How to grow azaleas at home?

The magnificent azalea captivates at first sight. As a true beauty, whims are inherent in her, taken by conquered flower growers, because the effort spent on care is rewarded with the onset of a period of lush, beautiful azalea bloom.

As you make efforts, be busy, remember the future joyful reward. The flower is also called the alpine rose: indeed, the proud beauty resembles the queen of flowers, sometimes surpassing her in her perfection.

Azalea at home after purchase

Immediately after the purchase, the azalea seedling needs to be transplanted into a suitable land, because the soil in the transport pots is completely unsuitable for the constant maintenance of the plant. It is best to purchase land for azaleas, ideally suited to the requirements for growing capricious beauties. It is necessary to transplant, trying not to damage the roots, since the plants recover for a very long time after this procedure.

Remove the root from the pot, place in a new, larger pot and cover with nutritious soil. A small drainage layer can be arranged at the bottom of the new pot to keep the plant from overflowing.

How to transplant an azalea after purchase, the video will tell:

Azalea rhododendron care at home

Often, received as a gift or purchased in a store, a magnificent azalea blooms magnificently for a long time, pleasing the eye, and then, unfortunately, dies - they decide to throw out the plant. In vain! Azalea is just going through a period of adaptation to living conditions. Show patience and attention: the bush will gradually regain strength and release new leaves. Having mastered the basic rules of care, you will make friends with a magnificent beauty for many years, who blooms throughout the warm season.

Site selection, temperature and lighting

Azaleas need diffused lighting or weak partial shade along with cool air, the scorching rays of the sun will kill it. It is difficult to keep cool in summer: put the plant in the shade, preferably on the west or north window, ventilate the room more often.

It will be good for the summer to dig in a pot of azalea in a shady part of the garden, protecting the beauty from direct sunlight. Even if you just put the azalea on the balcony, summer rain will be very useful. It is necessary to return the plant to the room before the start of the heating season. The ideal climate for azaleas can be compared to a warm, foggy autumn - 10-14 ° C during the day, 6-8 ° C at night, combined with high humidity. The plant feels comfortable enough even at 18-20 ° C, if you do not forget to constantly moisturize the leaves.

How to water an azalea

The fundamental requirement for caring for an azalea is to water regularly, but not to overmoisten, to avoid stagnant water, drying out the soil. The ground should not be wet, but slightly damp. To prevent the earth from alkalizing after watering with tap water, alternate watering with plain water and acidified water - sometimes add 2 g of citric acid per liter of water and water the flower, but not often).

With the onset of autumn, after flowering, slightly reduce watering. If the flower is in peat soil, poorly absorbing moisture when dry, sometimes place the pot in a bowl of water for up to two hours. It is important to remember that heat and dry air are detrimental to the plant: the azalea will begin to shed flowers and leaves.

During the heating season, constantly spray the leaves of the plant using a fine spray from a spray bottle. You can place the pot of azalea on a tray of damp pebbles, but do not allow the pot to come into contact with the water. Ideally, water and spray with rain, melt or river water, but at least softened - it should settle at room temperature, cold water should not be used.

Transplant and feeding of rhododendron azalea

Azalea prefers acidic soil. A mixture for azaleas, heather soil is ideal, peaty is possible, a mixture of coniferous in two parts and one part of peat with a small addition of river sand is good, hydroponics is a good choice. In flower shops they sell a special soil intended for acidophilic plants, also suitable for azaleas. The pot should be chosen not high, since the roots of the flower are of a superficial structure.

It is strictly forbidden to loosen the soil while caring for the flower in order to avoid the destruction of the root system, for this reason the plant is overloaded, and not transplanted. Young flowers need reloading only once a year in spring, adult plants - once every 2 or 3 years. Transplant without disturbing the earthy coma, with the addition of a large amount of new soil.

For top dressing in spring and summer, use azalea fertilizer once a week, in autumn and winter for planting buds - a solution of 15 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water every 2 weeks.

How to transplant an azalea, we look at the video:

Pruning and shaping the crown of an azalea

Azalea pruning can be described as shortening last year's shoots, removing weak, close-growing branches in order to create a neat crown with an even distribution of flowers. For a beautiful crown, constant cutting and pinching is necessary. Remember, excessive branching of the bush can interfere with flowering.

