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- Remove rhododendron flowers, why?
- Free Rhododendron from contaminated sites
- Remove Rhododendron flowers - that's how it works
Remove rhododendron flowers, why?
If you take good care of your rhododendron and pay attention to a few special features, you will be rewarded with a magnificent sea of flowers. The flowering time lasts from March to June, depending on the variety. After that, a decayed rhododendron is more of a sad sight. And the question arises: removing rhododendron flowers or not?
As much as the rhododendron fascinates with its abundance of flowers then comes the big work. Because the flower stems of the umbels do not fall off easily. Now the hobby gardener has to intervene and remove the flower.
Free Rhododendron from contaminated sites
Even if the rhododendron annually grows only 10 cm to 20 cm, the faded parts must be removed. New shoots will form around the dead umbel until the end of July. Attention! Canceling must be done with great care and takes some time.
Remove Rhododendron flowers - that's how it works
Especially in large-flowered rhododendron hybrids and Yakashimanum hybrids, the removal of the flowers is recommended. Otherwise, especially in the first years, the formation of the seed caps weakens the development of the plants.
Withered flowers break off the exhausting ripening of the seeds. This saves the plant the necessary energy for the following flowering in spring. But be careful when breaking off the withered flowers! Directly below the previous flower sits the bud for the new umbel.
There is a danger of damaging these new flower buds.
Pick up the stem at the spot where the old umbel sits. Now press your fingers tightly around the stem so that it does not bend. Use the fingers of the other hand to bend the faded umbel off. Important: The fixed clamp handle prevents breakage in the wrong place. If the stem breaks at the wrong point, no new flower will form in the following spring.
Do not use pruning shears, knives or scissors to avoid injuring the plant unnecessarily! The dry flower remnants stick something. However, they are easy to break off, because they are mostly over the driving buds, which must not be damaged. The breaking off of decayed inflorescences is advisable especially in young plants.
If one does not break rhododendron blooms, substantially less blooms will be formed next year. For smaller to medium rhododendrons or weakened plants worth the work. Larger plants, on the other hand, have enough reserves to supply both seeds and flowers at the same time.