Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrzej
@Lannerman, I'm sure you're right about that the cutting hasn't rooted properly yet.
Re. the main plant, I tried removing flower buds but they were not budging. Can I use scissors to cut them out carefully?
Also, re. feeding, what would you suggest? I bought a rhodie/azalea/camelia food, also have peat and bark. Should I work some peat into the soil of the pot or top-dress it with peat and/or bark?
@Brooklyn1, agreed. It will be planted in the ground as soon as we decide the design of the garden. We've been here only since December and wanted to see the garden in all seasons to decide how to proceed, ie. best spots for different plants etc.
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Hi Andrzej. No, dont try to cut them out because the growth buds (that will give you this years growth) are all packed together under the flower bud and you will damage those if your not careful. You should be able to just rub the flower buds out using your thumb, if not, then leave them alone and wait until they swell up a bit (nearer flowering) its possible that some of the buds wont produce flowers and may be why you cant easily remove them, so if you leave them a bit then you'll know.
If you have used fresh ericacous compost, there should be no need to feed yet, wait until the plant is in full growth and use your rhodo fertilizer from about middle of June but dont go mad, you can do as much if not more damage by overfeeding. You could use the bark to top dress the pot but that wont have much beneficial effect to the health of the plant but will look nice.
If you drink tea, you could put the used tea leaves around the base of the plant, tea leaves are a very good tonic for all calcifuge plants !
regards, Lannerman.