To late varieties of azalea, the removal of excess shoots is carried out from the beginning of May, to early varieties in March. Pinching the tops, leave 4-5 leaves on them, cut off the shoots next to the flower buds too. At the end of summer, when the plant begins to lay flower buds, it must be properly pruned, if pruning is delayed, the buds will not form. At your discretion, the azalea can be decorated as a tree, bush or bonsai.

If you want the azalea to form a uniform crown without distortions, constantly rotate it around its axis.

How to form an azalea bonsai?

Azalea bonsai how to form a photo

• To form a bush, pinch the azalea at the cutting stage, leaving 10-12 cm in length, arrange the side shoots in the same way.
• To form a tree, first remove absolutely all shoots, with the exception of the central branch, growing it strong, even, use a support, regularly rotate the flower around its axis. When the desired size is reached, pinch the top, which will give rise to branching, constant turning of the flower, trimming the side shoots will help create a tree with a rounded crown shape.
• To form a bonsai, form the central shoot, then pinching - the side ones. To give the plant a curved shape with horizontal branches, tie small weights to the branches or tilt them with thick wire, wrap the shoots with it and bend it down as you wish.

Blooming azalea

The prolongation of flowering is promoted by keeping it cool and regular moderate moisture. Remove faded buds, seed bolls. Azalea can be safely turned, transferred during flowering, without fear of dropping new buds. With proper care, flowering will be more luxurious with each new season.

Azalea after flowering

After flowering, the rhododendron needs rest. This is the best time for pruning and transplanting: remove all excess shoots, cut off the flower tips of the branches and carefully transplant the beauty using the transshipment method, only partially replacing the soil. This procedure will allow the plant to gain strength for the next season. Remember that you can only trim the azalea before the end of summer, so that the plant has time to lay flower buds.

When the plant is accepted, watering begins to be reduced, putting the azalea into dormant mode until about February.

How to propagate an azalea by cuttings

Azalea cuttings photo

Propagation of azaleas by cuttings is the simplest and most successful way.

• In March-June, the apical semi-lignified cuttings 5-8 cm long are cut and rooted in coniferous soil, after having previously treated the cut of the cutting with a growth stimulator, it is necessary to plant it to a depth of 1-2.5 cm.
• Build a greenhouse using a glass jar, be sure to ventilate, irrigate, water, keep a temperature of 25 ° C.
• When new shoots appear, it will become clear: rooting was successful. Continue watering and irrigation, do not forget about acidified water. After a couple of months, the plants can be opened and accustomed to the conditions of the apartment.

With due attention, almost all seedlings are accepted.

How to cut an azalea, the video will tell:

Growing azaleas from seeds at home

Sowing seeds is a rather difficult method used for breeding new varieties and is not recommended for home use. However, many enthusiasts are successful in growing rhodendrons from seeds.

Azalea seeds photo

Armed with patience, begin sowing azalea seeds in January-February. Fry the prepared soil in the oven and cool it down, this procedure will protect the plants from many diseases.Seeds are spread over the surface of the substrate at a distance of 1.5-2 cm, sprinkled with water and covered with a transparent lid or bag. The optimum temperature for germinating azalea seeds is 18-22 ° C. The containers are initially shaded with an opaque material.

When seedlings appear, they are provided with good lighting, but the shelter has not yet been removed. Thin shoots after a while need to be strengthened: with a leg height of 2-3 cm, peat is carefully poured between them. So new roots will form, and the seedlings will not thin out and will not grow.

Seedlings of azaleas from seeds photo

When 3-5 true leaves appear, the plants are seated separately in cups, still providing greenhouse conditions (they cover the glasses with bags). Only when the bushes grow up and get stronger, it will be possible to gradually accustom them to an independent life without shelter, removing it first for a while, and then for good.

Video about sowing and growing azaleas from seeds:

The successful experience of enthusiastic florists confirms: it is really possible to grow an azalea from seeds, you just need to put in a little more effort. The process is not difficult, but it requires patience and diligence.

