Growing Azaleas

Growing azaleas from a cutting isn’t as hard as you think. If you’ve experienced sticker-shock at your local nursery, taking cuttings and growing azaleas may be your way to a beautiful yard. But there is a catch: patience. It takes a year or two to grow a cutting to the size you would expect to buy at the nursery. There are many ways to propagate and grow azaleas, but taking cuttings provides the most reliable way to create plants for the average gardener.

Cuttings are basically clones of the parent plant. By removing a piece of the parent plant and encouraging it to root, you will get a plant just like the parent. When you’re growing azaleas with seed, you run the chance of getting a strain that is not like the parent plant. Most gardeners see a plant in bloom and know that’sthe one they want. Taking a cutting is the most reliable method for getting a new azalea.

While it does take time to produce your own plants, there is a certain sense of smugness you’ll feel growing your own azaleas from cuttings. And a sense of pride. Patience is the only price.

When to Take a Cutting
Cuttings are removed from the parent plant after pruning. Most gardeners prune a few weeks after the flowers have faded — sometime in early summer. The hotter the region you live in, the earlier you’ll take your cuttings. I live in California and take mine in early May. You’ll know that your plant is ready if you can bend the newer growth and feel some resistance. If you can bend the growth like a wet noodle, then it’s not ready. If it breaks easily and snaps when bent, then it’s too late. You need the cutting to have enough structure to withstand the process without wilting: waiting until the right time is important.
Steps to take a Cutting
Okay, you think your azalea is ready? Now for the all important steps:

1. Use a sterile coarse soil mixture. Many gardeners use a mixture of perlite, vermiculite and peat. If you’re broke, just use regular potting soil. Be sure that your mix doesn’t contain fertilizer or manure (this can burn your cutting). Fill the pots and wet the mixture.

2. If you decide to use a rooting concentrate, (I use Dip ‘N Grow), prepare the mixture according to the instructions in the rooting kit. Evergreen azaleas will root without the hormone, but deciduous azaleas may require it.

3. Take your cutting from the shorter shoots that come off existing hardwood. Make a cut at an angle using a pair of sharp shears or a knife.

4. Carefully strip off all the leaves except those at the top. This prevents water loss while the plant takes root. Place in a bucket of water while you take more cuttings.

5. Scrape off or wound the plant on the lower 1/2 inch of bark. Dip in your root compound. If it is a liquid, dip for no more than 5 seconds.

6. Using your finger or a pencil, create a hole in your wet planting mix and insert the cutting. Pack the soil around each cutting.

7. Cover your plant with plastic wrap or some other plastic container to help retain moisture in the plant. Be sure to leave a small hole for fresh air to circulate. Spray plants daily with a spray bottle or mister. Growing azaleas need a constant source of moisture.

8. Place your cuttings in filtered sunlight or light shade. Wait. Growing azaleas generally take root in about 4 to 8 weeks.