How to propagate rhododendron: cuttings, in the country

Rhododendrons, also known as azaleas or rosemary, ornamental shrubs with large inflorescences, take root in many climatic conditions. How rhododendron propagates is known: by seeds; cuttings; vaccination; layering. The vaccination method is the most difficult, requires specific knowledge and skills and takes several years. Therefore, the article will describe simpler options.

Step-by-step instructions for propagation by cuttings

The easiest way to propagate is the cuttings of an adult plant. It is distinguished by speed, in just a couple of years, a young instance begins to bloom.

Rhododendron is garden

For harvesting, the young top or part of the shoot, which is half lignified, is best suited. A suitable shoot length of 5-7 cm, it should be up to five sheets. Cuttings from the top of the shoot take root better.

How to cut rhododendron:

1. Cuttings that are located under the kidney are cut. The top and small leaves are removed, the rest is cut by one third. The bark on the lower part of the shank is cleaned until a white layer appears, so that the roots form faster.
2. Next, the rhododendron passes the stage of propagation by cuttings in water. The cut area is soaked for 12 hours in a solution of growth stimulant. A solution of succinic acid with a concentration of 0.02% is suitable.
3. Cuttings are planted in pots. A mixture of sand and peat 1: 1, sprinkled with a layer of 8 cm, is used as soil. A layer of expanded clay drainage is lined at the bottom of the container. Sprinkled with sand above. Cuttings are planted with an interval of 5 cm.
4. Abundantly water the cuttings and cover the pot. It is necessary to hide it from the sun's rays, give the cuttings access to the air twice a day and spray it from the spray gun. The optimum temperature is 15-20 ° C.
5. By September, cuttings will take root. You need to drop them in a drawer and transfer them to a cool, moist room (basement / cellar). Water twice a day.
6. Rhododendron, propagation of which took place by cuttings, is planted in the beds next summer. The plant will bloom in 1-2 years.

Cuttings of rhododendron

How to propagate rhododendron leafy cuttings

A method similar to the classic cuttings.

How to propagate rhododendron leafy cuttings:

1. In the second half of July, a large stem is selected and a leaf with a axillary bud is cut with a knife.
2. The slice is soaked in a growth promoter. During planting, the petiole is buried for a couple of centimeters.
3. Further preparation is carried out in the same way as with conventional cuttings.

To root the cuttings, you need to provide them with daily care. Planted cuttings should be in a shaded place. In warm weather, the film or glass frame is removed to allow condensation to form on the surface. After airing the cuttings, they are sprayed with the expectation of 100 ml of water per 1 m².

On hot days, shelter from film or glass is completely removed. In the third week after moving to a greenhouse or planting in the ground, cuttings begin to take root.

Rhododendron propagation by layering

A simple way that takes little time. Suitable for those who need a small number of plants. It is most convenient to use for deciduous species.

Step-by-step instruction:

1. In the interval between early May and early June, you need to get an escape from the bottom of the bush. Using a staple, he is pressed into a small hole (not more than 10 cm deep) and sprinkled with soil mixed with peat. The top is fixed on the support in an upright position.
2. Regular watering is required. Both the soil and the air around it should be moist.
3. In winter, plants need to be covered.
4. After a couple of years (autumn or spring), cuttings are cut from the mother plant.
5. In order for the layering to take root, it is necessary to land it in a half-shaded place without direct sunlight.

How to plant rhododendron layering

An alternative breeding option is air layering. The method is used mainly by foreign gardeners:

1. You need to select several branches from the mother plant. Make small incisions 1-2 cm long along the stem.
2. Place the incisions in fresh sphagnum moss and cling film, securing it at the upper and lower edges.
3. After three weeks, roots begin to form.
4. In the fall, cuttings are separated and landed in containers. They are placed in greenhouses so that the plants continue to grow.

Propagation of Rhododendrons by Seeds

A method for species plants. The first entries appear after 7-20 days. For the procedure, you need a loose substrate, into which water and air easily penetrate. A home mix of peat and river sand in a ratio of 1: 1 is suitable. When using the purchased mixture, soil for heather plants is suitable.

A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the pot or other container.

How to propagate rhododendron using seeds:

1. It is necessary to pre-expose the seeds to stratification in the refrigerator during the day. Recommended temperature 3-5 ° C.
2. Mix them with sand and spread over a sterilized soil mixture. Seeds sown in a depression do not germinate.
3. Spray the substrate and cover the box or container with film or glass.
4. Necessary conditions of detention: temperature 10-15 ° C, air humidity up to 40%, direct sunlight should not fall on the container.
5. The soil is sprayed and aired twice a day.
6. The first shoots appear in 2-3 weeks. Next, cotyledons are formed.
7. Normally, by mid-September, the seedling should have 5-10 leaves. It should be transplanted into a separate pot with a lump of earth. At the bottom, a drainage layer of 2-3 cm is made.
8. Seedlings are covered with glass or film, sprayed and aired twice a day.
9. A year after the start of germination (first half of spring), the seedlings will be 5 cm long. During this period, they need to be transplanted into a container with a diameter of 5-7 cm. Suitable soil mix: turf land, sand, peat, coniferous litter in equal proportions.
10. In the summer, pots should be placed in the garden in a place inaccessible to direct sunlight. Since September, seedlings are returned for storage to the premises.
11. In the third year, potted plants can be dug in the garden. Once a season to make top dressing, complex fertilizers for indoor flowers are suitable.
12. In winter, the pots are transferred to the room, and in the summer they are returned to the street again.

Rhododendron seeds

By the fifth spring, plants can be planted in open ground. By this moment, their height will be 40-70 cm. Instances of the Pontic rhododendron will grow to 80-120 cm.

Bush division

An effective, but not common method used in the garden or in the country. It allows you to guaranteedly get new plants, but the mother bush is badly damaged.

How to divide the multiplication of street rhododendron:

1. It will take an adult, a large, healthy bush.
2. In March, the mother plant is cut into several parts with a shovel. Each of them must have healthy roots and shoots.
3. Small roots are removed with a knife.
4. The separated bush is planted in acidic soil: small in a container, large in a greenhouse.

Subsequent care as a full-fledged young plant.

Greenhouse vaccination

Using this method, a vaccination shoot and a stockstock 3-4 years old are connected. The vaccine is done as close to the roots of the stock. It is better to carry out the procedure in early autumn.

Rootstocks are dug up, planted in pots and moved to a greenhouse with a temperature of 5-10 ° C. After two weeks, they take root. A few hours before vaccination, an earthen lump of the plant is soaked.

Further, if desired, you can use one of the vaccination methods:

• budding - placing a kidney on a branch of the main plant;
• copulation - placing the stem in a slice of the main plant.

Thus, in order to propagate rhododendron, there are many ways. Each grower decides which one to choose based on his knowledge and available tools. It is better, of course, to dwell on the cuttings, as this option is much simpler and more productive.