Planting rhododendron: tips for beginners
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RHODODENDRON LANDING FOR BEGINNERS
Rhododendron is popular in many countries of the world due to its decorative foliage, as well as beautiful flowers of various colors - pink, purple, white, red. In subtropical latitudes, these are large trees. In the middle lane there are shrubs with a height of 0,2-1,5 m.
A wide selection of plants of various varieties grown with a closed root system is now on sale. They can be planted during the entire growing season. However, from personal experience, I recommend limiting yourself to the first half of summer, so that before the cold weather the plants have time to take root and adapt in a new place.
Rhododendron is quite whimsical, so when planting, consider two important points.
CHOOSING A LANDING PLACE FOR RHODODENDRON
Rhododendron loves the so-called sun shade - from a tall tree with an openwork crown, for example, from a tall birch that grows on the south side of the planting site of ornamental bushes and closes them at noon from direct sunlight (but at the same time, plants get enough diffused sunlight). In the dense shade, rhododendrons will not develop normally, and in the direct sun they can die. In addition, the plants do not like drafts, so the planting site must be protected from the wind.
LANDING METHOD
Rhododendrons need acidic peat soil (pH 4,5-5,5), ideally from raised bogs. When buying substrate at the 8th store, pay attention to its pH: rhododendron will not grow on deoxidized peat.
Add loam to the peat (35% of the total volume of the substrate) and fill the planting hole with this mixture.
By the way, it should be 0,5-1 m in diameter and 0,4-0,5 m deep. The size of the pit depends on the choice of the variety. Fortunately, today you can pick up plants for various landscape solutions - from dwarfs to fairly large specimens reaching 1-1,5 m in height.
OUR REFERENCE
Rhododendrons are evergreen and deciduous. The former are more decorative, while the latter tolerate winter better. Despite the fact that now in the middle zone the winters are quite mild, one week with frosts of about -20 degrees, and without snow, can ruin the plantings. Therefore, in late autumn, make a shelter on a rigid frame covered with burlap or spunbond (you can overlay the frame with spruce branches). Make sure that snow does not linger on the shelters, which can crush the bushes.
ABOUT RHODODENDRON FOR BEGINNERS
Rhododendrons are blooming spectacularly! And their leaves are beautifully shaped, rich in color. Isn't that why landscape designers love these evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous shrubs so much?
The Rhododendron genus includes about 600 species, a huge number of cultural and hybrid forms have been bred, but not every gardener dares to plant this difficult culture on his site. And in the climate of the middle zone, only some of them can be grown.
If you still decide to decorate your garden with rhododendrons, choose deciduous ones for planting first. And among them - species, if only because they have high winter hardiness. For example, the Japanese rhododendron. This highly branched shrub grows up to 2 m, blooms in May at the same time as the leaves bloom and blooms for about three weeks with magnificent, most often orange-scarlet fragrant flowers, collected in loose inflorescences. After flowering, the rhododendron is no less attractive, as it is decorated with carved emerald glossy leaves, which turn yellow and crimson in autumn.
Daurian rhododendron also has high winter hardiness. Its fragrant purple-pink flowers appear in April, before the leaves open.
From deciduous, I can also advise Canadian rhododendron with purple-violet flowers, Vazeya with white-pink speckled with red, yellow with bright yellow fragrant flowers. Like the Japanese rhododendron, they all bloom in May.
In June, the Katevbinsky rhododendron blooms. Its lilac flowers with green speckles are collected in loose inflorescences of 20 pieces. This is one of the most winter-hardy evergreen species.
The Kamchatka rhododendron also pleases with summer flowering. Its crimson flowers appear in June - July. It differs not only in later flowering, but also in low growth - only 0,2-0,4 m in height.
In order for rhododendrons to take root, it is necessary to create conditions for them that are close to natural, but taking into account the biological characteristics of a particular species. When planting, it should be borne in mind that all rhododendrons love sunny or slightly shaded places on the south or southeast side, sheltered from direct sunlight, wind and drafts. Do not plant rhododendrons near tall trees - these are their first competitors for nutrition and moisture. Rhododendrons grow well on acidic soils, moistened, but without stagnant melt and rainwater. Lime materials, ash, fertilizers that reduce acidity should not fall into the root nutrition zone.
Seedlings with an open root system are planted only in spring. With a closed root system - from early spring to mid-autumn, so it is better to buy seedlings in containers. The depth of the planting pit is 50-60 cm, the width depends on the size of the roots. A prepared substrate is poured into the planting pit, consisting of acidic peat, fallen needles, crushed semi-decomposed pine or spruce bark and sand (1: 1: 1: 1). When planting, good drainage is required. Mineral fertilizers are added to the substrate and spilled with water. Carefully remove the seedling from the container and place the earth ball in the hole. The root neck is not deepened. Then the hole is filled in, lightly tamping the soil. Water the plant, trying not to erode the soil, and after planting, mulch with pine bark or needles with a layer of at least 10 cm.
