Rhododendron cutting - good timing for pruning

• Regular care cut
• rejuvenation pruning

The cut is simple because Rhododendron can handle any, really every cut. You just have to catch the right time, with understandable information no problem, this information is in the article.

The large-flowered rhododendrons in our gardens come from forest-pruning woody shrubs, vigorous shrubs that normally tolerate every cut. The exceptions are pointed out, otherwise it depends on the perfect rhododendron cut only on the right time.

The majority of the rhododendrons are quite large, the better they like their location, the more they bother. Most of our gardens are not that big, so a free-growing rhododendron quickly falls out of line. The rhododendron must and must therefore be kept by cutting in garden suitable size.

Since the cut-compatible rhododendrons tolerate any correction, you can give him a free hand, the more power remains for him to thoroughly rooting and adaptation to the site, with some luck, he develops an individual shape.

Tip: If you want to see lots of flowers, perfect symmetry and even branching, you can stimulate the rhododendron by cutting it to the junction as soon as it is well ingrown.

When exactly you first create a hand or a pair of scissors, and how often or how much you need to cut each time, varies from one type to another; on the location in your garden and your green thumb in the rhododendron care is still important.

Regular care cut

Normally, the rhododendron (for many flowers) is cut once a year. Rhododendrons start the next flowering as soon as the flowers of the current season are withered. This results in an optimal time to prune a rhododendron: Right after flowering.

The best time is between the end of May and the beginning of June, only a few hybrids bloom earlier. In younger rhododendrons, the withered flowers must be broken anyway, because the plant is otherwise more power in semen production than in the shoot formation. The non-flowering shoots can be stimulated by a cut back to the junction.

Tip: If you make a care cut, you can cut off the little-branched flower shoots and thus save yourself the painstaking cleaning of the old flowers.

At some point you no longer need to break out of inflorescences, to stimulate even more flowering shoots, but only make a rejuvenation cut.

With the flower care and the pruning the care cut is carried out. You can cut away all disturbing and damaged shoots.

Always cut branches slightly at an angle so that rainwater can run off because moisture attracts mushrooms. The Rhododendron has now all summer time to close the cuts and to train the next flowers.

rejuvenation pruning

If the rhododendron then has carried countless flowers on the outer outline, it is usually verkahlt inside and can tolerate a makeover. A radical pruning is done before flowering, preferably in the autumn of the pre-season or in early spring, depending on the flowering period. Developing flowers costs the plant a lot of power. Since the flowers are cut away anyway, you can save their Rhododendron the effort. He will put all his energy into the new drive and grow stronger next spring. All commercially available (peacock-propagated) rhododendrons tolerate the radical pruning. Only with refined rhododendrons that do not grow on their own roots, a careful test is recommended, if the rhododendron expels again.

Cut the rhododendron back until only a light framework with branches of about half a meter in length stands. In the places where he gets light again, he will cast out again, he activates sleeping eyes on his woody shoots. If the location offers that optically, you can complete the radical section in two years (two halves). Such a Radikalschnitt also offers, if the Rhododendron is sick or z. B. was damaged by storm.

Tip: The cut is a force act for the rhododendron, the more radical, the more force he must muster. Care after the cut does him good: Extensive watering, as the cuts evaporate water (allow him rainwater if possible), a layer of mulch, a few horn shavings or some rhododendron fertilizer, then the rhododendron soon forgot the intervention.