divisions with weak roots are obtained, the plants are planted first in greenhouses.
Which method is better to choose
When choosing a method of cultivating a crop, first of all, the variety must be taken into account. Although it is also important that the grower has experience and time for caring for rhododendrons.
The seed method of breeding is not suitable for growing varietal crops, since there is a possibility that varietal characteristics will not be preserved. It is most practical and convenient to breed rhododendrons in a spacious area using layering. This method is most often used when growing deciduous varieties. To breed alpine varieties with creeping stems, preferably by dividing the bush. This breeding technique is also suitable for growing rhododendron canadensis, which forms many rhizomes.
When using the grafting method, you need to keep in mind that deciduous varieties take root within 1-1.5 months, and evergreens will take from 4 to 5 months.
Planting young plants in a permanent place
Finding a suitable growing site is important to securely root your plant. The culture develops well in areas with diffused lighting, protected from drafts and strong winds. Regarding the quality of the soil, loose nutritious soils with a pH of 4.5-5.0 are preferable. Plants are planted in a permanent place of growth in the spring. The layout of the holes is determined by the rhododendron variety. Compact bushes will comfortably grow at a distance of 0.7-0.8 m from each other, and for spreading bushes, a distance of at least 2 m is laid.
It is important to control the position of the root collar relative to the soil surface. The best option is 2-3 cm above ground level.
Wells are formed around the plants. The planting procedure is completed with volumetric watering and soil mulching. Peat and pine needles are used as mulch. A distinctive feature of rhododendrons is that plants develop for a long time with any breeding method. Perhaps not all attempts at breeding a culture will be successful. But the beautiful and lush rhododendron bushes are definitely worth the time and effort.
