Content
- 1 Description of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
- 2 Winter hardiness of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
- 3 The healing properties of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
- 4 How to grow Schlippenbach's rhododendron from seeds
- 5 Planting and caring for Schlippenbach's rhododendron
- 6 Reproduction of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
- 7 Diseases and pests
- 8 Conclusion
Many wild shrubs were cultivated and became permanent inhabitants of country gardens and city alleys. Schlippenbach's rhododendron is one such plant. In the wild, the culture grows in Japan, China, and the Far East. The Alpine rose, as Schlippenbach's rhododendron is also called, blooms magnificently and brightly, but, despite this, it has not received wide distribution in Russia.
Description of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
The plant belongs to the genus rhododendrons, the heather family. It is a deciduous shrub that can be found in nature in the south of Primorsky Krai, in Korea, in the northern and eastern parts of China. This plant is long-lived, it can live up to 40 years or more. In Russia, Schlippenbach's rhododendron is listed in the Red Book, since the number of wild plants is rapidly declining.
In nature, Schlippenbach's rhododendron grows on rocky hills, hills, at the foot of the mountains. The height of the wild-growing bush reaches 4 m, the length of the cultivated plant does not exceed 2 m. The leaves of Schlippenbach's rhododendron are thin, narrow, corrugated, wavy at the edges, have a rounded shape at the end, collected in brushes of 5 pieces. Their color is light green in spring, emerald in summer, red, orange, golden in autumn. The branches of Schlippenbach's rhododendron are practically naked, with small leaves at the tips.
The flowers are large (their diameter often exceeds 8 cm), collected in inflorescences from 4 to 6 specimens in each. The buds are pale pink, closer to the center on the petals you can see small purple dots. In the center of the flower are long, curved at the ends of the stamens, covered with bright yellow pollen. The aroma of the buds of this particular type of shrub is spicy and delicate. It is often planted in the garden due to this quality. The Schlippenbach rhododendron over 6 years old begins to bloom in April-May, depending on the climate. In nature, the white rhododendron of Schlippenbach is sometimes found.
After flowering, in place of the buds, fruits are formed in the form of an oblong box, which contains seeds. They propagate the plant more often and more efficiently than in other ways.
Winter hardiness of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
The culture tolerates winter frosts well. A decrease in air temperature to -26 ᵒС and soil temperature to -9 ᵒС is not afraid of it. In snowy winters, Schlippenbach's rhododendron is able to maintain its roots and shoots even at lower temperatures. Due to such frost resistance, Schlippenbach's rhododendron is recommended for cultivation in the northern and central parts of Russia.
The healing properties of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
This type of rhododendron contains a large amount of vitamin C, organic matter, essential oil. Tea from the leaves of the bush can relieve a tearful cough, relieve asthma attacks. The plant will also help with high blood pressure, joint pain, chills. A warm drink made from plant flowers will help relieve headaches and relieve sore throat.
At the same time, preparations from Schlippenbach's rhododendron are toxic to streptococci, pathogenic microbes of intestinal microflora, staphylococci.
It is necessary to use raw materials from all types of rhododendrons with caution.
How to grow Schlippenbach's rhododendron from seeds
If there are no special skills for breeding ornamental crops, you can grow a Schlippenbach seedling from seeds at home.
Shrub seeds are very small, but they have a strong peel, so they are soaked before planting in the ground. They take gauze in several folds, moisten it with warm water, spread the seeds on top in one layer. From above they are covered with foil and placed in a warm, bright place for 3-4 days.
At this time, the planting containers are filled with earth. They take soil for needles, mix it in equal parts with peat, sand, humus. Grind the soil mixture well so that the seeds rise easily and evenly. In order not to infect the seed with fungal diseases, the soil is watered with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Seeding Algorithm:
- Shallow furrows are closed in the ground, seeds are placed in them at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other. Top seedlings do not sprinkle with soil.
- The landing container is tightened with foil or covered with transparent glass.
- The structure is placed in the light in a warm place (the air temperature should not fall below + 20 ᵒС).
If all the rules are followed, and the seeds are of high quality, the cultivation of Schlippenbach's rhododendron from seeds will be crowned with success in 2-4 weeks, when the first shoots appear.
