New gardener here, new house, overgrown rhododendron… this is the third video I watched and you deserve to be at the top of the scroll list. Thank you!
Best video for getting inside the mind of the rhododendron. I only read about scoring one other place, so it’s great to have confirmation. Also the wound healing and angle of growth tips are helpful since a lot of sites just contradictorily say - cut back to a main branch - or - cut below a juncture of 2 branches. Also good to know pruning is a long game. I’m dealing with old leggy ones right now.
Thanks! I'm glad it was helpful! Alan and I had a great time filming this and my Rhodie is looking better than ever this year! (I'm actually planning a follow up short to post soon showing the results!)
My Rhodie is 27 years old 8' tall and 6' wide. I moved in 3 years ago and gave it a good haircut away from the house - I'm here learning how to prune it for shape now.
So helpful! I recently transplanted a rhodie from deep shade to the north side of my house where it gets some afternoon and reflected light. It is so much happier, sending up new shoots from the base but still so sparse. I love the tips on how to encourage growth!
Do you have a video about re-seating a rhododendron that has partially toppled over due to ice and snow? The back half of the roots has risen from the ground about 7 inches on one of our foundation rhodies
I don't have a video on that, no. Are you here in Spokane? If so either Alan or I would be happy to schedule a consultation with you to look at it. If not, I would recommend finding an expert in your area to come look and advise. Either a gardener or an arborist, depending on the size. It sounds a bit technical to describe and solve just with text.
You can prune any time, you'll just be cutting off next years blooms if you prune now. The best time to prune is right after the flowers fade because that gives it the most time to recover and set more buds for the next year.
If you prune in the fall you'll be cutting off next years blooms. You wont hurt the plant, but you'll lose flowers. So it's best to wait until after flowering, but certainly not the end of the world if you need to prune it now.
I inherited a rhododendron when I bought my house. It isn't very bushy, but does get some blooms. I'm scared to prune it! Since it's not very thick/full.
I've felt the same way every time someone asks me to prune a Rhodie. Luckily that's only happened a couple times in my carrier, but it still seemed like something I should know given what I do for a living, lol. I was surprised at how simple it is! I was just way over thinking it. I hope you are able to use the tips and techniques in the video to help your Rhodie fill out! Once it's more full, it will have more branch ends which should mean more blooms!
I'm late in pruning... mine didn't blossom this year. I transplanted it last year and there were lots of blooms. I don't have any branches off the shoots. They are all straight. There's buds up and down each shoot. What do I do?
Right now, don't do anything. The buds are set for next year and if you prune you will be removing next year's flowers. I'm not sure where you are located, but in my area we had a mild winter with sudden frigid cold snap in mid January that I'm pretty sure it's responsible for Rhodie's not blooming in the spring. None of the Rhodie's that I saw bloomed this year, so it wasn't just yours. Wait until after the blooms fade next spring, then watch this video again. Honestly the big takeaway from this video is that Rhodie's don't usually need much pruning. Unless you need to redirect the growth like I did, just let them do their thing!
I got one from a garden center at least eight years ago now, and it has never grown since. It is still two forks from the root ball with two foliage heads that flower. It is leggy, about 40 cm tall. The two main trunk forks have no lateral growth, really, one on each side, so I can’t prune them; there will be nothing left! We did just move into a new house last spring, so we moved it along with everything else to a new garden with nice, fresh, good soil and horticultural grit for finer roots to split into multiples, but a year on, there is still no sign of development. It is ugly, one of the ugliest plants in the garden at the moment, and that’s sad! I am a 15-year professional gardener myself but am kind of defeated by this rhododendron! I don’t know whether to dig it back up right now and put it back in a pot to try to stimulate more root growth and cut it right back. It looks absolutely stupid, like it’s giving you the V every time you look at it. 😂
I would dig it up and check the roots. My first thought is that it's probably root bound and they need washed and freed from the pot shape. My second thought would be a soil test. Rhodies need acidic soil and specific nutrients to do well. I have a video on the My Soil test if you need a suggestion for a simple but decent test to try.
LOL yes, that is true, thank you for the feedback. Alan does tend to get into the details. He is a wealth of knowledge and loves sharing! You'd be amazed at how much I cut out in order to keep the video as short as it is!
