Rhododendron

[WimB]

I received some seeds of Rhododendron saluense and of Rhododendron primulaeflorum yesterday and since I've never sown Rhododendrums before I wonder if someone here has some pointers on sowing them?

I was going to surface-sow them on an ericaceous compost covered with finely chopped spaghnum. Is that okay? And is it better to place the pots outside or keep them warm?

[Ulla Hansson]

Hi Wim.
I have sown Rhododendron several times. I sow them in pure peat, seeds will not be covered because they are light germination. They do not stratified. I have sown the seeds inside and not as early as now, only when it is brighter outside. If you want to sow now, you need extra light over the seed pots. The seeds germinate fairly quickly.
Ulla

[johnw]

Wim  - Germinate this one as mentioned at around 20-22c and when it develops its second leaf try to keep cooler it around 15 to 17c.  I usually put the pot in a plastic bag at least until the second leaf develops as any drying in the early stages can kill the seedlings.  Rhodo seeddlings have a slight dormant period at the second leaf stage and at that point can make new roots rather well.  However these dwarf lepidote specieswill be very tiny at the second leaf stage so you may want to wait some time before transplanting.  

johnw

[WimB]

Thanks Ulla and John,

I'll surface-sow them on pure peat in February and I'll keep your pointers in mind.

Wim

[Lesley Cox]

I've sown on (even sterilized) peat many times and ALWAYS had the surface taken over by liverwort either before or soon after germination, so now I sow rhodos, epigaeas, and recently shortias, on sharp grit and had good germination (from fresh seed) and the miniscule seedlings can be seen, retrieved and pricked out before the inevitable liverwort gets too much of a hold.

[cohan]

i have some seedlings a few months old, i sowed in a woodsy native loam with coir and a coir topdressing(i'd have to look up the details)...enclosed in a zip bag
no liverwort on this or anything else, nor any other moss or algae etc..
however, the seedlings are still extremely tiny! and a few look reddish (not all)...they are under lights (barely) but also next to a north window, which i hoped would keep them cool, could they still be too warm explaining redness? or might i not have made the medium acid enough? or is tiny and reddish ok at this stage? they will go outside in late spring...

again without checking my notes, i think these are dwarf Rhododendron mucronulatum, from kristl...

[WimB]

I've sown on (even sterilized) peat many times and ALWAYS had the surface taken over by liverwort either before or soon after germination, so now I sow rhodos, epigaeas, and recently shortias, on sharp grit and had good germination (from fresh seed) and the miniscule seedlings can be seen, retrieved and pricked out before the inevitable liverwort gets too much of a hold.

Hi Lesley,
I've sown on peat before (Shortia, Dionaea, Sarracenia, Pinguicula, Drosera) but I've never gotten liverwort on them before they were well established (certainly no liverwort in the first year and often never at all on peat).