I write this article with some trepidation because many readers are skilled propagators. This is not for them. It is also not advice on good practice, it is just a record of my efforts. It is written with the hope that readers that haven’t tried propagating rhododendrons will buy seed from the seed exchange and grow their own plants. I always
feel there is some thing special about the plants we have propagated ourselves.
“I must thank Willie Campbell for managing the seed exchange and Alan Anderson, Alan Clark and Peter Cox for supplying the seeds I ordered. These people and others use great skill to prepare seeds and then generously donate them to the SRS seed exchange for the rest of us to use. Without them I wouldn’t be able to write this.”
I started to take an interest in species rhododendrons in 2014 and having some experience at propagating easy to grow shrubs I thought rhododendrons should be no problem. Well for me so far it has been a mixture of luck followed by some failures but once I started taking more care I am very pleased with my success rate. I started by picking an old open seed pod in early summer 2014 from what I thought was R. thomsonii. I read that old pods usually still had some seed left in them. I crushed the pod to get some seed out of it and spread all of it, seeds and bits of seed pod on to a pot of used ericaceous compost then put it out in the sun on the south side of my garage where it was occasionally watered. I had in my ignorance done all the wrong things but I was rewarded with a pot of seedlings. I will grow some on to see what they turn out to be. After my initial success I started to read articles on the internet that suggested it is not that easy. I suggest you look at http://www.rhodoland.nl and click on the English version. I was interested in his notes on propagation. This is a site written by a very enthusiastic hybridiser in the Netherlands. I just e:70
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