Starting azaleas from cuttings

I want to take cuttings from the plant that my sister gave me, so that she can have a start at her new home. I live in WI. Could someone recommend the best time to take a cutting-I would guess that I would be taking a non-bud , about 6" tall, dip in rooting hormone and tuck it in soiless mix, would keep in zip-loc. to keep moisture. Don't want it to start too quickly-I am zone 4/5; she is in 6., and I do not have a greenhouse type area to hold/harden off.

Hmmmm. Todd_Boland may know - he's pretty good with the ericaceous plants. My *guess* would be that it needs to be a softwood or semi-ripe cutting (which would be taken in spring/summer....)

My Azaleas tend to root readily whever a branch touches the ground so I've never tried to root cuttings.

I recently read up on air layering, & I saw the Azalea mentioned in almost every article. This is an easy plant to air layer, with a 90 percent success rate. All you need to do is wound the branch, add some damp peat moss, cover it with saran wrap & seal it off. In a couple months you will see roots in the saran wrap... then chop the stem off below the roots & plant. This method is nice because you get a bigger plant out of it. It is easy to find information on it, too!

The advice given on rooting Azaleas works well for the evergreen, Belgian types (ie the houseplant types in our zone). The situation is different for deciduous azaleas and the hardy evergreen ones. What type of azalea are you trying to root?

Mine is a deciduous type, of historical origin. All I know - hardiness - that it has lived through several cold WI winters (zone4/5) and that I have had nice success with blooms, except for a couple of seasons.
Thanks for checking in folks.

Terry,
Murfreesboro, TN
Zone 7a

I have Southern Indian Hybrid Azaleas (Indica azaleas)
in Zone 8b, Southeast, TX

I use your method with great success; advantages are
true clone, no extra expense or time"

Assuming you have a healthy "mother" azalea in the right location with right soil mixture, etc. I dig a 1" trench, pull limb down into trench, cover with same soil in bed then, lay a heavy brick on top of section in ground. Water as usual; in about 6/8 mos. covered limb will have its own roots. When new roots are about 1" long, sever from mother plant and pot up or place in new location thats been prepared for azaleas (they love acidic soil)
Hope all have proflic propagation of their favorite azales. They are specticular in East TX in April.

Deciduous azaleas are not generally rooted from air-layering. They are among the most difficult azaleas to root (the evergreens ones are relatively easy). Deciduous azaleas are rooted from soft or semi-hardwood cuttings taken in June to mid-July in zones 4-6. Cuttings should be actively growing stems, not ones that have already started to produce next-years buds. Do not allow the cuttings to wilt. Wounding is not needed. A number 1 or 2 rooting hormone powder is often helpful. Bottom heat is not needed. Keep cuttings in bright light but not direct sun and keep humidity high. A clear plastic bag can work. Mist chamber is ideal if available.

An update on the advice I just gave.....my sources say NOT to use rooting hormone powders! It can interfer with root development of deciduous azaleas later during the growing season. Cuttings should be around 4" long and pinch out the growing tip. This info courtesy of 'Success with Rhododendrons and Azaleas'.