Rhododendron - the king of flowers - is famous for the brightness of colors and magnificent forms. It grows in the form of a bush or a short tree. There are almost 1300 species of this plant and more than 12 thousand varieties. The literary name for the deciduous species of the flower is azalea, and the evergreen is rhododendron. In the wild, the plant is distributed in the mountains in southeast Asia. More than half of representatives of this genus are concentrated there. Since ancient times, rhododendron has been used in folk medicine - it relieves fatigue, pain in the legs, head, and helps with indigestion.
The leaves of rhododendron are leathery, of various shapes and colors. Flowers form corymbose or umbellate inflorescences with curved stamens. Color varies from white to dark purple. The flowering period is April-June, the flowers reappear in the fall. Such a shrub is a real find for a landscape designer. They make gorgeous hedges out of it, decorate gardens, select contrasting combinations in height and color. Popular plant varieties are Daurian rhododendron, tree-like, yellow, Japanese, Kamchatka, Canadian, short-fruited, spiky, small-leaved.
Japanese rhododendron deserves special attention. This is a deciduous shrub with a high degree of branching and thin oblong leaves (up to 10 cm in length). It grows in height up to 2 meters. Flowers - orange-red with a large
prominent brownish spot, collected in 6 or 12 pieces. The crown is formed wide, spreading. It looks like a small lush flowering green tree - a wonderful decoration of a garden or park.
Rhododendron - growing. How to please him
The plant loves partial shade, does not tolerate drought, deep shade, direct sunlight, stagnation of water. The soil needs rich humus, loose, acidic, well-drained. It is undesirable to plant near deciduous and evergreen rhododendrons.
Rhododendron - Growing: Care Features
The main care is top dressing, watering and circular trunk weeding. You canβt fertilize mountain and dwarf plant species, in extreme cases, you can use organic matter. Top dressing is carried out until mid-July, since later application of fertilizers leads to freezing of untimely grown shoots in the winter. Dry dead branches and inflorescences must be constantly removed. On dry days, the plant needs to be irrigated several times a day. It is desirable to water the shrub with water, acidified with organic acid at the rate of 3 g per 10 liters. Pruning to form a crown is done immediately after flowering. For winter, heat-loving varieties must be protected by air-tight shelter.
Rhododendron - Growing: Propagation Methods
A plant can be planted in two ways:
1. Seeds.
Seeds are planted in March in boxes under glass, maintaining a temperature of + 20Λ. Depending on the variety, seedlings appear on the 7-20th day. Three weeks later, the seedlings dive. In the warm summer, flower pots are taken out to fresh air. Plant transplantation in the open ground is carried out a year later in the warm period (May-June), so that the bushes grow stronger and can withstand frosts.
2. Vegetative propagation - inoculation, layering, dividing bushes, cuttings.
Partially lignified shoots are taken for cuttings. They are poorly rooted, so spraying with stimulating drugs is recommended. You can only share lush bushes with overgrown shoots. Transplantation is done in spring and autumn.
Rhododendron - Growing: Diseases and Pests
Most often, the plant suffers from:
- spider mite;
- root rot;
- rust, spotting;
- aphids.
To cope with all the problems helps timely spraying with special tools.
Rhododendrons - Growing: Emerging Issues
1. Shriveled leaves - insufficient watering, high temperature, too bright light.
2. Fades quickly - dry air, direct sunlight.
3. Yellowing of the leaves - hard water, damp.
4. Weak growth - unsuitable soil.
Rhododendron is not a houseplant. For growing it requires certain conditions - cool and humid air, a sufficient amount of light. Their survival rate in the apartment is 50%. Buy this plant if you can provide it with all the conditions for growth.