Hi,
My PJM Rhodos. just finished up their lovely display of spring bloosoms.
Question is, what kind of pruning should I do to promote new growth and next
spring bloosoms.

TIA

In article , Shrek
wrote:

Hi,
My PJM Rhodos. just finished up their lovely display of spring bloosoms.
Question is, what kind of pruning should I do to promote new growth and next
spring bloosoms.

TIA

You don't have to do any pruning at all to get it to reset buds for next
year, but if you need to shape it or restrict it in size, nows the time,
before it sets buds on spots you might trim off. PJMs tend to grow rather
evenly, & should by right now, with blooms faded, you should see lots of
new leaves that'll be paler green for a bit, over the whole shrub making
it at the very least a new leaves-length taller & wider.

PJM flowers tend to fall off more easily & on their own rather than
adhering untidily to the shrub (but this depends partly on degree of
moisture amidst the blooms themselves). So they don't actually require
even the blooms pinched back. But if you want to encourage leafier growth
on one side or the other to induce a certain shape or fill-in of a weak
side, pinching off the spidery remaining bits of the flowers will cause a
branching & fuller leafing at the point of the pinched bud.

Feeding is another control method to get effects you're after. A
low-nitrogen fertilizer tends to support bud growth; higher nitrogen
feeding may induce a rush of new growth at expense of the intensity of
flowering.

But in the main, one of the cool features of PJMs is they really take care
of themselves. Unless their infant buds get burnt in a particularly harsh
summer, or frozen in a harsh winter, they're going to do their thing very
fully very reliably. They're also a great asset for the winter garden
because the evergreen leaves turn such a splendid deep mahagony.

Here's my "PJM Elite":
http://www.paghat.com/PJM.html

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Shrek wrote:

My PJM Rhodos. just finished up their lovely display of spring bloosoms.
Question is, what kind of pruning should I do to promote new growth and next
spring bloosoms.

For maximum flower production, pinch off faded flowers or the developing
seed capsules that follow [deadheading]. Pruning is seldom needed except
for removal of faded flowers, but if it is needed, branches may be
trimmed immediately after flowering. Prune in the spring after the bloom
has faded and before mid-summer. Rhododendrons start to form the next
years flower buds in mid summer and by fall the buds are fairly well
developed. Pruning after mid summer removes the next years flower buds.
Rhododendron and azaleas may be pruned after the flowers have faded to
induce new growth. Prune out dead, diseased or damaged branches, and in
cases where plants have become scraggly, start cutting the oldest
branches back to encourage growth in younger branches. Pruning in the
fall is not recommended since it will remove the buds for next years
flowers.

Most successful rhododendron gardeners do not deadhead. It is not
because they don't believe in it or that they don't want to do it, but
rather because they have so many plants and so many other more important
tasks that they don't have time to do it. Does this cause a problem? Not
really. Some plants that are reluctant to bloom or have disease problems
such as petal blight or in an area that is marginal for the plant in
question may benefit from deadheading, but that is unusual.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA
http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning