Rhody Maximum moved, recommendations?

20 years ago

Hi folks-

We are a Zone 5B directly on the East end of Lake Ontario and are building a home on the site (existing camp was torn down). In August we paid an arborist to come to the site and make an assessment of the mature trees and shrubs on the property. There was a large (20' w x 12' d x 16' h) rhody next to the house that he said was a Rhododendrun Maximus and cuz we could not stand to see it turned into mulch, we agreed to pay him to move it on the day the camp was torn down.

Long story short, he showed up yesterday an hour late and left an hour later without doing the job, he said the excavators were uncooperative, he could not find us on the job site to tell us that, he was having second thought about the ability of the plant to survive, the day was too cold to move it, etc. IMO it was a horrible day weatherwise and he just didn't want to be there. In any event, the uncooperative excavators waited for me read these threads and some other net info about how best to move the shrub and we did it.

It was in great shape before, bloomed beautifully (full bloom in spring and a few blooms in the fall), had shiny green leaves and looked very healthy to us but we don't know much about the species. Do you folks have any advice for us on how to assist her to get thru the winter? We used an excavator to move it, and I think we got the root ball fairly well intact, it's in the same "sun pattern" (that's the terminology used on the website I looked at, hope it's correct) and is shielded from the wind just like it was before. Should we protect it with burlap? How about fertilization? Should we water it this fall? Any other tips or suggestions from the experts?

Sorry for the length of this post, and thank you.

sandyponder

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Comments (6)

rhodyman
20 years ago
It sounds like you did everything correctly. The roots of Rhododendron maximum are very shallow and stretch out about 20' x 16' in your case. Here are some things you can do:

Be sure to water it through any dry spells this winter before the ground freezes. After the ground freezes, mulch the roots with something like pine bark mulch or oak leaves. Never run the mulch up to the trunk. That would encourage vole damage.

Because the root structure was disturbed and probably the amount of root was reduced, the plant will struggle getting enough water. It needs moisture but it also need excellent drainage. Don't drown it. The roots need air and moisture.

If in doubt during the winter, water it. As the weather warms up, reduce the watering. Demand goes up but so does the chance of causing root rot. Hopefully the root structure will recover during the cool months.

Hold off on fertilizing until the ground thaws out in the spring. Then use a good quality fertilizer such as HollyTone at half the rate recommended on the package. If the plant looks healthy, you can fertilize at the same rate after it blooms.

If it is struggling in the spring, then break off flower buds and foliage buds to help it recover. It can forgo one year of flowers and top growth.

Pruning is another method to help it adapt. It will remove next years flowers, but it will cut down on the moisture needs. When pruning, never cut off more than 1/3 of the leaves unless you want to risk setting it back even more.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow rhododendrons and azaleas.
User
Original Author
20 years ago
rhodyman-

Thank you for the response and specific suggestions. We will follow them and hope for the best in the spring.

The experts who post on these forums never cease to amaze me and we sincerely appreciate your time. Hopefully I'll be able to post a pic of her blooming next year!

sandyponder
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waplummer
20 years ago
The only thing I would add is to use an anti-dessicant like Wilt-pruf to reduce water loss during the winter.
User
Original Author
20 years ago
waplummer-

Thank you for the recommendation, Wilt-Pruf is on my shopping list for this weekend. We're also going to wrap it in burlap, to protect her from both the wind and any construction debris that's floating around.

sandyponder
rhodyman
20 years ago
When you wrap it, leave the top open. The purpose of the burlap is to protect it from winter wind and winter sun. They both come from the side. Moisture that comes from the top is good. Leaving the top open also prevents a snow load on the plant.
User
Original Author
20 years ago
rhodyman-

Thank you for the follow-up and the advice. I'm not a gardener and mostly read (rarely post) in Kitchens, Home Decorating and Building a Home. I have read warnings about how unfriendly the GWers are and how snippy they are to those of us whose gardening experience consists of putting a few geraniums and salvia in pots on the patio, but my experience on this thread has proven just the opposite. Thanks again to you and waplummer.

sandyponder