Plant Tips

March...beginning of Spring...

The New York Chapter would like to have us think of Spring in five alphabet letters.  See...

• Many
• Aching muscles are soon to be as you
• Rake up all the leaves that you
• C. Oh, how happy we would be if we
• Had a gardener that worked for free
  
  ...and it was someone other than me!

Thanks!  We need that inspiration to start off our Plant Tips for Spring 2005!

Whitefly...another pest in your garden

Harry Wright, North Island Chapter, B.C., has provided information on yet another garden pest, whitefly...a tiny, white moth-like insect.  These may occur in large numbers on the undersides of leaves during the summer.  The adults and their flat, oval pale green larvae feed by sucking sap and excreting a sugary substance known as "honeydew".  This is what makes the foliage sticky and allows the growth of a superficial black sooty mold.

Whitefly is controlled by spraying thoroughly the undersides of the leaves with an insecticide.  Several applications at ten-day intervals may be necessary since the immature stages are less susceptible than the adults.

Difference between heaths and heathers?

The Yak, Fraser South Chapter's newsletter, comes up with a simple answer to this question...

• Heaths, with their needle-like foliage and a bloom-time which extends from early winter through to summer, belong to the genus Erica.

• Heathers, with their scale-like foliage and a bloom-time more restricted to the summer months, belong to the genus Calluna.

New plants from deciduous azalea cuttings

Helen Myers from the Mason-Dixon Chapter, Maryland, offers some important information on what you need to do to multiple your azalea garden.  Listen:

One of the neat things you can do is make new plants from the soft, new growth of deciduous azaleas.  You can grow them from seeds, too, but...if you want the exact same plant, cuttings are the way to go.

"cuttings is the way to go"...here's how...

• When the new growth is about three or four inches long...but still pliable...usually in early to mid-May, take a bucket of water to the plant and cut off that tip, place it immediately in water.  Do not let it wilt!

• Prepare containers by washing them with dilute Clorox (10% Clorox to 90% water).  They need to be at least 4" deep.  Plastic salad bar containers, the lower part of a soft drink bottle...whatever you have.  Poke some drain holes in the bottom.  Dampen a mixture of 50% peat moss and 50% Perlite.  Fill the containers with this mixture.

• Remove the lower leaves of your cutting, leaving about four or five leaves on top.  You can use a rooting medium...but it is not essential.  If you do, use Hormodin #1...not #3, or use Rootone.

• Using a pencil or stick to make a hole in the medium, especially if you have rooting powder coating the stem, place the cutting in and firm the medium around it.  Cover the pot with a clear plastic bag and seal it.  The plastic should not touch the leaf at any point.  You can use a hoop of wire, if needed, to hold the bag upright.  If you have not labeled it yet...write on the container with a permanent marker.

sunshine and warmth next additives...

Now, place the whole thing in a north-facing window or under florescent light for 16 hours a day...timers are great.  Heating the container from the bottom will increase your success rate.  How?  On top of a refrigerator...if there is light there...or rig a 25 watt bulb under a rack...or on a heating pad set very low and covered with aluminum foil.  Whatever the method, check in a few hours to be sure it isn't getting too warm.

added water may not be necessary...

Additional watering should not be necessary until roots start to develop...again check periodically.  When cuttings appear to be rooted (in four to six weeks), start to let in some air by punching a few holes in the plastic.  Every few days make the holes bigger over a period of one month, until the plant is completely exposed.

misting is a must...three or four times a day...

Now begin to water the cuttings with a very weak fertilizing solution (1/4 strength or less) to force new growth.  Mist often with plain warm water...three or four times a day.  It is essential that the plants start new growth before they go dormant...or they never will.

finally, transplant...

Transplant rooted, growing cuttings into 4" pots and keep them growing over the summer.  They should be wintered over in a cold frame or in the garage...don't forget to water them if in the garage!

The next spring you can plant them in a protected bed...but...not into the landscape until they are two or three ft. tall.  And...at all stages protect them from bunnies, mice, squirrels, etc.

Want a healthy rhododendron?

Eileen Hoffman, Nanaimo Chapter, Vancouver Island, B.C., has outlined four very important steps to consider...and take...in order to have healthy rhododendrons growing in your garden.  They make sense!

A long time ago when we first began growing rhododendrons, a hybridizer told us...

"to grow a healthy rhododendron you have to grow the roots."

That clump that you bury in the ground and never see again...that clump of roots is actually a mirror reflection of your plant.   Growing healthy roots grows healthy rhododendrons.

Consider the following:

shallow root system...

Location: Rhododendron roots are surface feeders and develop a shallow root system.  Because rhododendron roots obtain much of their oxygen and water near ground level, you will not want to plant the roots too deep...and you will want to provide the roots with adequate water.

