Hello, I'm new to the Rhododendron board. I just bought and planted a small rhododendron--just about 10 to 12 inches high. Is there anything I should do over the winter this first year? It's so small, I can't imagine it making it through winter alive. Our first frost isn't due for another several weeks, so hopefully it will have time to get established before then. Any advice you can give is appreciated!
Winter Protection for New Rhododendron?
To insure that a plant has the ability to make it through the winter, it must be dormant. Dormancy is a normal process in which the plant goes into "sleep" during the winter and is caused by a number of things like shorter days, low temperatures and drought. Several things can break or prevent dormancy.
1. Too much nitrogen fertilizer after mid summer (July-August) will keep a plant in a growth state when it should be going into dormancy.
2. Warm weather spells during the winter (or early spring) can break dormancy in a plant that has gone dormant. If the warm weather is followed by another cold sub-freezing spell, that can cause the bark to split when the sap starts to flow and then freezes suddendly. Apply some grafting wax asap as untreated bark split is often fatal.
3. A warm fall -followed by a sudden winter- can expose a plant to the cold before it has gone dormant.
The last suggestions: make sure that the plant has 3-4 inches of mulch past the drip line. Water during dry winters if your soil does not freeze.
Does that help you?
Luis
This message was edited Sep 16, 2007 3:49 AM
Hi Karen,
Tghe simplest way to protect such a small plant would be to wait until the ground freezes wnd then keep it in an unheated garage until spring and then replant it. If you have already planted it, again wait until the ground is frozen, mulch it with 3" of bark and cover it with an oversize upside down pot which you have cut or punched 1" holes in ( what is now the top), bottom and also smaller holes in the sides of the larger pot. These are for water and air to reach the plant and roots. Stick a small rod or stick through the pot to hold it in place from the wind. You can find larger pots at the nursery where they routinely throw them out after emptying them. The pot should be large enough to cover the plant without touching the sides
I've already planted it. I'll try the pot idea. I think I have a large black nursery pot in the shed that I was holding onto. It will probably work well for this. If I don't cover it with the pot, will it die???? What if I leave it as is, and only cover it if we are going to get severe weather? Would that be better or worse??
Just to update, I left this in the ground, left a bunch of leaves around the base of the plant and kept my fingers crossed. Our winter wasn't too bad this year, and the plant made it through fine. It's now showing lots of new growth. Thanks for all the advice!
I hope you get blooms out of it soon, Karen.