After 1.5-2 months after planting, real leaves will appear on Schlippenbach's seedlings. When there is a pair of them, the seedlings are transplanted into separate pots or plastic cups. Containers with plants are removed in a cool place for hardening. The air temperature in the room should not exceed + 15 ᵒС. Lighting should be 12 hours long, if necessary, use special lamps. Schlippenbach's seedlings are watered regularly. The ground should be slightly moistened, water stagnation should not be allowed.
When the temperature outside rises above + 5 ᵒС, the seedlings are taken outside for 15 minutes for early adaptation. Over time, the duration of air baths before transplanting into open ground is increased to several hours.
In April, after the 15th, the planting of Schlippenbach's rhododendrons in open ground begins. By this time, the trunk of a small plant should be woody, and there should be at least 7 leaves on it.
Planting and caring for Schlippenbach's rhododendron
The shrub grows poorly and does not bloom in the shade. Direct sunlight can also harm Schlippenbach's rhododendron. The place for it is chosen in partial shade, near other low-growing crops and fences. Schlippenbach's rhododendron does not like the proximity of fruit trees with a shallow root system. You cannot plant an alpine rose next to a birch, maple, willow.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
There should be hedges or plants around Schlippenbach's rhododendron, but not too close. They will protect the shrubbery from drafts, which are detrimental to it. It is good to plant a Schlippenbach bush near a reservoir, it loves moisture. The soil is chosen acidic. A few weeks before planting, the earth is dug up, humus and peat are introduced. Immediately before planting, it is well moistened.
Seedling preparation
Before planting, the seedling is dipped in a container of warm water for about half an hour.After this time, the root is freed from the container in which it is located. It is advisable to keep an earthen ball, not to damage the roots. The plant is ready to plant.
Landing rules
Schlippenbach's rhododendron deciduous is planted in the spring, in April. Compliance with planting rules ensures that the shrub will take over and grow quickly.
Landing Algorithm:
- A hole is dug in size 2 times larger than the root system of Schlippenbach's rhododendron.
- A small layer of rubble is placed at the bottom of the hole, which will play the role of drainage.
- A soil mixture (soil, humus, sand, peat) is thrown over the drainage layer. The components are taken in equal parts, they fill the hole by a third.
- The seedling is placed vertically in the hole, the root processes are straightened, they cannot be broken off or cut off with a shovel.
- Fluffed soil is poured over the root, rammed.
Then the Schlippenbach shrub is watered abundantly, the trunk circle is mulched with sawdust, bark, needles.
Watering and feeding
This plant is moisture-loving, the soil under it should always be moist. In the summer, Schlippenbach's rhododendron is watered every other day, abundantly. When normalizing, the frequency of irrigation is guided by the abundance of precipitation in the warm season. If the summer is rainy, you can rarely water the Schlippenbach rhododendron. In the south, it is important not to allow the soil to dry out.
In spring and autumn, 1 watering per week is sufficient. The Schlippenbach Alpine rose responds well to soft water. You can water it with rainwater. It is also good to moisturize the plant with a liquid with the addition of lemon juice. Such watering is carried out no more than 1 time per month.
In the spring and summer, Schlippenbach's rhododendron is fertilized 3 times. The first top dressing is applied in April before the flowering of the bush. In summer, fertilizer is applied after the flowers of Schlippenbach's rhododendron have fallen off. In autumn, the bush is fed no earlier than the beginning of October.
For top dressing I use any organic fertilizers: humus, peat, cow dung (diluted with water 1:10) or mineral fertilizers prepared specially for all types of rhododendrons.
It is not recommended to feed Schlippenbach's rhododendron more than 3 times in the spring-summer period. This can harm its root system. For young seedlings up to 4 years old, special fertilizers with a low concentration of substances are taken.
Pruning
Prune Schlippenbach's rhododendron, or as it is also called rosewood, immediately after flowering. Removing a large number of shoots, greatly shortening them is not recommended. Young green branches cannot be cut, the plant may die. Remove old, dried out, broken scions. Subsequent sanitary pruning is carried out at the end of September or in October, when it is prepared for wintering.
