Rhododendron preparation for winter: how to preserve and insulate Japanese azalea in the garden, garden, features of the evergreen and deciduous species, shelter on the street, photo

Rhododendron is a perennial plant that can winter. However, in order for the rhododendron to endure the cold comfortably and not freeze, it is necessary to prepare it for wintering.

In our material, we will consider how to preserve and properly prepare azaleas for winter: evergreen, Japanese, deciduous and kazimierz odnowiciel, as well as features of wintering in open ground. Consider the features of planting, shelter and warming on the street or in the garden, what temperature the plant tolerates, whether it is necessary to dig a bush, can azaleas winter in the garden and much more.

How to prepare for wintering?

In order for rhododendron to please its flowering for more than one season, it is necessary to take into account its features when planting in the soil.

Rhododendron loves acidic light soil. At the same time, it must not be allowed to be clay.
You need to choose a place for planting that is not too light - the plant may suffer from bright sunlight.
In order for the rhododendron to take root well, it can be planted in a group with plants that also prefer acidic soil: hydrangea, heather. Nearby they better winter.

It should be noted that compliance with the rules during planting will make it possible to grow a healthy plant that can tolerate wintering.

How to plant a rhododendron in the fall is described here, and how to prepare it in the fall for winter, read here.

Watering

Rhododendron should be watered down to frost. Evergreen varieties need more moisture, they need not only to be watered under the root, but also to spray the greens, especially if there is little rainfall in autumn.

However water stagnation at the roots should not be allowed. This must be taken into account when preparing for the winter. To do this, in the autumn, you need to make a groove near the shrub, which will ensure the waste of excess water.

Top dressing

Particular attention in the fall should be given to plant nutrition. At the end of summer, you need to stop fertilizing rhododendron with nitrogen. Instead, potassium top dressing should be preferred. The first sign of a lack of minerals is a discolouration or massive fall of foliage in August.

Liquid fertilizer solutions are better absorbed by the root system. A good option for fertilizing in the fall would be manure that is not rotten to the end. It will smoothly decompose until spring and at the same time can serve as a mulch for the roots. For the winter, be sure to treat the plant with a fungicide.

Mulching

Rhododendron has a superficial root system, therefore the plant must be mulched before the cold. For this, dried pine needles mixed with peat are well suited. The leaves that the rhododendron showered over the summer period can not be removed, but rather raked under a bush. This will give the root system extra warmth and nutrition.

If the plant is already large, above a meter, then you need to mulch to a height of 25 cm from the ground. The larger the crown of a shrub, the greater the area of land near the roots that needs to be covered. Ideally, if you can completely cover the area under the shrub with mulch.

Watch a video on how to properly prepare rhododendron for the winter:

Life cycle features

Many varieties of rhododendron live in the wild in fairly harsh climates. They grow on Sakhalin, in Siberia, in Kamchatka and in North America, where severe winters. Some varieties can tolerate frosts down to -35.

It is important to understand that many varieties offered for cultivation in the garden were bred in greenhouse conditions. This means that they cannot be left without shelter for the whole winter. Rhododendron is afraid not so much of low temperature as of cold wind, heavy snow and bright winter sun. These factors negatively affect the moisture reserves inside the plant.

How to insulate each type of garden azalea?

Rhododendron has about 600 varieties. These also include well-known gardeners Azaleas. They are divided into evergreen and deciduous species. In preparing for the winter of different species, their features must be taken into account. However, for all types of rhododendron, mulching is a prerequisite in preparing for winter.

Deciduous rhododendron species winter well in the midland. In especially snowy winters, they can not even be covered, but if there is not enough snow or the plant is still too young, it is better to make shelter.

After falling off all the leaves, buds remain on the branches - these are flowers that will bloom next spring. They need to be protected from the sun in late winter - early spring. For this, a hut built from a wooden frame and light covering material is quite suitable.

