table of contents
- Cut off withered umbels?
- tool
- Correctly remove without cutting off
- Which rhododendrons have to be freed from withered?
rhododendron inspires plant lovers of all ages. The woody plants fascinate with their large flowers in numerous colors and shapes from March to late July, until they wither and no longer look so splendid. As soon as faded rhododendron flowers appear on the plants, many gardeners wonder whether they should be cut off. Since many rhododendron species have extremely impressive flowers, this question is justified and must be examined carefully.
Cut off withered umbels?
When your rhododendrons are dead, it's time to free them from blooming. The reason for this is the vitality of the plant. If the withered rhododendron flowers are not removed, the flowering will be much weaker in the next season, which can even worsen over the years. For this reason, it is necessary to remove the withered from the heather. The reason for this is the formation of seed pods, which rob the plant of a lot of energy, which shows up as weak bloom in the following year. The tips below take a closer look at the topic.
tool
No cutting tool
In advance: please do not use a cutting tool to remove a faded rhododendron flower. Rhododendron is extremely reactive sensitive on sharp tools and therefore you should never cut off anything withered. This applies to all forms of cutting tool, including:
- Kitchen scissors
- Secateurs
- knife
The blades could injure the delicate buds that will sprout again next year and sit just below the withered inflorescence. That would inevitably lead to a failure of the flower at this point, which would be difficult can be remedied, as rhododendron grows quite slowly and only a few new buds when pruning trains. You are allowed to use cutting tools only for trimming of the rhododendron if you want to correct its shape a little after flowering. You can also stimulate flower formation if you regularly remove the following shoots, as they prevent growth and steal plenty of energy from the plant:
- withered shoots
- injured instincts
This contributes to the effective distribution of nutrients within the rhododendron, which you will notice in the following year from the multitude of flowers of the heather family. Nevertheless, you should always pay attention to the light pruning measures, not the inflorescences with the Pruning tools hurt, as this creates new buds and shoots for flowering the following year to damage.
Correctly remove without cutting off
Removing dead inflorescences on rhododendrons is not that easy, as you can quickly damage the plant, which you will unfortunately only notice when the bloom fails in the following year. That's why you have to come here Sure instinct proceed in order to keep the damage as low as possible or, ideally, not to let it occur at all. The following instructions will help you remove withered material without cutting it off:
- grasp the stem of the umbel with one hand
- press the stem gently, but with enough force, so that it does not bend
- Now bend the stem directly with your free hand
- Be careful not to tear, otherwise the new bud will be damaged
This method takes some practice, but it is the only way not to damage the rhododendron so that you can look forward to new flowers in the following year. Truncation is not allowed here either. Breaking off the faded cones is easy as long as you stay relaxed. This is important, because otherwise no new umbels can sprout at this point.
tip: Rhododendron blossoms stick with fading, in some cases even very strongly. If you find this uncomfortable, you can wear gloves to remove the withered flowers, although you can easily rinse off the sticky layer with soap and water.
Which rhododendrons have to be freed from withered?
You don't have to remove dead inflorescences from every rhododendron. Some of them can distribute their nutrients optimally and develop seeds after the flowering period without having to endure poor flowering in the following year. Still others are particularly sensitive to withered and each bloom weakens the plant even more. Therefore, you should know about which specimens it is essential to remove the inflorescences and which you can leave to yourself with a clear conscience. Below is an overview:
Young and weak rhododendrons
If your rhododendron is still young, sick or is recovering from an illness or baldness, you should not leave any that has withered on the plant. Since the heather plant still supplies it with energy, the plant can even die quickly.
Large-flowered species
A particularly large number of hybrids should be mentioned here, especially Yakushimanum hybrids (bot. Rhododendron yakuschimanum). These species have extremely large flowers and therefore need a lot of energy, despite their rather small growth. The size of the flower requires a lot of seed pods, which makes it necessary to remove any withered material in any case.
Small to medium-sized specimens
If you have a small or medium-sized specimen in the garden, you will also need to remove dead rhododendron flowers. These still have to put a lot of nutrients into their growth, which in the end means that they no longer have enough available for the formation of new inflorescences.
Large specimens
If you already have an older, well-cared for plant of a national size, you can in many cases leave the flowers standing with a clear conscience. Nevertheless, check annually whether it would be better to remove the withered.