You can achieve this by digging a shallow hole and backfill the hole with amended soil...soil mixed with mulch.  Place the roots half way in the hole and lightly cover the top of the roots with mulch.  One nice point to having a shallow root system is they do transplant fairly easy.

well-drained soil is the key...

Water/Drainage: Rhododendron roots love water...they can even sit in it when the temperatures are cool...but when it is hot and humid they can develop root rot.

It is like drinking hot water when you are really thirsty...are really thirsty...you usually stop after the first sip.  Well-drained soil is the key.

Amending your soil can be very inexpensive, too.  You can use materials, such as pine needles, fresh sawdust, or bark dust.  We do not recommend using fallen leaves because they can contain disease, but they do make a nice top covering in the winter months.  Mix the mulch into your existing soil.  Planting on a hillside or slope also provides good drainage.

rules for spacing

Spacing: When planting your rhododendrons, you will want to consider spacing.  A quick and general rule is:

• how tall the plant will be in ten years.
• how to determine the spacing between the plants.

If the rhododendrons will be 4 ft. in ten years, plant the center (the stems) 4 ft. a part.  You can stagger the plants for a more full look.

lunchtime yet

Fertilizing: Is it lunchtime yet?

Yes, rhododendron roots get hungry, too!

We recommend feeding your rhododendron roots as early as March...then a small dose or snack every four to six weeks until mid-July.   Fertilizing after July can initiate Fall new growth that is susceptible to early frost.   You can purchase rhododendron/azalea food at your local garden supply store.

Dwarfs...a secret from Mrs. Weneck to keep them dwarfed!

Al Fitzburg, Princeton Chapter, has a special place in his heart for a neighbor and one of her secrets.  He shares it with us.

Many years ago I had an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Weneck.  She was an avid gardener and had a garden of small conifers.  I tried to grow some myself, but after many years they began to outgrow their space.

So I went to Mrs. Weneck and asked her how she managed to keep her plants so dwarfed. She gave me a wink and said, "Watch this!"  Bending over a small Abies koreana, she grabbed it by the stem at ground level and gave it a practiced yank upward.  Then, she pushed it down in its site and pressed down on the soil surrounding it.

I was somewhat astounded, but after thinking it over I realized that she had probably stressed the plant just enough to sever many small feeding roots.  Not enough to hurt the plant severely...but enough to set back the growth a little.  As a matter of fact, nurseries once sold plants that were "twice transplanted" at a premium price.  I have used this little secret of Mrs. Weneck many times since...and every time I do, I think of her.

All I can say is...it works!

Rust on seedlings...what to do...

Dr. Rhody,

At a recent meeting you described how to grow seedlings.  Like you, I have become addicted to raising Rhododendron seedlings.  Unfortunately, I seem to have a problem with some of the seedlings.  There appears to be rust on many of the plants.  What can I do to eliminate the rust...and...how can I prevent another outbreak?

-- Bob

Dr. Rhody answers...moving air helps prevent disease...

Dear Bob:

I am glad to see others suffer from a desire to grow Rhododendron seedlings.  I am sorry to hear about your rust problems.  I have never had a problem with rust.  I believe my good luck is caused by the fact that one of my best friends grows orchids.  He warned me many years ago to make sure I have moving air in my seed room at all times.  Ventilation fans and wall fans are on 24 hours a day.  It seems to help.  There are many fungicides that are designed to help cure rust.  Daconil and Captan are available to the general public and should help cure your rust problem.  Good luck!

-- Dr. Rhody

Hunting for early bloomers?

With Spring's appearance in a matter of days, all of us watch for the first blooming bulbs and trees.  And when we spot the first robin and hear his song or see the yellow daffodil poking its head out...we know Spring is arriving with a song.

The Nanaimo Chapter, Vancouver Island, B.C., made a listing of early rhododendron bloomers.  The list is sure to be of interest to the faithful...and a resource list should you be wanting a new addition for your rhodo collection.

R. mucronulatum: Is a deciduous variety that will grow about 4 ft. in ten years.  January or February flowers are a bright rosy purple.

'Praecox': Has attractive rosy purple flowers appearing in February and March and grows about 3 ft. in ten years.

'Bric-a-brac': Has showy white flowers and appears in March.   Can expect to grow to a height of 2 ft. in ten years.

'PJM': Has bright lavender-pink flowers and flowers in March...or a little earlier some years.  Expect it to grow about 4 ft. in ten years.

'Cilpinense': Flowers are light pink at first...fades to white and blooms in late February or early March.  Protect early flowers from frost.  Nice busy habit of growth to about 30" in ten years.

