How to propagate rhododendron: rules and methods at home

Country estates, dachas cannot be imagined without exquisite flower beds or cozy flower beds. Most often, the plots are decorated with unpretentious flowers. You can give landscape design an outstanding look with the help of a spectacular rhododendron shrub. This culture is considered capricious in cultivation, and not all flower growers know how to propagate rhododendron on their own. To multiply shrubs, several techniques are used.

How to propagate rhododendron cuttings

One-year shoots are suitable for cultivation - both lignified and leafy. The cutting procedure is started as soon as the rhododendron has faded. Approximate landmarks: May 20-June 15 - deciduous varieties, June 20-July 10 - evergreen.

The cutting procedure includes several steps:

1. A stalk 5-9 cm long is cut off from the shoot. It is advisable to choose a shoot site that has leaves and a couple of internodes.
2. The bottom of the cutting is cleaned of branches, an incision 2-2.5 cm long is made on the bark. The branches are soaked for a day in solutions of growth stimulants.
3. 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 draft-free, lighted place, providing a temperature regime of 20-25 °C. To maintain high humidity, the containers are covered with polyethylene. Cuttings are planted at a permanent place of growth in the spring.

Propagation by layering

This method is great for propagating plants growing in open areas. The popular method is quite simple to perform, carried out in the spring. The essence of the procedure:

• lower branches of the bush tilt towards 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 recess, use a hairpin;
• during the season, the place of instillation is watered;
• for the winter, deep branches are not dug up, but left to winter, covering with spruce branches.

In the spring, the spruce branches are removed, and the layers are dug up, cut 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 layerings are rooted from one bush.

Seed breeding rules

This is not the most common way to grow plants at home. The main disadvantage of the technique is a long period of growing seedlings. Sow seeds in late February, early March. Standard seed germination technology:

• tanks are filled with loose soil (a peat-sand mixture is suitable);
• planting material is simply distributed on the surface of the earth, keeping a distance of 1.5-2 cm, without sprinkling;
• 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, plants are grown for 4-5 years, only then they are planted in a permanent place of growth.

Dividing the bush

It is advisable to apply this method to old, lush bushes.The technique is not difficult. But experienced flower growers note that this is a rather painful procedure for a plant. The mother bush is divided into several parts with a sharp shovel, and the small roots at the base are cut with a knife. The resulting delenki 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, a bush is formed.

If the division of the mother bush results in divisions with weak roots, the plants are planted first in greenhouses.

Which method is better to choose

When choosing a method of breeding a crop, it is necessary to take into account, first of all, the variety. Although it also matters if the grower has the experience and time to care for rhododendrons.

The seed breeding method 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 plant rhododendrons in a spacious area using layering. This method is most often used in the cultivation of deciduous varieties. It is preferable to breed alpine varieties with creeping stems by dividing the bush. This propagation technique is also suitable for growing canadian rhododendron, which forms many rhizomes.

When using the cutting method, you need to keep in mind that deciduous varieties take root within 1-1.5 months, and evergreen varieties will need 4 to 5 months.

Planting young plants in a permanent place

In order to securely root the plant, it is important to choose a suitable growing location. The culture develops well in areas with diffused lighting, protected from drafts and strong winds. Regarding the quality of the soil, loose nutrient soils with a pH reaction of 4.5-5.0 are preferable. Plants are planted in the spring on a permanent place of growth. The layout of the holes is determined by the variety of rhododendron.Compact bushes will comfortably grow at a distance of 0.7-0.8 m from each other, and for spreading bushes, lay a distance of at least 2 m.

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.

Holes 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 method of breeding. Perhaps not all attempts to propagate culture will be successful. But the beautiful and lush rhododendron bushes are definitely worth the time and effort.

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