How to layer rhododendrons
Find out how to propagate new rhododendron plants from layering.
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While you can't take cuttings from rhododendrons, there's a much simpler technique you can try: layering. Do it over the summer and by the following spring you'll have the beginnings of many new rhododendron plants.
You Will Need
- Rhododendron plant
- Sharp knife
- Hormone rooting powder
- Strong wire
- Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
- Stone
Total time: 30 minutes
Step 1
Select a suitably low-growing and pliable young branch that will bend down to soil level. Remove any side-shoots but keep the cluster of leaves at the end of the stem.
Step 2
About 15cm from the shoot tip, make a nick using a sharp knife on the underside of the branch - aim to cut just halfway through the stem. Dust the area with hormone rooting powder and lay the shoot down on the ground.
Step 3
Dig a shallow hole at the point where the stem touches the ground and peg it down firmly to stop it springing up. Cover the stem at this point with compost.
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Step 4
Weight the buried shoot down with a heavy stone and water regularly to keep the area moist. By autumn the layer will have rooted. Cut if off from the parent plant and replant.
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