Further care consists mainly in watering and top dressing. Watering is plentiful, but without stagnant water; in dry weather, sprinkling of the crown is useful. To prevent the substrate from alkalizing, it is advisable to add citric acid to the water (1 teaspoon per bucket of water). In mid-August, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied (1/3 of the dose recommended for other plants) or special fertilizers for this crop. You can not feed rhododendrons with compounds containing chlorine and calcium.
In order not to damage the roots, you should not dig and loosen the soil under the bushes, but you need to mulch it as often as possible. Mulch not only retains moisture, but also enriches the soil with nutrients.
By winter, the plants are watered abundantly. In deciduous species, cover the root neck area with dry leaves or peat. Evergreens at the end of November are covered with lutrasil or burlap so that in the spring they do not suffer from sunburn. Before shelter, the roots are mulched with peat or oak leaves by 10-15 cm. Low-growing species winter well under the snow, if you put spruce branches under the bushes and make a frame that protects the bush from breaking under the weight of snow.
Open rhododendron in the spring in cloudy weather, as soon as the soil thaws. It does not need formative pruning, as it forms a beautiful bush on its own. But sanitary is carried out every spring, removing damaged and frozen branches. In early spring, old bushes are also rejuvenated, cutting branches at a height of 0,3-0,4 m.
Rhododendron is propagated by seeds, layering, cuttings, dividing the bush and grafting. The most effective propagation method is cuttings. Deciduous species are rooted from late spring to early summer with green apical cuttings. Evergreen species - from June 20 to June 30, semi-lignified cuttings. When using rooting stimulants, rooting proceeds slowly, but with a 100% guarantee. The technology is the same as for cuttings of any shrubs.
In general, if everything is done correctly, rhododendrons will delight with their flowering for a long time, because they live in culture for at least 40 years.
© Author: Natalia Karkacheva, Krasnodar kr. Author's photo
See also: Rhododendron (photo) planting and care, varieties and species from A to Z
HOW TO PLANT RHODODENDRON - VIDEO
© Author: Vladimir VITKO, specialist in landscaping and landscaping of garden plots
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In autumn, dry sour peat mixed with a small amount of sand should be poured under the bushes of rhododendrons. Alternatively, you can use chips with conifer sawdust. In extreme cases, lay a dry birch leaf under the bush and remove it in the spring. Avot, for example, maple foliage cakes so strongly that it does not allow moisture and air to pass to the roots. In addition, among the litter there is a lot of Leafy mildew or other diseases. Sometimes it is advised to bring a bed of butcher's broom from the forest. However, I am afraid, as it is easy to bring ticks into the area.
The layer of peat mulch for tall rhododendrons should be at least 10 cm. And do not forget that these beautiful plants love light acidic soil, so it is better not to add humus or loam.
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In the fall, I bought three types of rhododendrons zoned for our area. I planted them in a pit with black soil, ash and the addition of superphosphate. For the winter, I built an air shelter over the plants, sketched spruce branches around the perimeter. In the spring, the young leaves that began to grow after 2 weeks dried up. What did I do wrong?
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- The agricultural technology of rhododendrons is completely violated! Carefully read the conditions necessary for the plant (you need a shady place, acidic soil; ash cannot be brought in), and transplant the bushes according to all the rules
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The Japanese Rhododendron seedling survived the first winter well. But already from the beginning of summer, red-brown spots similar to rust appeared on the leaves. I treated the bush with a Bordeaux mixture, but I did not notice the effect - it did not bloom, its growth stopped. She covered it up and mulched it up with sawdust. I planted asters nearby to cover from the sun.
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- In mid-August, I advise you to transplant the rhododendron in a shady place and prepare the soil according to the requirements of the culture (with the introduction of a large amount of sour high-moor peat). Spots on the leaves can be from sunburn. Undo the rhododendron urgently (you cannot fill the base of the trunk near the root collar!) And remove the asters. Leave the sawdust mulch before transplanting, moving to the periphery of the bush.
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On young growths of the "rosewood" leaves become burgundy-brown and dry out along the edge. The flower buds darkened. I treated it with Rakurs solution - it does not help.
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- It is a fungal disease caused by high humidity. Continue to spray - once every 10 days, and change the "Angle" to "Ordan" (according to the instructions). Severely affected leaves and buds must be removed. Remember: does the water stagnate at the planting site of the bush? If so, transplant your rhododendron to an elevated area.