Japanese salmon rhododendron

The Japanese rhododendron has the most attractive appearance among its fellows. Widely used in landscaping, gardeners and florists secretly dubbed him the king of the garden. Because of its beautiful, abundant flowering, the shrub is also called the rose tree.

The history of the appearance and description of the shrub

The birthplace of the Japanese subspecies of rhododendrons is Japan, it is not for nothing that the appearance, especially 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 have begun to develop new varieties based on it.

Japanese salmon rhododendron

Description of the plant

The shrub belongs to the Heather family of the genus rhododendrons. A short tree grows up to 2 m in height, spreads out to 1.5 m in width. Leaf plates are green in color with small and thin hairs on the surface.

Since the Japanese rhododendron is a deciduous tree, with the approach of autumn, the foliage turns orange, then dries up and falls off.

Due to the abundant flowering from afar, it seems that the tree has absolutely no leaves. The buds are collected in inflorescences up to 10 cm in diameter. One inflorescence can include up to 12 buds. It begins to bloom from the end of 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 azalea.

The most famous varieties:

• cream. The height is lower than that of other varieties. Flowers are pastel light green with thin yellow veins;
• yellow. Sprawling bush with chaotic shoots. Flowers are bright yellow, each inflorescence contains at least 20 buds;
• salmon. Frost-resistant tree with orange-pink flowers;
• white. It has white flowers with yellow stamens in the middle.

Application in landscape design

Japanese rhododendron is very often used in landscape design. With the help of it, they create park compositions. Especially popular in creating and decorating Japanese-style parks and gardens. In addition to group, rhododendron is used in single compositions.

Outdoor tree

How to plant a Japanese rhododendron

Japanese rhododendron has good frost resistance, so its cultivation is common in the western part of Russia and the Urals, but the plant will not take root in all regions of Siberia.

Seedling 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.

The planting site 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. Planting is carried out in fertile loose areas with high acidity. Groundwater should pass at a depth of at least one meter.

Step-by-step landing

The bush is planted in open ground 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 about 40 cm deep 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, covered with earth and well tamped.

It is necessary to plant the seedling so that the root collar is at the level of the ground surface. Then each bush is watered abundantly with settled water at room temperature. It is necessary that the water well moisten the earth to a depth of at least 20 cm. After that, the procedure for mulching the earth is started. Sawdust and foliage can be used as mulch.

Reproduction

Rhododendron is propagated by seeds and vegetatively:

• layering;
• dividing the bush;
• vaccination;
• by cuttings.

Reproduction by layering

The easiest and fastest way is to propagate by layering. To do this, in the spring, the lowest branches are buried in holes with a depth of at least 15 cm.To fix the shoot, you need to pin it with metal staples. The tip of the shoot also needs fixing. It is necessary to tie it vertically to the peg. The next year, the shoot is separated from the main tree and transplanted to the chosen location.

Cutting is a more complex way of propagating rhododendrons. Strong long semi-lignified shoots are cut into cuttings up to 10 cm long. The lower three leaves are removed, and the cuttings are placed in a special solution to stimulate growth for half a day. Small pots are filled with a mixture of fertile soil, peat and sand. Each stalk is planted in a separate pot. After that, the soil is watered and covered with polyethylene or plastic bottles cut in half.

Care

Caring for the Japanese salmon species is no different from that of other rhododendron species. An unpretentious tree does not cause trouble when leaving, but it is very demanding on the conditions of detention.

The plant does not need pruning to form the crown. The only thing that needs to be removed is dried and rotten shoots. Cuts of thick branches must be smeared with garden var.

The abundant flowering of rhododendron next year can be replaced by scanty blooming of buds. In this case, the already faded inflorescences are broken out so that the plant directs all its strength to the laying of new young flower buds.

How to properly water and fertilize

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 some high-moor peat in it. If possible, it is recommended to irrigate with river or rainwater. 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 time to soak normally.

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. Top dressing is best applied in the form of liquid fertilizers. A good folk method is fertilizing with mullein and horny 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 the acidity of the soil, it is necessary to add superphosphates, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate.

Diseases and pests

Japanese rhododendron is not distinguished by its resistance to diseases. Often the plant is attacked by pests, including:

• scabbards;
• bedbugs;
• spider mites;
• slugs and snails;
• weevils;
• worms.

Chlorosis of leaves

Very often the tree gets sick with fungal diseases. Diseases to which the Japanese rhododendron is susceptible:

• gray mold;
• chlorosis;
• cancer;
• leaf spot.

Diseases and pests appear due to improper care, so it is worth taking care of the plant more carefully and responsibly.

Fungicides help well against pests; they destroy parasites and disinfect the affected areas. They get rid of bedbugs, ticks and weevils by spraying the bush with diazinon. The top soil layer is treated with the same preparation. Fight against fungal diseases by treatment with Bordeaux liquid.

Rhododendron in landscape design

With chlorosis, the leaf plates of a 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. Spraying the aerial part of the rhododendron and treating the soil with a solution of ferrous sulfate help from chlorosis.

The deciduous Japanese salmon rhododendron is a popular member of the genus of the same name. Due to its beautiful appearance, the tree will decorate any park ensemble and garden composition.