'Rosamundi' and 'Christmas Cheer': Are two excellent large-leafed varieties.  Early flowering, generally in late February or early March.  Flowers pink to white on both varieties.  'Christmas Cheer' grows to about 3 ft. in ten years, 'Rosamundi' just a little taller.

'Blue Diamond': Has attractive violet-blue flowers cover this bushy plant in early April and grows about 3 ft. in ten years.

'Conemaugh': Has frilly lavender-pink, bell-shaped flowers in late March and attains a height of 3 ft. in ten years.

'Brocade' (pink); 'Tessa' (rosy-lilac); R. lutescens (yellow), and R. moupinense (soft pink) are just a few of the other early bloomers.

Try talking to your rhodos...

Bobby Ogdon, Vancouver Chapter, B.C., seems to find the best viewpoints on how to enjoy your rhodos and garden more.  He has come up with a neat solution to larger blooms.

"I have a confession: I like to walk through a garden...and talk to the plants!  Indeed, I listen as well.  It's a kind of horticultural communication.  Yes, I also sing to them, and when they respond it is music to my ears.  After a tough meeting or challenging conflict, it is easy to unwind among my rhododendrons.

For me...a walk in the garden is therapeutic, and a great relief from stress.  Is it because plants do not talk back?  On the contrary, the reverse is true.  Plants in general...and rhodos in particular...speak to me with deafening clarity.  However, not everyone hears the talk or sees the pictures.

hear the talk...see the picture

Being attuned to your plants is a definite prerequisite.   Rhodos, in some ways, are not so different from people.  We begin by exchanging names.   Continuing, we discover relevant facts as we pursue our interests.  Background information may be: home, family, career, values, priorities, wards.  Your rhodos may reveal all of the above... and more...if you look and listen insightfully.

In a world of people-watching and personal communication we should consider broadening our base.  Some of us spend more time in our gardens than with our acquaintances.  Try to make it quality time by being cognizant of the health and well being of the plants.  We comment on our friends' new hair style, poor health, injury, weight loss, new clothing, or changed appearance.  Why not do the same assessment with our rhodos?

plants have personalities, too!

Plants have personalities (if, in fact, it is possible for inanimate objects to take on personal and human characteristics).  A walk through a garden introduces you to some fascinating characters.

• Rhodos are waiting to reveal themselves.
• Overall appearance, size, and plant habit meets your eyes.
• Your interest is captured by the blossom, noting shape, size, color, and markings.
• A color chart may verify the plant's uniqueness, allowing future registration of a new hybrid.
• Leaf size and shape, along with indumentum, attests to horticultural bloodlines.

Conversation continues as your rhodos reveal their tolerance/intolerance to heat, drought, cold, their need/dislike of fertilizer, and a host of other variables.

Imperceptive gardeners miss the joy of talking to their plants.  Many people are confused by conflicting or misunderstood signals and messages.  This confusion applies to their friendship and their plants.  Both our friends and our gardens need better communicators, and will be well served by our better efforts.

rhodos want to listen to your talk...

• Do not give up.
• Learn from your garden walks.
• AND...listen.

When your neighbors wonder about your propensity to talk to rhodos, just give them a knowing wink before admonishing them to search for answers which are always available to those with...eyes to see...and ears to hear.  When you truly look and listen, you will learn, and you will be blessed."

Some "do's" and "don'ts"

There is real companionship between chapters and this is a delight!  The North Island Chapter Editor Mary Palmer presents these hints in their February 2005 and gave credit to the Vancouver Rhodo Society Newsletter of February 2000.

With Spring just around the corner, why not look over these hints when cleaning up and getting ready for a blooming time.

• Do: Break up the root ball of a container-grown plant very well before planting it. Once roots circle around inside a container they seem unable to break the habit.
• Fertilizer lightly with iron-sulphate before they flower in Spring.
• Twist off vegetative growth at the tip of stems during the winter months to encourage branching from dormant buds below the tip...don't pinch off flower buds!
• Deadhead flowers after blooming...if you can reach them!
• Occasionally check the pH of your soil.  Lime and chlorine can affect the pH of water...check this also.
• A "rain barrel" is a great asset...especially in dry summers.
• Give rooted cuttings and seedlings extra protection for the first couple of winters.
• Prepare the soil well with organic mater and ensure good drainage.

• Don't: Fertilize after early July.
• Mulch with large leaves, such as maple (Acer macrophyllum) or peat moss,
  which pack down to form a waterproof mat.
• Plant rhodos near trees that compete for nutrients or provide excessive shade.
• Tannic acid from walnut leaves and roots will kill a rhodo.  Do not plant near a walnut tree.
• Cultivating soil surface around rhodos can kill the surface roots.
• Do not over water the plants.  Water is precious.

A marvelous thought for today!

Friends...they cherish each other's hopes.
They are kind to each other's dreams.
      Henry David Thoreau