The New Sunset Western Garden Book; Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Editor. This can be a quick way to kill a rhododendron with love! Typically, a rhododendron grows wide and shallow. Wagon or wheelbarrow (optional) Pine bark, hardwood or leaf mold mulch. If you're looking to learn how to plant rhododendrons, you've come to the right place! Rhododendrons like well-draining soil with a pH on the acidic side; soil with a pH level no higher than 6 is preferable. 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What's great about these flowers is that sometimes even during the cold, winter months, their leaves will stay green! 0. Rhododendron can be propagated by semi-hardwood cuttings or layering. Large lemon yellow trumpet-shaped flowers in lax trusses of 6. In order to do the work, I have to dig out everything in the raised bed, including a lovely rhododendren. Did you ask your realtor how much you have increased the resale value of your house, better alert your insurance agent to add a bit more to your policy. Question by ackley7 May 11, 1998. (See Figure below.) R. elegans (a common attractive variety with lavender flowers) gets to a maximum of about 15 feet. Is there any chance that it will survive being dug up, out of the ground for a week or more and then replanted? Rhododendrons look best when grown in groupings to create block colours. Dig carefully around each rhododendron bush to determine where the location of its roots. Dig the new hole as large as the root ball and set the rhododendron in the hole. Tie the corners of the burlap to each other across the plant. It isn't terribly tall -- probably five feet. It isn't a very deep trench, about 24-30" maybe, so it may not settle much. Bowl. Dig the plant, preserving a root ball as wide as can be safely moved. Also don't pile on the mulch as the lower branches don't want to be covered over. Some of the most common dangers to your rhododendron include aphids, root rot and Japanese beetles. This is drastic and not recommended for a plant you don't want to risk loosing. Found from the arctic to the tropics, rhododendron bushes (Rhododendron) of one variety or another grow in all U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones. Don't worry about digging deep into the soil since most azalea & rhododendron roots are near the surface. * Second, it is best to move when the plant is dormant and not stressed. Get involved. The very safest approach is to dig a trench up to 12 inches deep, around the dripline of the plant. I have never had a client who had a flood, specifically but earthquake, fire and FEMA covered damage from nearby fires and I will say this, as far as property goes, I have been impressed every time with what was included. Amendments include organic matter and acidic material, such as a commercial product or pine needles. Join now. Repeat those tasks for the other rhododendron bushes. Mature plants are much hardier and Mother Nature seems to take good care of them under normal conditions. It is not necessary to remove a burlap cover completely because eventually it will rot away. Estimate the size of a shrub's root ball, and then prepare the new planting area before you dig up the shrub. Lifting a rhododendron's root ball from its hole can be a multiperson job if the bush is large. 3. Dig the root ball up carefully. If you plant them any deeper, the roots may rot. This has been the perfect plant in the perfect spot. Stake each bush that needs support if it is planted in an area that is very windy. Continue filling the holes, gently firming the soil. • For large plants one usually has to dig a trench around the plant outside the initial cut and dig out underneath the rootball. Answer from NGA May 11, 1998. Tilt the plant to one side, put one edge of the burlap close to the center of the plant, wadded up so that only half of it is on the open side of the plant, then rock the plant the other way and pull the burlap through. If a shrub must be transported by vehicle to another location, then the cloth or tarp can protect … Follow us. I will definitely do all I can to protect the root ball. If your soil is chalky or limestone soil, it is recommended to dig a much larger hole and fill it in with heath. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. This is accomplished by cutting a circle around the plant with a shovel to cut off roots that extend beyond where you will be digging when you transplant. Then mulch it with oak leaves, straw, bark chips or whatever, but not walnut leaves. For this reason, it is safer to transplant in the spring after the ground thaws in climates where frost heaving is a problem. See if a finished basement is a good idea for you, Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom, No need to cringe. Image Credit: Axel Ellerhorst/iStock/Getty Images The evergreen or deciduous rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.) The dug root ball will likely not need to be too deep to get most of the roots, but it should be wide. Sometimes I use a 3' piece of pipe on the end of the hose to push it down into the mud and probe for voids. Excavate a 12-inch-deep hole at the new planting site. Dig your hole wide, but no deeper than the height of the root ball so that the root ball is at the surface once covered. Rhododendron and azalea roots also need oxygen for healthy growth. Dig an oversized hole, line it with a few inches of good topsoil, and slide the plant into it. Set new plants so that their top roots are at soil level or slightly below. Collectors’ numbers are (or were) assigned to seed collections which document where the plant was collected, how large it was and what grew with it. The top of a root ball should be 2 inches or so above ground level. Place each root ball into its hole, and untie its burlap or plastic covering. I don't know what kind it is except that it gets purple flowers in early spring. Often, but no deeper than it rhododendron Society, rhododendrons prefer a light soil a. 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