How to Grow Rhododendron Minus

Grow Rhododendron Minus from Seeds

• 1

  Combine milled peat moss and perlite in equal measures inside a 6-inch-diameter plastic pot. Mist the components with a spray bottle while stirring them until the finished mix feels moderately moist.

• 2

  Pack the peat moss and perlite mixture firmly into the pot. Rake your fingertips across the surface of the mixture to rough up the surface at a depth of 1/2 inch.

• 3

  Distribute a 1/4 tsp. of rhododendron minus seeds across the surface of the soil. Do not cover the seeds.

• 4

  Place the pot inside a 1-gallon plastic bag. Fold the open end of the bag underneath the pot to limit the exchange of air.

• 5

  Set the pot on a table shielded from drafts. Apply bottom heat with a warming mat set to 70 degrees F.

• 6

  Set a fluorescent lamp 8 inches above the pot. Leave the lamp on for 14 to 16 hours each day.

• 7

  Mist the soil mixture whenever the surface dries out. Apply three for four spritzes from a spray bottle to maintain moisture at a depth of 1 inch.

• 8

  Watch for germination in one to two weeks. Transplant the seedlings into individual pots filled with the soil mixture created in Step 1 once they put on several sets of mature leaves.

• 9

  Move the seedlings to a warm, bright spot with indirect sunlight for at least 10 hours a day and temperatures around 70 degrees F.

• 10

  Feed the Rhododendron minus seedlings with 5-0-5 ratio fertilizer diluted in water to one-third potency. Follow the application instructions on the label. Cease feeding in summer around late July.

• 11

  Grow the Rhododendron minus plants in their individual containers inside a greenhouse or heated sunporch until the following year. Plant them in a permanent bed in mid-spring.

How to Grow Rhododendron Minus from Cuttings

• 12

  Prepare a rooting pot before gathering the Rhododendron minus cutting. Fill a 6-inch-diameter pot with equal measures milled peat moss and perlite. Pour 1 cup of water onto the soil mixture. Let it drain.

• 13

  Select a young, pliable cutting from the top of the Rhododendron minus shrub. Measure 6 inches down from tip. Sever the cutting below a set of leaves using a clean utility knife.

• 14

  Remove all the foliage from the cutting except for four to six leaves at the very tip. Scrape away a 1-inch-long portion of bark from the base of the cutting.

• 15

  Apply a thin layer of 0.3-percent IBA rooting talc to the bottom 3 inches of the cutting. Use a cotton ball or paintbrush to apply the talc.

• 16

  Form a 3-inch-deep hole in the center of the rooting pot. Stick the Rhododendron minus cutting into the hole. Press the soil firmly around the base of the cutting.

• 17

  Place a 1-gallon plastic bag over the potted Rhododendron minus cutting. Tuck the open ends of the bag under the pot to hold it closed.

• 18

  Set the pot near a window with very bright, filtered light but no direct sun exposure. Apply bottom heat to the container using a warming mat set to 68 to 75 degrees F.

• 19

  Check for roots in three to four months. Grasp the base of the cutting and carefully try lifting it. Feel for resistance to the movement.

• 20

  Grow the Rhododendron minus cutting in its original rooting pot until the following spring. Keep it warm and maintain light soil moisture at a depth of 2 inches at all times. Plant it out in a permanent bed once soil temperatures reach 68 degrees F.