I have a 20x20 foot monster i have to attack next year. This video was exactly what i needed. Best stuff yet! Thanks for sharing.
You are so welcome! Good luck!
This is the best video I’ve found on rhodie pruning. Thank you!
You are so welcome! And thank you for your kind comment!
agree!
New gardener here, new house, overgrown rhododendron… this is the third video I watched and you deserve to be at the top of the scroll list. Thank you!
Wow, thank you!
Can I ask what your search term was? I'll try to get my video higher for whatever keywords you used.
@@GardenUPLandscape I just searched "how to trim overgrown rhododendron bush " :)
Thanks! I didn't have "trim" or "overgrown" in my keywords. I've added those so it should come up now with that search.
What a valuable source of a real professional imparting the secrets of successful gardening ~! Wisdom is always a treasure~! thank You, Kit
Our pleasure!
Awesome video, watched many video and been trimming my Rhody's and this is the 1st time I've heard about the 'scoring' technique ! Thanks!
I'm glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Best video for getting inside the mind of the rhododendron. I only read about scoring one other place, so it’s great to have confirmation. Also the wound healing and angle of growth tips are helpful since a lot of sites just contradictorily say - cut back to a main branch - or - cut below a juncture of 2 branches. Also good to know pruning is a long game. I’m dealing with old leggy ones right now.
Thanks! I'm glad it was helpful! Alan and I had a great time filming this and my Rhodie is looking better than ever this year! (I'm actually planning a follow up short to post soon showing the results!)
Love this guy. Great info & helpful close-ups.
Glad it was helpful! I've got another video with Alan coming soon! It's in the hands of my editor currently 😊
My Rhodie is 27 years old 8' tall and 6' wide. I moved in 3 years ago and gave it a good haircut away from the house - I'm here learning how to prune it for shape now.
Nice! I hope this was really helpful!
Just planted my first Rhododendron, there's an awful lot of very good information in this video. Definitely informative 🤠
Glad it was helpful!
So helpful! I recently transplanted a rhodie from deep shade to the north side of my house where it gets some afternoon and reflected light. It is so much happier, sending up new shoots from the base but still so sparse. I love the tips on how to encourage growth!
We are glad it was helpful! Good luck to your now happier Rhodie!
I have two huge Rhodies which I tree formed. This encouraged more growth on top. I also was able to under plant. Which enhanced my front garden.
That sounds lovely!
Thanks for this you convinced this beginner not to try to prune by myself . Win for the Rhodie!😊
Well, it was supposed to explain how simple it actually is, but luckily, Rhodies don't need much pruning, so wins all around! 😆
Thank you for this very detailed information.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Brilliant Video - deserves a Subscribe
Thanks so much! I'm glad it was helpful!
Great video. I also need one on what to do with crazy leggy Rhodies that are 20+ years old.
Thanks! I'd suggest following Alan's advice and score the leggy branches to encourage lower growth for next year.
How to grow rhodies. Love this. Very interesting and informative.
Glad it was helpful!
What a great and inspiring teacher 🤠
Glad you think so! Alan and I have filmed a few videos together now. We filmed a tree planting class last fall that I'm hoping to get edited soon.
Great presentation Thank you.
You are welcome! Glad it was valuable to you :)
Oh wow!!!! THANKS SO MUCH!!!@
No problem!! Glad we could help!
Wow this was incredibly helpful
Glad you think so!
You can always go back but how much time do you have? Good information with the scoring. Kurt Cobain of gardening BTW
Very true. I prune my Rhodie once a year now, and after this "heavy" prune out now only takes about 5 minutes.
Excellent!
Thanks! I hope this was helpful!
Thank you for this video, it’s really helpful.
Glad it was helpful! You are most welcome!
"wood glue doesn't work!" ;-) ;-) Thank you for this. I learned alot about my rhodie and was thoroughly entertained in the process.
Right?!? Isn't Alan a blast? (I actually just filmed another video with him, so stay tuned! That one will get edited soon and go live in a few weeks!)
THANK YOU!
You're so welcome!