The leaves of the evergreen varieties of rhododendron at the first frosts are twisted into tubules and lowered. So the plant independently begins to prepare for winter. At the same time, the evergreen varieties of rhododendron still need a more serious shelter, since the moisture from them evaporates even in winter. For sheltering such varieties, it is better to use a non-brittle porous insulating covering material, for example, polypropylene.

Kazimierz Odnowiciel hybrid rhododendron is an evergreen variety. It was bred by crossing varieties of Finnish selection, which resulted in a winter-hardy variety that can withstand temperature drops to -30. It is necessary to plant it in partial shade, which will also make it easier to transfer the bright light of the winter sun.

Among deciduous varieties, Japanese rhododendron was especially popular. This is one of the most striking decorative varieties of rhododendron. At the same time, it is quite frost-resistant, but for the winter it is also better to cover it.

Photo

See below for a photo of rhododendron in winter:

When to start?

Preparing for winter should begin gradually, however, you should not rush with it:

First of all, you need to mulch the roots. This should be done as soon as the low temperature is established. Weak frosts down to -4 rhododendron will not hurt, and early mulching can cause root sprouting. It is not necessary to spud a plant.
After mulching, the bushes should be covered. It is recommended to do this in late autumn, when the temperature drops to -10, although the shelter frames themselves can be put before frosts.
It is important that the leaves and branches of the plant do not touch the frame, there should be an air cushion between them and the shelter. The shelter should be designed so that snow does not accumulate on it. Otherwise, the branches of the plant may be damaged by severity. The most important condition is to cover the plant before the first snow.
In the fall, anti-aging pruning of rhododendron should be performed. It is better to carry it out 2 weeks after fertilizing the soil, and the shrub should not be cut off radically. It’s better to do it gradually. Shoots of deciduous rhododendrons for rejuvenation are enough to cut by 0.3-0.4 cm.

In preparation for winter, you should not dig out a plant or transplant it. Rhododendron responds well to transplantation and this is done simply because of the presence of a superficial root system, but you do not need to do this before wintering.

If you need to transplant the bush, do it better in the early spring or late summer, when the humidity is high enough and the temperature is comfortable.

Step-by-step instruction

If rhododendron requires shelter for the winter, a certain sequence should be followed in its preparation:

Constant watering until late autumn. The earth must be moist.
Fertilizing shrubs with potash top dressing.
Pruning.
Shrub treatment with fungicide.
Mulching. This is a must for all types and varieties of shrubs.
In late October - mid-November, connect the branches of the bush. If the bush is tall - tie it to a support, if a flexible variety - tilt it to the ground.
When the temperature drops to -10, you can cover the plant.

If the plant does not need shelter, then its preparation for winter will be easier:

Watering until late fall.
Shrub fertilizer.
Pruning.
Fungicide treatment.
Mulching.
In late February - early March, shade the bush from the bright sun.

Watch a video on how to wrap rhododendron for the winter:

Mistakes

It should be noted that the health of the shrub and its flowering for the next season depends on proper preparation for winter and care in the winter.

It is very important not to make mistakes that are most often encountered when breeding garden azaleas.

Lack of top dressing in the fall.
Inadequate watering.
Lack of anti-aging pruning in the fall or pruning too much.
Loosening and digging the soil.
Wrong shelter for the winter.
Early removal of cover materials.

Do not rush with the removal of covering material and cleaning of winter shelters. This should be done gradually:

You must wait until all the snow has melted.
At first, it’s enough to simply air the winter greenhouses in the morning or in the evening, while the sun is not so bright.
After removing the shelter, it is necessary to inspect the plant. If the leaves wilted, this may indicate a loss of moisture. Then the bush needs to be urgently watered.

Main problems

The main problems that garden azaleas face in winter are the drying out from the cold and wind and the likelihood of root decay. Proper preparation for the winter, taking into account the above rules, will help prevent problems.

Rhododendron at first glance may seem like a capricious plant, but the rules for caring for it are not so complicated. If you prepare garden azalea for the winter, make the right planting and shelter, then you can maintain the health and beauty of the bush, which can overwinter and bloom profusely in spring.