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Planting Instructions
Warning: do not plant rhododendrons and azaleas around native
cedar trees, big leaf maples or other tress with invasive root
structures.
Site Selection - The site you choose must provide the type of environment
necessary for your plant to establish itself and thrive. The
site selection must either protect from damaging winds, shallow
rooted trees. or reflected heat from wooden or masonry walls, fences
and buildings, or under a roof overhang where watering is a problem
or in areas too shaded to produce blooms.
Determine the surface and sub-surface drainage, dig a hole, fill it
with water and see how long it takes for the water to disappear.
Rhododendrons and azaleas will not do well in poorly drained soils.
Too much water displaces all of the oxygen in the soil and the roots
literally suffocate and rot. To correct poorly drained areas, build up
the area with good soils directly on top of the existing soil.
Soil Preparation - Rhododendrons should be planted in porous,
well-drained acid soil (pH 4.5 to 6). Organic material should make
up at least 25%- 50% of the soil. This includes any natural material
such as decayed leaves, compost, pine needles, sawdust, peat moss,
rotted or processed manure and shredded wood/bark (salt free). Work
into the soil to a depth of at least 15”-24”. Also add sand and gypsum
to havy clay soil to improve drainage and reduce compaction. Add
humus to sandy soil for moisture retention and nutrient-holding
capacity. You must provide a comparable interface between the root
ball and the surrounding soil. which will facilitate water movement
between the two.
Plant Preparation - If the root ball seems dry, soak it in a tub of
water for approximately 30 minutes. If the root ball has burlap
around it, remove the ties especially from around the stem of the
plant. Both burlap and ties can totally be removed, if you choose to
do so. Expose root ends by washing with a forceful stream from a
hose, or by using a claw or some type of implement for removing the
outer soil.
Planting - Dig a large enough hole to provide growth room. Plant the
root ball level with the ground surface or slightly above. Water the
area and complete by filling the hole; water again. Do not put any
granular fertilizer in the hole, with the exception of transplanter
fertilizer. All granular fertilizer must be placed on top of the soil,
around the drip-line of the plant, and watered in.
Mulching - Mulch with 2 to 4 inches of oak leaves, pine needles,
wood-chips, sawdust, rock or bark. This helps conserve moisture,
keeping the soil cool and restricting weed growth. Make sure that
the mulch does not bury the stem of the rhododendron and/or
azalea.
Weed Control - Rhododendrons are surface feeder and should have
limited cultivation. Weeds may be pulled or shaved off with a sharp
hoe. Newspapers or landscape cloth can also be used under bark as a
ground cover to control weeds. Chemical weed killers can be used,
but be very careful, read the directions carefully.
Watering - A newly planted plant must be watered carefully. We
suggest the 'trickle down system'. Place a hose by the stem of the
plant and allow the water to soak deeply into the root ball, for
approximately one-half hour depending on the size of the plant. It is
best to water deeply every 6 to 7 days. Roots must also have air
penetration between watering. An oscillating arm sprinkler and a
soaker hose are also an excellent means of deep watering.
Water 3½ to 4 hours at a time to meet requirements for one inch
of rainfall per week. Those plants located under trees will require a
different set of perimeters for watering. Plants grown in containers
must be watered much more frequently than plants grown in the
ground. The smaller the container, the more frequent the watering.
Fertilizing - Let's examine the number configuration (10-10-6) on
the package of fertilizer. The first of the three numbers refers to
nitrogen (N). This element is absolutely crucial. Plants use nitrogen
to form proteins, chlorophyll and enzymes to reproduce living cells;
in other words, growth.
The next number refers to phosphorus (P), which produces early
growth, roots and bloom. The last number refers to potassium (K),
which helps to move sugar and starches throughout the plant. As a
result, the plant grows roots and resists diseases.
There are different forms of fertilizers. (1) Water soluble Fertilizers
- the solution is applied directly onto the soil or container, or on the
foliage, as nutrients are quickly absorbed and utilized by the plant.
(2) Dry granular fertilizers - applied directly around the drip-line
of the plant and watered in. The granules dissolve slowly and last for
several months. (Example: 5-10-10,10-20-20, 4-12-10, etc.) Use
approximately 1 T. per foot of growth. (3) Controlled-release
fertilizer: perpetually nourishes plants from 1 to 'X' number of
months - ideally suited for containerized plants.
Plants may not need to be fertilized except to amend an unfavorable
pH. However, newly planted shrubs should have fertilizer before
bloom and after bloom. We begin to fertilize here when the soil
temperature is about 60°F., which normally occurs in late March or
early April. Another application is given in mid-May and the final
one in mid-to late June. Very little fertilizer is applied past July 4th.
Plants need to harden off. Shorter days and cooler nights naturally
activate this process.
Also by applying dolomite lime every other year along with your
fertilizer (approximately l T. per foot of growth), especially in the
Spring, helps the plant to pick up and utilize the fertilizers better,
improves the physical properties of the soil, and promotes bacterial
action for decomposition of plant residues.
The following will give formulations of various garden fertilizers.
These configurations will change per manufacturer. Dolomite Lime:
50% calcium carbonate, 40% magnesium carbonate; Gypsum: 15%
sulphur, 22% calcium, 5% epson salts; Limestone Flour: 99% calcium
carbonate; Cotton Seed Meal: 7-2-1; Epsom Salts: 9% magnesium
sulfate; Vegetable Fertilizer: 5-10-10 or 10-20-20; Rose
Fertilizer: 4-10-8; Urea: 46-0-0; Ammonium Sulfate: 21-0-0;
Calcium Nitrate: 15-0-0; Muriate of Potash: 0-0-60 (potassium
chloride); Treble Superphosphate: 0-45-0; Single Superphosphate:
0-15-0.
If you are not sure what fertilizers to use, have your soil tested.
Contact your local County Cooperative Extension Service for labs
that will provide soil-testing services.
Pest and Disease Control - Rhododendrons and azaleas are relatively
free of pests. One of the major pests is the root weevil. The
adult weevils feed at night by notching small, irregular or semi-circular
serrations on the leaf edges.
The weevil larvae are legless, cream colored, c-shaped from August
through April when the larvae changes to a pupae and emerges from
the soil as an adult with legs in mid-May to July. The adults feed on
foliage and lay eggs 4 to 6 weeks after emergence from the soil. The
larvae, which emerge from the eggs, burrow into the soil to feed on
roots throughout the winter. In the spring, they attack larger roots and
may girdle the crown or main stem of the plant by literally chewing
away the bark just below the soil line.
Chemical Control - The most crucial times to foliar spray are those
areas where leaves indicate actual damage of fresh notches on leaf
edges. Foliar application should occur (mid-May through July)
every 2-3 weeks, including treatment of the plant as well as the
soil surfaces, particularly areas adjacent to the plant. Weevil rest
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