How to layer rhododendrons

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Sunday, 24 March 2019 at 3:00 pm

Find out how to propagate new rhododendron plants from layering.

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To do

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While you can't take cuttings from rhododendrons, there's a much simpler technique you can try: layering. Do it over the summer and by the following spring you'll have the beginnings of many new rhododendron plants.

You Will Need

Rhododendron plant
Sharp knife
Hormone rooting powder
Strong wire
Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
Stone

Total time: 30 minutes

Step 1

How to layer rhododendrons - choosing a low-growing stem

Select a suitably low-growing and pliable young branch that will bend down to soil level. Remove any side-shoots but keep the cluster of leaves at the end of the stem.

Step 2

How to layer rhododendrons - laying the shoot on the ground

About 15cm from the shoot tip, make a nick using a sharp knife on the underside of the branch - aim to cut just halfway through the stem. Dust the area with hormone rooting powder and lay the shoot down on the ground.

Step 3

How to layer rhododendrons - pegging the shoot using wire

Dig a shallow hole at the point where the stem touches the ground and peg it down firmly to stop it springing up. Cover the stem at this point with compost.

Step 4

How to layer rhododendrons - weighing the stem down with a heavy stone

Weight the buried shoot down with a heavy stone and water regularly to keep the area moist. By autumn the layer will have rooted. Cut if off from the parent plant and replant.

Although the rhododendron layer will have rooted by autumn, to give it the best chance of survival, wait until spring before you separate it from the parent plant.