Rhododendron care after flowering - remove old buds

• Why remove old buds?> Flower creation by breaking out
• Flower removal when cutting

Magnificent rhododendron flower is the motive for rhododendron culture, so it makes sense to give rhododendrons any care they need to flower bud. Rhododendrons create beautiful blooms alone, but only if flowering and flower development go undisturbed - in the article you will learn how to ensure that.

Rhododendrons need a special flower care after flowering, because otherwise they would form seeds on the flowered flowers, new flowers are not so urgently needed, if the reproduction is already secured. So you need stimulation for new flower induction, for which you are responsible as a gardener:

Why remove old buds?

Rhododendrons are already starting the new shoots on the dying flower-umbel, where the flowers of the next season will appear. This is why it is normal, regular rhododendron care to remove the flower buds.

This will prevent the formation of seeds, which would cost the rhododendron force that he will put into the development of new inflorescences after breaking out. By doing so, they not only ensure that more flowers develop, but also that these flowers develop on young strong shoots.

The shoots on which the rhododendron has not developed flowers, can be cut back in the context of the current cut care and thereby stimulated further branching.

Flower thinning by breaking out

The individual flowers sit on sturdy stems that do not just fall off when the petals wither. Therefore, you must actively remove the flowers.

This must be done carefully and with great care, so that you do not damage the bud already created just below the old flower. Pruning shears / knives have no business with the old flower, they quickly damage the new flower bud.

The break-out of the flower is "pure handicraft": Hold with one hand the stem with the umbel, with thumb and forefinger of the other hand embrace the old flower base. Turn and fold until you have the faded umbel in your hand.

Tip: For weakened rhododendrons, it is especially important that you quickly remove the withered inflorescences. The rotting plant material dries badly and is a welcome gateway for fungi and pathogens that particularly infested just weakened rhododendrons.

If a rhododendron is allowed to grow freely on a larger property up to a certain size, the flower cleaning will eventually become a major action. With ladder, strange telescopic rod cutting tools, a lot of wobbly and accordingly much desire to perform this whole action.

An all-clear could therefore please you: If the rhododendron has become so big that you can not get along well with the flowers, you do not need to break out withered flowers.

This flower care is worthwhile for Rhododendron youngsters to bring them to earlier lush flowering in the past. Actually, rhododendrons need a while to become "grown up" (otherwise, flowering = the stage of reproduction is reached). Refined rhododendrons (growing on roots of other rhododendrons) bloom in the first or second season, pectin-propagated rhododendrons also have some lead and in the breeding is also often tried to enter the rhododendrons early in the flowering stage. But if you have planted a rhododendron that is genetically very primitive and has been raised from seeds, it may take a few years for the first flowers to appear timidly, so breaking out helps to make the flower evenly abundant.

Even with weakened rhododendrons, the flowers should be broken within a buff program, especially plants that "fear for their lives" put their strength into reproduction instead of thinking of themselves and putting their strength into absorption / growth,

If a rhododendron is so high that it can not reach the flowers, it is obviously neither young nor weakened - and has enough power to provide ripening seeds and flower buds for the next season at the same time.

Flower removal when cutting

When a rhododendron has become so big, it usually has to be trimmed all around, because its proportions go beyond the limits of what seems appropriate in a home garden.

Since rhododendrons are pruned directly after flowering anyway, you can save on plastering here first - since the shoots with the flowers sit completely outside, you inevitably cut off many flowering shoots during the rejuvenation cut.

Then you can check all around, if still some flowers need to be plastered. I hope that's the way it is, these are the only flowers you will see next season.

Rhododendron now has time for the rest of the year after the cut for these new flowers. Otherwise, he can quietly develop new shoots with new flower buds and will do so, he was limited by the cut pretty much in the reproduction.