Janie and Dani,

I'll PM you with our itinerary when it finalized... We are meeting other people from our azalaea chapter so I'm probably not going to have much say in anything... Normal...

Sins,

Azaleas are fairly easy to propagate... You want to take new growth in July... All ya' have to do is snip off about 4 inches which, BTW can be accomplished withoout leaving any real evidence... Of course, they won't be in bloom so you have to make yer notes in May and June when they are in bloom as to whos azalea'd you like and ask permission to come back to get cuttings... It doesn't hurt the parent plant one bit...

Okay, don't let that cutting dry out... Put it in a baggie and store in the refrigerator up to a week if you don't have time to plant it immediately... Plant in 4" pots filled with potting soil and a little vermiculite...

How to plant: Take cutting and put them in water for a few minutes, remove the largest leaves on the stem leaving only two or three sets of leaves at the top... Now seperate what you think is the top set of two leaves and you'll find a tiny set of leaves which you pinch out... Cut the stem at an angle, dip it in root tone (with anti-fungicide) and plant it about an inch deep in moist but not wet potting soil... Now take what you have and put the pot with cutting in a baggie and close it and twist tie it...

If you have a room or garage where there is no heat, great... Buy a cheapie florescent light and put the cutting under the light... The light needs to stay on 24 hours a day... If you don't have such a space then leave them next to the north side of yer house in a protected area from deer and wind and varments... They will root in about 6 weeks and when you see new growth you can open the baggies and lightly water... Then in October they can be moved into a 6 inch pots which will need to be over wintered in some place that you can put a small portable heater that keeps them 40 degrees or better... Water every couple weeks as needed... Never over water... In the spring they are ready to go outside...

Most azaleas are hardy and if you get cutting off local azaleais then they will do fine....

From cutting to good sized plant is two to three years... Some of the cuttings will bloom in the pots... That's okay...

Any questions???

B~