Japanese rhododendron has the most attractive appearance among its counterparts. Widely used in landscape design, gardeners and flower growers secretly called him the king of the garden. Because of its beautiful abundant flowering, the shrub is also called a rosewood.
History of the appearance and description of the bush
The birthplace of the Japanese subspecies of rhododendrons is Japan, it is not for nothing that the appearance, especially the flowering, of the tree resembles the symbol and pride of the land of the rising sun - sakura. It appeared in Europe in the 1860s, and since then breeders began to develop more and more new varieties based on it.
Rhododendron Salmon Japanese
Plant description
The shrub belongs to the heather family of the genus rhododendrons. A short tree grows up to 2 m in height, spreads 1.5 m in width. Leafy plates of green color with small and thin hairs on the surface.
For your information! Despite the fact that the tree was called "pink," the flowers of the Japanese salmon's rhododendron have a pink-orange hue, while other varieties bloom in white and yellow.
Since Japanese rhododendron is a deciduous tree, with the approach of autumn, the foliage turns orange, then dries and falls.
Due to the abundant flowering from afar, it seems that the tree has absolutely no leaves. The buds are collected in inflorescences, reaching a diameter of up to 10 cm. One inflorescence can include up to 12 buds. It begins to bloom in late May and continues throughout the summer.
View during flowering
Popular varieties of Japanese rhododendron
Basically, all varieties are hybrids of two varieties of rhododendron: Japanese and azaleas.
The most famous varieties:
- cream. Height is lower than other varieties. Pastel light green flowers with thin yellow veins;
- yellow. Spreading bush with chaotic shoots. Flowers are bright yellow, each inflorescence contains at least 20 buds;
- salmon. Frost-resistant tree with orange-pink flowers;
- white. Has white flowers with yellow stamens in the middle.
Landscape design application
Japanese rhododendron is very often used in landscape design. Using it create park compositions. Especially popular in the creation and decoration of parks and gardens in the Japanese style. In addition to group, rhododendron is used in single compositions.
Open tree
How to Plant Japanese Rhododendron
Japanese rhododendron has good frost resistance, so its cultivation is common in the western part of Russia and the Urals, however, not all plants in Siberia take root.
Sapling and plot preparation
The seedlings are kept in water until all air bubbles float to the surface. For good survival and strong immunity, the roots are treated with growth activators.
Landing area should be slightly shaded. You need to choose northern places, for example, you can plant a bush next to any building on its northern side. Landing is carried out in fertile loose areas with high acidity. Ground water should pass at a depth of not less than a meter.
Important! It is not recommended to plant rhododendron in the vicinity of maple, linden, elm, poplar, linden and willow. Due to the same level of root systems, competition for nutrients will arise. Good neighbors will be larch, oak, pear, apple and pine.
Step-by-step landing
In the open ground, the bush is planted in the spring immediately after the end of frost, in April or May. However, autumn planting is also practiced, which can be carried out from September to November.
First you need to dig holes with a depth of about 40 cm with a diameter of at least 60 cm. A substrate of loamy soil and peat is poured onto the bottom. Seedlings are placed on top of the layer, they are covered with earth and well packed.
It is necessary to plant a seedling so that the root neck is at the level of the soil surface. Then each bush is abundantly watered with settled water at room temperature. It is necessary that the water well moisturizes the earth to a depth of at least 20 cm. After that, they begin the procedure of mulching the earth. As mulch, sawdust and foliage can act.
Important! If only one seedling is planted, then the winds can damage the branches of the tree. Therefore, you need to choose a site near the buildings or build a wooden support to which you can attach the trunk.
Breeding
Rhododendron propagated by seeds and vegetatively:
- layering;
- dividing the bush;
- vaccination;
- cuttings.
Propagation by layering
The easiest and fastest way is propagation by layering. To do this, in spring, the lowest branches are dug into the holes with a depth of at least 15 cm. To fix the shoot, you need to pin it with metal staples. The top of the shoot also needs to be fixed. It must be vertically tied to a peg. The following year, the shoot is separated from the main tree and transplanted to the selected location.
Cuttings are a more complex way of multiplying rhododendrons. Strong long semi-lignified shoots are cut into cuttings up to 10 cm long. The lower three leaves are removed, and the stem is placed in a special solution to stimulate growth for half a day. Small pots are filled with a mixture of fertile land, peat and sand. Each stalk is planted in a separate pot. After the soil is watered and covered with polyethylene or plastic bottles cut in half.
For your information! After 1.5-2 months, the cuttings take root, and they are planted in large containers and placed in a cooler, lit and ventilated room.
Care
Caring for a Japanese salmon species is no different from that of other varieties of rhododendrons. An unpretentious tree does not cause trouble when leaving, but it is very demanding on the conditions of detention.
Note! You need to regularly weed the area under the bush, but you need to do this manually. The root system of rhododendrons is very vulnerable, hoes and choppers can damage it.
The plant does not need pruning to form a crown. The only thing that needs to be removed is dried and rotted shoots. Slices of thick branches are necessarily lubricated with garden var.
The abundant flowering of rhododendron for the next year may be replaced by sparse blooming of buds. In this case, already faded inflorescences break out, so that the plant sends all its forces to the laying of new young flower buds.
How to water and fertilize properly
Do not allow the soil to dry out and water the tree with cold and hard water. To soften the water, you can acidify it by dissolving in it a little horse peat. If possible, it is recommended to irrigate with river or rain water. It is important that the soil is saturated to a depth of at least 20 or 30 cm. To avoid stagnation of moisture in the soil, the soil is watered slowly so that the water has a chance to soak normally.
Important! For additional hydration during dry periods, it is necessary to spray the aerial part of the plant with water from sprayers.
It is necessary to carry out at least two dressings for the entire season of tree activity. The first time the plant is fed in the spring, and the second time after flowering. Feeding is best done in the form of liquid fertilizers. A good folk method is fertilizer from mullein and horn flour. To prepare it, take 100 g of the mixture, dissolve in a bucket of water and treat the soil with this solution.
To maintain normal soil acidity, superphosphates, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate must be added.
Diseases and Pests
Japanese rhododendron is not resistant to disease. Often the plant is attacked by pests, among which:
- scale insects;
- bedbugs;
- spider mites;
- slugs and snails;
- weevils;
- worms.
Leaf chlorosis
Very often, a tree becomes ill with fungal diseases. Japanese Rhododendron Disease:
- gray mold;
- chlorosis;
- crayfish;
- leaf spotting.
Diseases and pests appear due to improper care, therefore it is worth taking care of the plant more carefully and responsibly.
Fungicides help well against pests, they destroy parasites and disinfect affected areas. Bedbugs, ticks and weevils are disposed of by spraying the bush with the diazinon preparation. The same preparation is applied to the topsoil. Fungal diseases are treated by treatment with Bordeaux fluid.
Rhododendron in landscape design
With chlorosis, the leafy leaves of the tree begin to fade and turn yellow, they become small and stop developing. This happens due to the fact that the formation of chlorophylls is disrupted, the process of photosynthesis is suspended. From chlorosis, spraying the aerial part of the rhododendron and treating the soil with a solution of iron sulfate help from chlorosis.
Rhododendron deciduous Japanese salmon is a popular member of the same genus. Thanks to its beautiful appearance, the tree will decorate any park ensemble and garden composition.
