How do you root an azalea?

I have several azaleas around my house. I would like to clip off a branch
and attempt to develop it into a Bonsai.

Is it difficult to root Azalea? What should I do?

in article , Caught-Napping at
-Nab wrote on 3/30/03 9:58 PM:

How do you root an azalea?

I have several azaleas around my house. I would like to clip off a branch
and attempt to develop it into a Bonsai.

Is it difficult to root Azalea? What should I do?

It's not terribly difficult, but you need to give the cuttings the attention
they need for several months. Typically I have success with 12 out of 18
cuttings. If you've got patience, and don't let them dry out, you should get
some beautiful plants.

- Get some little plastic six-packs, like the ones that they sell impatiens
in at the nursery.

- Fill them with wet sand, up to about 4/5ths from the top. (If you use dry
sand it will be difficult to insert the stems properly.)

- Make Azalea cuttings about two inches long that are semi-woody and
semi-green. (In other words, new shoots that are not all green.) A good time
to harvest is shortly after the bloom when the growth spurt starts.

- Remove all the leaves from the stem, except for three to five leaves near
the tip. (Some people recommend cutting these remaining leaves short. It
looks brutal, but doesn't seem to hurt the plants at all. The theory is that
if you fail to keep a cutting moist, it will loose water through the leaf
surfaces -- the less leave surface, the less danger. But I'll go on record
to say that this doesn't make perfect sense to me. And I got good results
with both methods. Just keep the your cuttings moist.)

- Dip each stem in water and then into RootTone rooting hormone or a similar
product. Get a good coating on the stem.

- Part the sand by inserting a pencil straight down into it. Insert the
stem, being careful not to knock off the hormone.

- Press on the sand downward, and tap on the container a bit, to bring it
into contact with the stem.

- Place the six-packs inside a clear or translucent container -- something
with a small amount of ventilation, or one with a removable lid left
slightly ajar.

- Leave an very thin layer water in the bottom of the container for humidity
-- if you don't see some condensation on inside the container, add water.
But don't let the six-pack stand or swim in the water. (Try adding gravel
and resting the six-pack on that, never letting the water level go above the
gravel.)

- Place the clear container in a bright outdoor location -- a place that
gets no direct sun, or only the slightest of the direct morning rays ... and
where you'll remember to tend the cuttings and mist them regularly.

- IMPORTANT: Mist the leaves every day or two now for several months. Yup,
that's how long it takes. And the really hard part is providing this small
but essential care over such an extended period. Above all, you must keep
the leaves moist -- until the cuttings have grown new roots they get all
their moisture through their leaves.

- If you want, you can mist occasionally with a half strength fertilizer.

You can gently water the sand occasionally to help in adding humidity to the
environment, and to encourage root growth. But remember, in the early stages
this will not help hydrating the plant directly through the stem, and may
only encourage rot of the stem. As you see healthy leaf growth, you may
occasionally water the sand lightly.

- If a cutting goes yellow or brown, removed it so as to prevent the spread
of rot or disease.

- Once the cuttings have grown one to two inches, they probably have
developed enough root for transplanting to soil, and may begin their normal
terrestrial life.

- Gently remove the cutting with a spoon -- to avoid damaging the young
roots, take as much sand as you can. Use a mister or a soft stream of a hose
to rinse off most of the remaining sand. Then carefully place the cutting in
in a four to six inch clay pot that's filled with good moisture-holding
soil. (Pre-moistened the soil as you did with the sand so the plant won't
spend it's first few days in a dry pocket in the dirt!)

SUGGESTION: Don't transplant your rooted cuttings into tiny pots -- while
they look appropriate, they're far more likely to dry out. You probably
don't want to lose these little guys after many months of good care.

NOTE: Cuttings will tend to rot in any medium but sand. Slightly coarse sand
works well because it doesn't water log the stem.

This method works with many plants that won't root in water.

Best of luck,

John

in article , Caught-Napping at
-Nab wrote on 3/30/03 9:58 PM:

How do you root an azalea?

I have several azaleas around my house. I would like to clip off a branch
and attempt to develop it into a Bonsai.

Is it difficult to root Azalea? What should I do?

It's not terribly difficult, but you need to give the cuttings the attention
they need for several months. Typically I have success with 12 out of 18
cuttings. If you've got patience and don't let them dry out, you should get
some beautiful plants.

- Get some little plastic six-packs, like the ones that they sell impatiens
in at the nursery.

- Fill them with wet sand, up to about 4/5ths from the top. (If you use dry
sand it will be difficult to insert the stems properly.)

- Make Azalea cuttings about two inches long that are semi-woody and
semi-green. (In other words, new shoots that are not all green.) A good time
to harvest is shortly after the bloom when the growth spurt starts.

- Remove all the leaves from the stem, except for three to five leaves near
the tip. (Some people recommend cutting these remaining leaves short. It
looks brutal, but doesn't seem to hurt the plants at all. The theory is that
if you fail to keep a cutting moist, it will loose water through the leaf
surfaces -- the less leave surface, the less danger. But I'll go on record
to say that this doesn't make perfect sense to me. And I got good results
with both methods. Just keep the your cuttings moist.)

- Dip each stem in water and then into RootTone rooting hormone or a similar
product. Get a good coating on the stem.

- Part the sand by inserting a pencil straight down into it. Insert the
stem, being careful not to knock off the hormone.

- Press on the sand downward, and tap on the container a bit, to bring it
into contact with the stem.

- Place the six-packs inside a clear or translucent container -- something
with a small amount of ventilation, or one with a removable lid left
slightly ajar.

- Leave an very thin layer water in the bottom of the container for humidity
-- if you don't see some condensation on inside the container, add water.
But don't let the six-pack stand or swim in the water. (Try adding gravel
and resting the six-pack on that, never letting the water level go above the
gravel.)

- Place the clear container in a bright outdoor location -- a place that
gets no direct sun, or only the slightest of the direct morning rays ... and
where you'll remember to tend the cuttings and mist them regularly.

- IMPORTANT: Mist the leaves every day or two now for several months. Yup,
that's how long it takes. And the really hard part is providing this small
but essential care over such an extended period. Above all, you must keep
the leaves moist -- until the cuttings have grown new roots they get all
their moisture through their leaves.

- If you want, you can mist occasionally with a half strength fertilizer.

You can gently water the sand occasionally to help in adding humidity to the
environment, and to encourage root growth. But remember, in the early stages
this will not help hydrating the plant directly through the stem, and may
only encourage rot of the stem. As you see healthy leaf growth, you may
occasionally water the sand lightly.

- If a cutting goes yellow or brown, removed it so as to prevent the spread
of rot or disease.

- Once the cuttings have grown one to two inches, they probably have
developed enough root for transplanting to soil, and may begin their normal
terrestrial life.

- Gently remove the cutting with a spoon -- to avoid damaging the young
roots, take as much sand as you can. Use a mister or a soft stream of a hose
to rinse off most of the remaining sand. Then carefully place the cutting in
in a four to six inch clay pot that's filled with good moisture-holding
soil. (Pre-moistened the soil as you did with the sand so the plant won't
spend it's first few days in a dry pocket in the dirt!)

SUGGESTION: Don't transplant your rooted cuttings into tiny pots -- while
they look appropriate, they're far more likely to dry out. You probably
don't want to lose these little guys after many months of good care.

NOTE: Cuttings will tend to rot in any medium but sand. Slightly coarse sand
works well because it doesn't water log the stem.

This method works with many plants that won't root in water.

Best of luck,

John