Wee Trees Bonsai Help Forum Advice for all
http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/

Pruning a rhododendron
http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7032		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Gwen Potter [ 31 May 2012, 19:48 ]
Post subject:  Pruning a rhododendron
A few months back after someone flagged it up on Wee Trees I bought a very nice little rhododendron on ebay. It has now finished flowering and I have just spent an hour removing the old flowers.
As is usual for rhododendron, all the green growth is at the ends of the branches which all spring from a central point over the rootball.
I want to reduce the over all size of it, rather than let it do what it wants to do and that is to make lots of new growth outwards making it bigger.
My bonsai knowledge tells me never to cut a twig or branch beyond a live bud. There are no intermediate buds on the stems carrying the current foliage so I am reluctant to reduce their length without signs of new buds lower down. If I cut each stem down to the height I want it will then look like a hedgehog with its spines sticking up in the air.
Any constructive advice greatly appreciated.
Author:  Harunobu [ 31 May 2012, 19:59 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
From my limited experience, they don't but back well. You may have to treat them as a conifer, unlike most azalea.
Author:  John Sonksen [ 31 May 2012, 20:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
I only have one rhodie and it back buds like crazy
Author:  Tony [ 31 May 2012, 20:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
My daughter has a yellow rhododendron which (after four years) is just a trunk with three branches and just one flower.
She asked exactly the same thing. Can it be pruned? So I will also be interested in the answers.

Tony
Author:  Harunobu [ 31 May 2012, 20:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
The 'problem' is that there are many kinds of rhododendron. I am assuming this is some dwarf rhododendron. Now there are several different species from which dwarf rhododendron are derived, and they can be quite different.

I don't know a lot about any of them. So you can't be sure it will back bud on old wood unless you try. There are going to be some that do respond to this kind of pruning, like John Sonksen says.
Author:  bonsai eejit [ 31 May 2012, 21:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
I have a Rhododendron Blue Diamond. When they are first lifted from the garden or are younger, they can be cut back quite hard and will back bud. The longer they are containerised the less likely you are to get good back budding.

My one.

Image
IMG_7023.jpg FRONT. by Bonsai eejit, on Flickr

Image
IMG_7026 BACK. by Bonsai eejit, on Flickr
Author:  Gwen Potter [ 31 May 2012, 21:39 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
That's a beautiful tree, Ian. I am thinking of cutting back a few branches to see if they produce anything and base further work on what happens. It's a very young plant.
I don't want to lose it but if what I do means it doesn't survive it won't be the end of the world. I have always kept away from azalea/rhododendron because I found they do not respond to the sort of techniques which are second nature on other trees kept as bonsai.
Thanks for your responses.
Author:  arihato [ 31 May 2012, 21:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
My experience is mostly with Azalea's, but for what it is worth:
I found, wiring them will often induce back budding.
Pinching the new growth to two leafs should get you some back buds.
But remember that Rhodo's are not apically dominant, so no drastic pruning in the top region.
Author:  GCon007 [ 01 Jun 2012, 12:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
I have a number of garden rhododenron & azalea all with foliage just at the end. About 3 week ago after some flowered I tried differant pruning techniques to see what produced the best back budding. I pruned some branches back and left at least 1 leaf/bud and other branches were cut back harder where there were no visable buds. The branches that were pruned back to a bud have some back budding but the ones pruned back harder with no visable buds have produced a mass of new buds. Wish I had pruned them back a lot harder knowing what I know know. Oh well, another lesson for a bonsai novice, Gary.
Author:  Gwen Potter [ 01 Jun 2012, 12:48 ]
Post subject:  Re: Pruning a rhododendron
Thanks, Gary - that gives me a lot of hope for a good prune of mine.
Page 1 of 2 All times are UTC [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/