How to transplant an azalea and divide a bush

How to propagate an azalea by dividing a bush photo

Azalea bushes grow over time, they become cramped in the allotted pot. So it's time to start transplanting and dividing. Water the plant well and let sit for a few hours. After that, carefully remove the pot from the earthen clod and try, without damaging the roots, to divide the bush into separate parts. Azalea roots are superficial, rather fragile. We try to choose a wide, stable pot, in which the plant will have room to grow wider.

Diseases and pests

Diseases:

Unfortunately, azalea is prone to many diseases of indoor flowers: powdery mildew, gray rot, rust, etc., but everything is cured with appropriate drugs that are easy to buy at a flower shop.

Pests:

Greenhouse whitefly, with an accompanying soot fungus covering the leaves, viral infections that come with the pest; mealybug leads to almost death. Moths, caterpillars - eat leaves; strawberry mite - leads to curling leaves, buds shrinking; flat red mite - coloring the leaves in a brown color, falling off.

Azalea is quite picky and troublesome to care for, but having mastered the nuances, providing favorable conditions, you will receive a plant of unique beauty, covered with outlandish flowers. With proper care, the plant will not undergo diseases, it will acquire a beautiful shape and will delight with magnificent flowering from year to year.

Types of home azaleas with photos and descriptions

The enchanting azalea, called Azalea in Latin, is a representative of the rhododendron genus, the heather family, and constitutes a group of species that was previously only a separate genus of plants.

Giving flowering in cold winter, filling the house with spring mood, azalea, also called rhododendron - "rose tree", enjoys overwhelming success among flower growers.

In its natural environment, azalea rises in Japan, China, southern Europe and North America, including Southeast Asia. Revered in the East as a symbol of joy and peace, popular for composing bonsai. Flowering is striking in its beauty and variety: simple or double flowers, corrugated or fringed, white, red, all kinds of shades of pink, purple or variegated. This miniature, compact, well-branched bush has a flowering period that comes sooner or later.

The ancestors of home breeding of azaleas were two original species:

Indian azalea or azalea rhododendron sims Rhododendron simsii

Indian azalea or azalea rhododendron sims Rhododendron simsii photo

Shoots are covered with bristles, charming flowers 3.5 cm in diameter, funnel-shaped, two-colored, may be speckled.

Japanese azalea or rhododendron blunt Rhododendron obtusum

Japanese azalea or rhododendron blunt Rhododendron obtusum photo of flowers

It has glossy casting, funnel-shaped large flowers with a diameter of 3-5 cm. Along with sakura, it is a national plant of Japan, constantly used by Japanese gardeners.

The two described species - dwarf bushes, reaching 30-50 cm, are often used not just as a houseplant, they form popular bonsai-style compositions of them.

Azalea is a highly branching shrub from the Heather family, which blooms lush in winter. An ornamental plant with a huge number of bright flowers captivates the hearts of almost all gardeners, including beginners. However, it is necessary to study the nuances of how to care for an azalea at home in order to extend its life cycle and flowering.

Azalea: adaptation period after purchase

Often, the new owner of an azalea, purchasing it in a store or receiving it as a gift in a blooming state, after a short period of time observes how a gorgeous "bouquet" in a pot begins to dry, dropping flowers and foliage, and then dies.

In order to prevent the development of such a scenario, it is necessary to acclimatize the plant in new conditions:

1. When a flower enters the apartment, the condition of the earthen coma is examined.
2. If mold is detected, the soil is treated with a fungicide or manganese solution.
3. If the lump is dry, then the flower pot is placed in a bowl of water for 20-25 minutes.
4. Then the azalea is located in a semi-shaded place with a temperature not higher than 18 ° C and gradually gets used to the new lighting regime.
5. With the help of a spray gun, an artificial increase in the level of moisture close to natural for a flower is carried out.

Quarantine conditions

To avoid the possibility of contamination of other indoor plants with infections and pests, azalea is kept in quarantine for 14 days, the main conditions of which are:

• constant monitoring of the condition of the plant;
• timely processing of a flower, in case of detection of pathogens or pests.

Do I need an azalea transplant after the store?

The azalea flower must be transplanted into a new substrate after flowering and acclimatization to new conditions.

