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Our
Method for Producing Native Azaleas From Seed
By
J. Jackson (page 2)
Our Seedling Production Method
There is much useful information available on the internet detailing how to sow azalea/rhododendron seed. Several
different medias and methods are suggested.
Collecting and Cleaning Seed
In the fall of the year,
usually October, we return to our favorite plants to gather seed capsules. Just a few seed capsules are required to
produce 500 to 1000 seedlings. If you gather seed in the wild, please don’t get greedy and collect every capsule
on every plant. Others may have an interest in growing a few too.
We use “Ziploc” freezer bags
to gather seed capsules because they can be written on and recycled. If you use these plastic bags special care must
be taken to prevent molding of the capsules caused by excess moisture building up in the bag. By folding the bag opening
back to keep the bag open, sufficient air is available to dry the capsules to the point of “opening/spilling”
their seed. Many growers use paper envelopes to gather their seed.
After the capsules have dried and opened
you can close the Ziploc and shake vigorously to separate the seed from capsule. This method generally yields more than
enough “clean” seed without having to process the capsules further with sieves or screens. There are occasions
when the capsules do not open on their own and we will break/cut the capsules open either with a pair of wire cutters, scissors
or by hand. I usually do this over a fine flour sifter that is placed over a stainless steel bowl. The seed (and
some chaff) falls through and the broken capsules are captured in the sifter. This clean seed is transferred to small
manila coin envelopes and marked with specie, date of collection, source and any other information that is of use.
Flats and Media
For several years we have used pure Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, milled and
compressed into bales. The bale is cut open and “chunks” of Peat are rubbed over a piece of ¼”
hardware cloth that is laid over the top of a large clean container. A clean deep wheelbarrow works well for us.
After the peat is fluffed up and in the wheelbarrow it is moistened and allowed to sit for a day or so. This allows
the moister to evenly penetrate the peat. Using warm water with a small amount of dish detergent (1/2 tsp/gallon) aids
in the “wetting” process. The moistened peat is placed into 10”x10”x2” or 10”x20”x2”
flats that can be fitted with clear humidity domes.
Seeding the Flats, Fertilizing and Humidity
This part of the procedure takes practice.
One common problem is sowing the seed too thickly, so be careful
with the amount of seed sown. We usually sow by hand (fore finger and thumb) but sometimes will place seed in a teaspoon
and gently blow it onto the peat. The seed is lightly watered in with a fungicide solution at this time. A hand
held sprayer works well for this. A “thin” stand of plants is preferable to one that is too “thick”
but the seedling can be thinned (to good advantage) after they have developed their second set of leaves.
Our seed is sown from October through January in the basement. The flats are placed under 8’ “cool white”
shop lights (24/7) on propagation mats set on 70deg.F. No seed pretreatment is required for germination. The lights
are placed 2 to 3 inches above the tops of the humidity domes. Germination takes place in 10- 14 days.
After the seedlings have developed their second set of leaves a half strength solution of fish emulsion is applied every
7 to 10 days for fertilization. Many growers use dilute solutions (approx.¼ strength) of water-soluble fertilizers
that are formulated for azaleas and rhododendron. The seedlings are usually ready for the next transplanting in 8 to
12 weeks.
The humidity domes are usually lifted off during the day and put back in place at night.
Air circulation is very beneficial in helping to control fungus problems.
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