Rhododendrons
Planting & Care
Rhododendrons like other ericaceous plants tend to survive better in soils with slightly more acidic content with a PH of around 4.5 – 5.5. Some more tropical Rhododendrons varieties grow more to epiphytes standards so there fore like a planting mix similar to that of orchids
An epiphyte is a type of plant that likes to use other plants or objects such as trees & houses for a climbing support.
Rhododendrons suit a well drained soil which is high in organic material breakdown due to their fibrous roots.
Due to liking well drained soils, its ideal to plant Rhododendrons in to a raised flower bed so that they are never left with lots of standing water in the soil around there roots. Planting them with a compost made with pine bark will suit them best.
Rhododendrons are a shallow rooted plant, meaning that there roots never go deep into the ground. So due to this they need protecting from the elements. Mulch is the best for this, don't worry about choosing an acidic mulch such as pine straw for this as the rhododendron plants thrive on the acid. Eventually your much will break down and become a vital part of the soil so choosing a good well known brand.
The ideal time to apply any sort of fertilizer to your rhododendrons is directly after they have finished flowering
Pruning Rhododendrons
You should only lightly prune your rhododendrons and shape then once a year after they have finished flowering and at the same time you do your dead heading. If you do this job annually it will keep your plant in good shape and stop it looking wild. You should be looking to do this around June or July. If you do this any later throughout the year then you put at risk next years buds, so timing is crucial. This is because rhododendrons flower on the previous years wood, so any buds for spring flowering will have formed last summer.
When pruning you should start with any dead or damaged branches this will reduce any chance of disease and issues with nuisance insects later in the year.
Then you need to prune any tall or odd branches that are coming out of the top of your rhododendron plant.
Rhododendrons with larger leafs such as Lepidotes, must be pruned just above the growth joints. Every year it will start to grow from here and there will be a noticeable notch or band for you to see.
Very large rhododendrons can be cut back heavily even to stumps with no leaves, but it could be 1 year before the plant has any green foliage on, and it could be 2/3 years before any flowering commences.
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