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Sat, Apr 12, 08 at 13:38
| This winter deer attacked a 8 ft high rhodo when we were away for a week.
All the branches they could reach were eaten. So now there are a few branches between 5-7 ft high, and a few below 1 ft that must have been covered by snow. Should I just cut it all back to 1 ft high. Will it survive? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by bullthistle (My Page) on Sat, Apr 12, 08 at 15:00
| No do not cut back that severely. Selecltively prune with what you can live with and add some acid fertilizer and possibly dig a trench around the perimeter and add compost or manure for the new roots to grow into. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials
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| The rhodo doesn't look good without leaves in the middle. Those branches don't show any signs of life. How can I tell if the middle section (1ft - 5ft) Will fill back in next year if I leave it? Pruning it back to 1 ft would only be removing half of the current leaves. The fertilizing is good suggestion - I have don it most years in the spring |
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| Rhododendrons have dormant buds under the bark. If you prune the top and other existing branches back a little, it will stimulate a lot of new growth. It will eventually fill in. Make sure you protect it with deer netting next winter. If it is hit like this 2 year in a row, it will have used up its reserves and will seriously suffer. One year of deer damage is normally not a serious problem. A mature rhododendron can take a year with a drought or deer damage but two in a row is bad news. |
Here is a link that might be useful: How to grow rhododendrons and azaleas.
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