Preparing for winter
At the end of October or in November, young Schlippenbach shrubs no older than 2-3 years are wrapped. They are covered with spruce branches or wrapped in a special covering cloth. The trunk circle, especially the root collar, is sprinkled with a thick layer of sawdust (15-20 cm). The covering material is removed in the spring, after the snow has completely melted.
An adult Schlippenbach shrub is not protected from the cold. Before the onset of frost, the soil around it is mulched, the branches are tilted to the ground. In winter, after the snow falls, you can cover the plant with it, this is the best thermal insulation tool for horticultural crops. If the place where Schlippenbach's rhododendron grows is windy, it is protected for the winter with branches or wire woven in the form of a hut. The shoots of the culture are quite fragile, prone to breaking off in strong winter winds.
Reproduction of Schlippenbach's rhododendron
The culture can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, layering. An effective method of reproduction of Schlippenbach's rhododendron, judging by the reviews of experienced plant breeders, is considered to be growing from seeds.This method is described in detail above.
To obtain cuttings in the fall, after flowering, strong, young shoots are cut from the shrub. They are divided into several parts, about 15-20 cm each. One end of the cutting is soaked in Kornevin's solution for about an hour. Then, with the same end, the shoot is rooted in acidic soil. It is prepared in the same way as when planting seeds. From above, the cutting is covered with a film, placed in a dark, warm place. In a month, it will take root. In the spring, the seedling is planted in open ground.
Layers of Schlippenbach's rhododendron are rooted at the end of summer, after it has faded. They take the shoot they like, tilt it to the ground, fasten it to the soil with a bracket in the middle, sprinkle it with earth.
Once a week, the branch at the attachment point is watered. By September, the Schlippenbach rhododendron cuttings will take root. It is separated from the mother bush by cutting off the branch and carefully digging out the root. A young Schlippenbach plant is transplanted into a container with prepared acidic soil. In winter, they are grown indoors. In the spring, at the end of April, the rose tree is transplanted into open ground.
Diseases and pests
Schlippenbach's deciduous shrub is resistant to diseases and pests. Rarely, it can become infected from neighboring deciduous or evergreen crops.
Infection with rhododendron mosaics can occur with any species of this culture. The virus is carried by insects. Rusty, small spots, green growths, similar to calluses, appear on the leaves. The culture slows down the growth, the number of buds decreases. At the first sign of the disease, the affected parts of the plant are cut and destroyed.
Of the fungal diseases dangerous for Schlippenbach's rhododendron, tracheomycotic wilting is isolated. When damaged, the root begins to rot, the shrub sheds brown foliage. In the spring, for the prevention of fungal infections, spraying with a Fundazole solution (0.2%) is carried out. The root is watered with the same preparation. If the lesion is more than 50%, the culture is dug up and burned.
If the drainage of the root system is not ensured, late blight rot may appear from stagnant water. The branches of the plant turn yellow, rot, the leaves fall off. At the first signs of the disease, the bush is treated with a solution of Bordeaux liquid. If the lesion has affected most of Schlippenbach's rhododendron, it should be dug up and burned.
The spider mite is a common inhabitant of any garden and vegetable garden; it enjoys young leaves of Schlippenbach's rhododendron with pleasure. Due to the small size, the pest is detected when the leaves begin to turn yellow, dry out and crumble. The insect can be destroyed by treating the crop several times per season with a suitable insecticide.
During the flowering period, the buds of Schlippenbach's rhododendron are attacked by tobacco thrips. These are small pests of flowering crops. You can fight insects by spraying with insecticides.
Acacia false shield affects shrubs in early spring. It begins to wither, gradually dries up, and dies within a short time. The pest is destroyed with insecticides at the first signs of damage.
Conclusion
Schlippenbach's rhododendron is a whimsical plant, it is troublesome to grow it. When planting, it is important to choose the right place, ensure regular watering, good drainage. Only young seedlings, younger than 2 years old, require careful care and shelter for the winter. As a rule, there are no problems with grown plants. Subject to all the recommendations for planting and care, the rhododendron will delight the owners with a lush fragrant color for several more decades.
