With correct pruning , azalea ( Rhododendron spp . ) bush will put out affect flowers each spring . This evergreen plant bush , which grow year - round in U.S. Department of Agriculture works hardiness zones 4 through 9 , can be pruned in leaping , summertime or winter , but because next twelvemonth ’s bud organize in brief after this year ’s flowers are spent , rationalise in spring ensures you wo n’t cut off next yr ’s bud . How you cut back azaleas , reckon on what you want to achieve .
Right Tools
Proper pruning starts with the right puppet and making sure they ’re in good term . Most pruning done on azalea shrubs can be handled with sharp hand pruner for small twigs , but for branch larger than 1/ 2 in in circuit use long - deal loppers . You ’ll be able to get a good grip allowing you to make uncontaminating , square cuts . To foreclose spreading disease with your pruning tools , intoxicate them in denatured alcohol , usable at home improvement stores , for at least 10 minutes before starting to prune . And if the bush you ’re working on show star sign of disease , spray the pruners exhaustively with a household disinfectant after each cut to preclude overspread disease .
Light Pruning
A by rights sited azalea fits the space it ’s grow in and need only light pruning to form it up , increase fullness or promote more flowering . you could perform light pruning in mid - summertime with hand pruners after new growth is no longer soft and break when you deflect it . Prune fresh outgrowth back almost to where you desire new buds . New branches and buds will take form just below the pruned website , resulting in a full bush with more flower next year . This may take multiple pruning over several weeks to get your desired answer , because not all new ontogeny will be ready at the same fourth dimension .
Thinning for Light
Azalea branch that are near the inside of the shrub tend to be shaded and do n’t get enough igniter . This leads to branch die out . you could correct this problem by thin by some of the out branches . get going by lop dead branch back to the join between the dead branch and the next living offset , or back to the main automobile trunk . you’re able to test if a subdivision is living by kowtow away the bark with your thumbnail . If it ’s immature underneath , it ’s alive . After you absent all the dead branches , clip the stay on arm to the hope frame , usually with the top center furcate a few inches longer than side branch . Thinning is advantageously performed in the saltation immediately after flower have bloomed and start to die . Thinning can be done with loppers or hand pruners .
Major Pruning
When an azalea has become marvelous and spindly , or is just overgrown , it ’s prison term to cut it back and begin over . Before the bush puts out fresh growing in the springtime , use a pair of loppers to dress the entire industrial plant back to within 1 foot of the ground . Throughout the summer , the shrub will regrow foliage and form next year ’s bud so keep the soil around it moist , but not inert , for about one month . In the leaping , just before buds begin to break , prune by soft touch from around the base of operations , leaving the most vigorous bow for the shrub to grow from . A in good order clip azalea will have two or three main branches growing at the bag .
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