Over-Wintering Rooted Deciduous Azalea Z6

5 years ago

My parent's cottage has a 70+ year old deciduous azalea shrub (early summer bloom, pink) that for several years I have attempted to to root cuttings from it, with no luck, using various methods found online and in magazines from time to time.

This year, I took 8 cuttings in July and one has survived. It was rooted with hormone, about 4" long, tip leaves in place, large leaves cut in half. The pot contains perlite and is watered on occasion. The whole thing was kept with a gallon ziplock bag around the top. The classic "tug" reveals a cutting that doesn't budge and it kept its leaves.

This shrub and my location is Z6, western NY. What do I do over the winter? I'm sure the parent shrub is close to no leaves by now. This cutting doesn't know about 30 degree nights.

Do I move it by a window in an unheated garage? A bit of water every other week? Without the bag? I'm sure I need to get it to defoliate for the winter but not sure of the process for a cutting.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

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Comments (3)

luis_pr
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I have not tried to propagate a deciduous azalea before because they are very difficult/tricky to root, as you have noticed. I am guessing that commercial wholesalers propagate them using tissue culture, a laboratory technique, instead. I did jot down some instructions eons ago that someone here once posted (rhodyman or mainegrower???) but I never tried:

"Take soft and pliant cuttings at around the time when the deciduous azalea blooms (say, late May or early June depending on one’s geographical location). The chances of success go down as the cutting matures by the start of Summer. Select cuttings daily for best results (I wrote a note to ask the logic behind this but I do not remember if I got the answer). Trim cuttings below a node (so the length of cuttings is 3-5" - approximate) and dip in a rooting hormone that contains a fungicide. Insert in a medium of 60% peat moss and 40% horticultural perlite. Provide heat pad at the bottom 75Â°F (helps boost root growth). In late August, transplant rooted cuttings into the greenhouse with supplementary light (12-14-hours a day) to prevent dormancy and induce new growth. After new growth has matured in the Fall, move to a cooler but above freezing (35Â°F to 41Â°F) location to induce dormancy. When you see new growth in the Spring, transfer to a full but very bright shade location."
nydepot
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you. This is what I'm hearing. I guess I need to get the lights setup.
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tete_a_tete
5 years ago
'Select cuttings daily for best results (I wrote a note to ask the logic behind this but I do not remember if I got the answer).'

My thought here is that, by making some cuttings every day during that period (while the sbrub is flowering), you will end up with at least some that were taken at the very best time.

Deciduous azaleas are tricky. I have been successful in the past but that was using the best of systems. Even then, it was difficult. And when you pot the rooted cuttings up, if you plant them too deeply they won't be happy.

I think a good way to go with deciduous azaleas might be from seed. You won't know what you are getting, but you might get a nice surprise. Fresh seed must be used.

(And growing from seed isn't easy either. The seed is so small and the medium has to be so fine. Snails like the seedlings and will sneak in when you aren't looking.)