I do n’t have room for more rhododendrons in my garden . There ! I ’ve said it !
Yet , I find myself taking rhododendron film editing this August , just to have some backups . My usualmodus operandirevolves around propagating works from cut ( such as jasmineandhoneysuckle vines ) in purchase order to expand my garden on a budget . But with these rhododendrons , it ’s unlike .
I have nowhere to put more rhododendrons … at least not mature ones . However , I ’m still propagating them because I can easy go from rhodo heaven to rhodo zero over the course of a day . Back in March , I almost had that happen to my row of rhododendrons when a proficient portion of the fencing that divide our cubic yard from our neighbor ’s came down in a tempest .
There was very little left of this rhododendron once I removed the branches that snapped.
It was n’t a regular winter storm , but one of the ace that contract its own name and that just maintain roar for twenty - four hours straight , root out tree , pulling off sewer and knocking down fences .
Luckily , it was just the fencing that took the brunt of the violent storm in our 1000 . regrettably , its fall was broken by a large rhododendron , a rosaceous shrub and half a hydrangea . All of these mature plant were flattened unapologetically . The rose bush looks beyond recovery . The hydrangea bounced back and is currently blooming abundantly . Half of the rhododendron photograph off , leaving a large gap in the middle of the bush . Even though this rhododendron is n’t a complete write off , it did n’t dare efflorescence this twelvemonth .
So the first matter I did after we shore up the fence back up was to indite “ take rhododendron cuttings ” in my horticulture calendar for August .
Why should I take rhododendron cuttings?
Truth be severalize , taking cutting of your plant is a good drill whether you need backups or not . It ’s a well way to save money and disperse flora that are the precise replicas of the ones you already have .
It ’s also the “ price ” I bear for sentimentality . You ’d well think I ’ll be taking as many cuttings as possible from this garden when the time comes to advance to a bigger get place .
What’s the best time to take rhododendron cuttings?
In my experience , the proficient time to spread rhododendrons from cuttings is late summertime . Depending on the weather , that could be any sentence between the end of July to the end of August . The hotter it is , the by and by in the summer you may wait .
demand press clipping at this time of class makes it easier to take care of them . The warmth of summertime is winding down by previous August , yet we ’re still a couple of months away from hoarfrost conditions . The night are drawing in , but there ’s still enough daylight to make a difference to plant outgrowth .
true , it ’s quite a narrow-minded window , so lay yourself a reminder or a calendar entry lest you forget about it in the middle of your summer holidays and bountiful harvesting .
There was very little left of this rhododendron once I removed the branches that snapped.
7 Steps to Take Rhododendron Cuttings
quick , steady , soak ! Yup , that ’s what you ’ll have to do before you take any press clipping , especially if you ’ve had a peculiarly dry summertime . Give your rhododendron bush a good tearing the day before you take the cuttings ( or even a few hours before , if you ’ve procrastinated too long . )
Step 1: Find the right rhododendron cutting.
In lodge to maximize your chances of propagation achiever , you have to start with the correct plant cloth .
Find the semi-hardwood growth.
Ideally , a good rhododendron slip will be a semi - hardwood stem . This means that you should not turn off into sometime , rigid growth ( hardwood ) , while at the same time fend off burn into really fresh , burnished unripe growth ( softwood ) . If you ’re propagating during the time frame that I mention above , that should n’t be a problem , since most of the softwood should have turn into hardwood this recently in the season .
You require to take a piece that ’s still flexible and bendable , barely starting to firm up . Looking for the leaf nodes that freestanding last year ’s ontogenesis from this class ’s growth is generally a good indication of where you’re able to cut .
Choose a leaf bud, not a flower bud.
By this meter in the season , your rhododendron will already be place out new growth for next yr . This unconscious process starts as soon as we pruneoff the dead flower truss at the goal of spring . Some of the young outgrowth will turn into novel leave , while the rest will bloom into beautiful flowers .
select a leaf bud cutting off will increase your chances of rootle success . It ’s quite leisurely to tell the difference between a leaf bud and a flower bud because the latter ( the next flower ) is importantly large . This means the plant is balance to spend a lot of energy on blooming , so we ’re good off debar this cut .
If all you find are stems with flower buds attached ( lucky you ! ) , you’re able to take them as cuttings . But verify you squeeze the peak bud before you stick the cutting in the earth . The florescence process will take energy from the ascendent formation process .
The beginnings of a new shrub love story.
If possible, choose cuttings from the middle of the shrub.
reckon on how large the rhododendron bush is , you may have a lot of selection for stems to cut . In this case , I would commend take your cuttings from somewhere in the middle of the bush . They ’re not the strong stem turn ( the I that had access to a spate of sun ) , but they ’re not the sententious growth at the bottom . You do n’t want the weakest growth , but you do n’t want the most vigorous one either , since that ’s more likely to be the blossom bud carriers .
In the case of my flattened rhododendron , I did n’t have that many choices . This kind of shrub does n’t fill up again once you prune it . So if you’re able to use this chance to shape the shrub as well . Take your cuttings from a few different spots , in guild to avoid leaving a detectable opening in one property . For my healthy rhododendron though , I took cutting from the middle of the bush .
If you see a couple of shoots that are pack tightly together , you may cut off one of them for eliminate competition and increase air flow .
I’m taking rhododendron cuttings as a backup for when the fence hits the shrub again.
Step 2: Take your rhododendron cutting.
Time to make the cut for the branches that made the cut . clip at a forty - five arcdegree angle , right below a leaf guest . This is where there is a higher concentration of natural rooting hormone that will increase your probability of success .
broadly , you could be reasonably flexible about the length of the slash , as long as it has at least a foliage node along the stem . I aim for a cutting that ’s about 4 - 5 column inch farsighted ( 10 - 12 centimetre ) from the cold shoulder right to the top of the farewell . Always verify your cutting has at least a few leaves at the top that will continue to help oneself with photosynthesis .
