It doesn't happen with azaleas in my garden, but it does happen with a few rhododendrons, especially if I give them some water in the summer.

Sometimes azalea branches will get partially covered up with mulch and then the branch will sprout roots where it's covered. Very common here in commercial landscapes where the mulch can be applied in a sloppy manner.

Mike

The reason air layering produces more plants here for me than seedlings is because we have dry summers here in the PacNW. Seedlings may sprout, but die right away because of it being too dry for them. Plus I mulch rather deep to keep the weeds down. Groundcovers also do the job of keeping weeds and azalea seedlings from growing beyond the sprouting stage.

Mike

When moving older azaleas I cut off the layered branches and replant them in my nursery area until they are large enough to put out in the landscape.

In almost 40 years I can count on one hand the number of azalea seedlings found in my garden. Rhododendron seedlings, maybe 20.... and several hundred from layering.

Mike

miketann: Pretty surprising to me that seedlings are so uncommon in your garden. Each sping I weed out dozens of rh. mucronulatum seedlings and often find other seedlings beneath lepidote varieties of both hybrids and species. Elepidote seedlings are more uncommon but do occur. In all cases, the seedlings always appear in mossy areas and never anywhere else.

This thread, btw, seems to confuse air layering with ground layering. The first is a deliberate technique of wounding an above ground branch, treating with hormone (usually), wrapping with sphagnum, then a layer of thin plastic. The branch is cut off after sufficient roots have developed. Ground layering can be either deliberate or spontaneous. A pegged down and buried branch is wounded as with air layering, kept moist at the point of wounding and removed once there are enough roots. This was probably the most common means of rhododendron propagation before the advent of hormones, misting systems, heat mats, etc. Spontaneous ground layers occur in exactly the same way but with no human assistance.

In my case it's spontaneous ground layering. Thanks for pointing out the terms for the difference, akamainegrower.

I have rooted hundreds of azaleas and rhododendrons from cuttings under timed misting and bottom heat with hormones.

We just don't have enough rain in the summer to keep seedlings alive unless supplemental water is applied. If they sprout, they die before I even see them. What few rhododendron seedlings I get are from mossy areas, which are far and few between. The areas under mature rhododendrons are usually covered with several inches of curled up dead leaves and, or woodchips. Under azaleas, I think the mulch is too coarse for seedlings to get beyond the sprout stage.

Mike