Do you have a video about re-seating a rhododendron that has partially toppled over due to ice and snow? The back half of the roots has risen from the ground about 7 inches on one of our foundation rhodies
I don't have a video on that, no. Are you here in Spokane? If so either Alan or I would be happy to schedule a consultation with you to look at it. If not, I would recommend finding an expert in your area to come look and advise. Either a gardener or an arborist, depending on the size. It sounds a bit technical to describe and solve just with text.
He’s amazing
Right? He's like a plant encyclopedia. I so love that he's willing to share his knowledge and experience with us!
I did not get out to prune in time and wonder if I can still prune my old rhododendron in mid October in Seattle?
You can prune any time, you'll just be cutting off next years blooms if you prune now. The best time to prune is right after the flowers fade because that gives it the most time to recover and set more buds for the next year.
12pm October 13 2023 can I prune in the fall or best to wait for early Spring. I live in Nova Scotia
If you prune in the fall you'll be cutting off next years blooms. You wont hurt the plant, but you'll lose flowers. So it's best to wait until after flowering, but certainly not the end of the world if you need to prune it now.
I inherited a rhododendron when I bought my house. It isn't very bushy, but does get some blooms. I'm scared to prune it! Since it's not very thick/full.
I've felt the same way every time someone asks me to prune a Rhodie. Luckily that's only happened a couple times in my carrier, but it still seemed like something I should know given what I do for a living, lol. I was surprised at how simple it is! I was just way over thinking it.
I hope you are able to use the tips and techniques in the video to help your Rhodie fill out! Once it's more full, it will have more branch ends which should mean more blooms!
I'm late in pruning... mine didn't blossom this year. I transplanted it last year and there were lots of blooms. I don't have any branches off the shoots. They are all straight. There's buds up and down each shoot. What do I do?
Right now, don't do anything. The buds are set for next year and if you prune you will be removing next year's flowers.
I'm not sure where you are located, but in my area we had a mild winter with sudden frigid cold snap in mid January that I'm pretty sure it's responsible for Rhodie's not blooming in the spring. None of the Rhodie's that I saw bloomed this year, so it wasn't just yours.
Wait until after the blooms fade next spring, then watch this video again. Honestly the big takeaway from this video is that Rhodie's don't usually need much pruning. Unless you need to redirect the growth like I did, just let them do their thing!
Hi would this pruning apply to dwarf ones as well
Yep! All Rhodies that I've ever seen grow this way.
Well, it's been a year. How about a 1 minute follow up?
Thanks for asking! I posted the follow up about a year ago :) The original video is almost 2 years old.
ruclips.net/user/shortsV1aQOkBKwPc
I got one from a garden center at least eight years ago now, and it has never grown since. It is still two forks from the root ball with two foliage heads that flower. It is leggy, about 40 cm tall. The two main trunk forks have no lateral growth, really, one on each side, so I can’t prune them; there will be nothing left! We did just move into a new house last spring, so we moved it along with everything else to a new garden with nice, fresh, good soil and horticultural grit for finer roots to split into multiples, but a year on, there is still no sign of development. It is ugly, one of the ugliest plants in the garden at the moment, and that’s sad! I am a 15-year professional gardener myself but am kind of defeated by this rhododendron! I don’t know whether to dig it back up right now and put it back in a pot to try to stimulate more root growth and cut it right back. It looks absolutely stupid, like it’s giving you the V every time you look at it. 😂
I would dig it up and check the roots. My first thought is that it's probably root bound and they need washed and freed from the pot shape. My second thought would be a soil test. Rhodies need acidic soil and specific nutrients to do well. I have a video on the My Soil test if you need a suggestion for a simple but decent test to try.
ruclips.net/video/93DmFEcsI9w/видео.html
I have a Rhodo 13 feet tall It is a monster
WOW I bet it's stunning when it's in bloom!
@@GardenUPLandscape It is actually. I had thoughts of removing it because I’m getting old and don’t like trimming it.
complimenti
Thanks!
Just too much talk for me but good info
LOL yeah, we do tend to talk a lot. Thanks for the feedback!
Long winded ... man you guys can talk! Let's get on with it!
LOL yes, that is true, thank you for the feedback. Alan does tend to get into the details. He is a wealth of knowledge and loves sharing! You'd be amazed at how much I cut out in order to keep the video as short as it is!