Step 3: Reduce the leaf surface.
Since the cutting can no longer rely on the chief plant for moisture and nutrients , our next footfall will be to reduce vapor . This is the cause why we ’ll want to reduce the foliage surface . However , we still require to keep some leaves attached to help with photosynthesis .
Strip off the bottom leaves.
Since the leaves along the bottom of the stem will go below ground stratum anyway , there ’s no ground to keep them attach . Hold the base with one hand , then firmly pull the bottom leaves off and compost them .
Reduce the surface of the rest of the leaves.
Even after you do this , you may still be left with a good amount of leaves . you’re able to trim down folio control surface even further by cutting the persist leafage in half . close down it in place , as you would close a rooter , then snip off about a third ( for smaller leaves ) to a half ( for big leaves ) from the top .
For some large - leaved rhododendrons , you might need to remove even more leaves .
Keep the strongest piece of growth.
Sometimes , it may bechance that your cutting has a bifurcation with two unexampled stem growing from the main stem . In this example , the best praxis is to take the one that look the strongest and wrench that one into the main ontogeny on the chief stem .
only withdraw the other shoot from the compass point where it originates . If the prow of the shoot that you ’ve removed is retentive enough , you could stress to address it as its own cuttings and keep comply the steps in this tutorial . But if it looks too nerveless , or if simply you do n’t have the blank space for it , go out front and compost it .
Step 4: Scar the cuttings.
Next , you want to scar the surface of the stem for disclose the cambium layer . I commonly do this with most of my cuttings and I ’ve happen that it increases the rate of winner significantly .
Scrape off the first layer at the bottom of the cutting with a pair of secateurs or a knife . Make certain you ’re wear protective gloves and always position the leaf blade away from you for safety .
At this point , you could dunk the bottom of the cutting in rooting endocrine before you tuck it into the dry land . I found that using enriched potting territory has a similar upshot , so I do n’t buy extra rooting hormone for my carving . I would utilise some , however , if I was disperse cuttings later in the season , just to speed affair up .
My healthy rhododendron is ready to donate some cuttings.
Step 5: Prepare your potting mix.
metre to put these cutting in the ground . I ’m propagate six cuttings ( from two rhododendrons ) spread across four smaller potful . If you do n’t have the quad for this many pots , you could stick them all in a bombastic throne .
The size of the pile is not that of import , as long as it ’s cryptic enough for your cutting to fit in upright without sticking out too much . Remember to always prefer potting container that have drainage holes .
I use a mixture of bagged potting mix to which I add about twenty - five per centum perlite . Even though the mix already contains some bark , I find that add stuff that help with drainage helps foreclose too much water retention . If you do n’t have perlite , you’re able to use barque , pine needle , grit or horticultural sand .
This is hardwood. It’s too old for cuttings.
Step 6: Plant and water the cuttings.
Stick the clipping in the ground and give them a good soak . Once the potting mix has settle after lacrimation , you may top it up again . If you ’re propagate cutting from unlike varieties of rhododendron , do n’t forget to judge them .
The next part is optional , and it will depend very much on where you keep your cuttings . If you plan to keep them outside , you have to prevent vaporisation . you could do this by create anad hocgreenhouse right over the top of the container . cloak a plastic cup of tea over the top of the pot and use a few skewers to keep it in place . you may also assure it with a palm or an elastic band if needed .
you may leave the cutting outdoors , as long as you keep them in a shaded spot . Remember that they do n’t have roots yet , so they can not manage the wet exit that come with full sun .
This is where this year’s growth started. It’s a good place to cut.
I will keep my tray of cuttings out of doors , but in a pocket-size greenhouse underframe . I keep it ventilated during the day , but I zip it up at nighttime to maintain a unceasing temperature of around 68 - 77F ( 20 - 25C ) , at least for the first month .
Step 7: Don’t forget the aftercare.
In the beginning , I check the cuttings every week and water them consequently . But only if they require it . You could go a couple of weeks between watering sessions , as long as your cuttings are n’t getting full sunlight . I examine to remember to turn out the pots whenever I irrigate them too , to encourage growth that ’s equally spaced .
During the winter months , you’re able to keep your cuttings in an unheated glasshouse . They can be a bit coolheaded , but not freeze , and by all odds not exposed to the elements . I will keep mine in the same tiered greenhouse , but I ’ll bring the structure indoors .
It use up about three months for a beginning structure to form , by which point you ’ll start noticing the roots come out of the drain hole . At this point , you may repot each cutting them into its own pot if you ’ve been growing them in a communal container .
Choose a leaf bud cutting (right) over a flower bud one (left).
If it all goes well , you should have a bun in the oven to be transplant your rhododendron carving into the garden this time next class . But do n’t be disappoint if your Modern babe flora does n’t bloom for a few more years . That ’s a proficient thing ! It means it ’s focusing its DOE on grow a solution social structure and getting established .
Try to take your cuttings from the middle of the shrub.
Cut right below a leaf node.
This is how the cuttings looked like straight off the shrub.
There is too much foliage on this short cutting.
Strip off the set of leaves at the bottom.
Then cut about a third off the rest of the leaves. You can cut more if the leaves are large.
If you have a couple of shoots growing on the same stem, you can keep one of them and remove the other.
Scar the stem on two sides in order to expose the layer underneath.
I add extra perlite to improve the drainage of this potting mix.
You can plant your cuttings individually or plant them together in a larger container.
If you leave them outside, you can keep the moisture constant by improvising a “greenhouse.”
It’s important not to let your cuttings dry out.
My cuttings will live in a mini-greenhouse on my deck. I keep them out of full sun.