The reasons for this need are:

• a high concentration of macro- and microelements in the old soil, which stimulate the splendor of the bush and abundant flowering;
• rotting of the earthen coma due to the frequent overflow of the plant in the flower shop to maintain the elasticity of the leaves and extend the flowering period.

Requirement for soil and pot

Because of the culture's love of acidic soils, it is better to purchase a substrate for cultivating azaleas at a flower shop. However, if you wish, you can prepare it yourself by mixing rotted needles, moss and sand in a 2: 1: 1 ratio. The pot is selected low and wide, at the bottom of which a drainage layer is placed to prevent stagnation of water.

Due to the fragility of the root system, a representative of the heather is transplanted by transshipment in such a way that the root collar remains half a centimeter above the ground level.

How to take care at home?

Caring for indoor azalea, which will provide the flower with a long life and abundant flowering, provides for the creation of growing conditions similar to natural ones.

Lighting

To provide azaleas with diffused light without access to direct sunlight, the pot is placed on the windowsills of the eastern or northern windows. In the second half of autumn, when the budding phase of the plant is noted, artificial lighting is organized using a phytolamp.

With a lack of light in the autumn-winter period, the flower can shed its foliage.

Temperature regime

The parameter plays an important role, since it is rather difficult to ensure its optimal level.

• In summer, the temperature should not exceed 20 ° C, which is quite difficult to achieve without an air conditioner.
• In the winter season, optimum values ​​range from 15 to 18 ° C.
• During the budding and budding phase, the temperature should drop to 10-12 ° C.

Humidity

A representative of wet forests needs a high level of humidity, which can be provided in the following ways:

• installation of a humidifier in the room where the azalea is contained;
• daily spraying with a fine spray, excluding the flowering period;
• placing containers with water next to the flower, which will humidify the air and reduce the temperature in the room by several degrees, which is very important in summer.

Watering a flower

An important event for the care of a room azalea, during which there are a number of rules.

1. The flower is watered only with well-settled or filtered water, which does not contain chlorine.
2. Moistening is carried out regularly to prevent the soil from drying out by spraying the substrate or placing several ice cubes on its surface.
3. To stimulate flowering, 3 drops of lemon juice are added to the water for irrigation twice a month.

If overdrying did take place, the pot is placed in a bowl of water for several hours so that the root system absorbs the required volume of liquid.

Top dressing and fertilization

For the full development of an azalea, macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are required, which it can get from weekly feeding.

• In the spring-summer period, when the green mass grows, the plant is fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
• In the autumn-winter season, when budding and flowering are noted, fertilizing is carried out with phosphorus-potassium agrochemicals.

Post-flowering care rules

After the flowering phase has ended, the time comes for such events:

• Trimming and pinching. All faded inflorescences, weak and overgrown shoots, which will negatively affect future flowering, are removed, and new shoots are pinched over the second pair of true leaves.
• Transfer. For a young plant, it is carried out annually. As the bush matures, the interval between procedures increases to 3-4 years.

Pests, diseases and methods of dealing with them

The delicate flower is often attacked by harmful organisms. Among the diseases on azaleas, there are manifestations of powdery mildew, rust, fusarium and other rot, often caused by overflow. To combat such diseases, chemical preparations and transplantation into a new substrate are used.

The following pests stand out:

• azalea moth;
• greenhouse whitefly;
• mealybug;
• aphid;
• mite.

When populated with these pests, the crop must be immediately sprayed with an insecticidal preparation according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Reproduction of azaleas at home

The most common methods of flower reproduction are vegetative - cuttings and dividing the bush.

Cuttings

The procedure is complicated by poor rooting of cuttings, especially lignified ones.

If the florist still decides, then you need to follow this algorithm:

1. With the arrival of spring and until summer, cuttings are cut from semi-lignified stem shoots.
2. The cut sites are treated with charcoal for disinfection, and then with a growth stimulant that promotes rapid root formation.
3. A substrate with an acid reaction is prepared from a mixture of peat and moss and is calcined in an oven to destroy pathogens.
4. The prepared cuttings are placed in the substrate to a depth of 2.5 cm and covered with glass, which is periodically removed to moisten the plantings.
5. If the temperature is kept at 25 ° C, the cuttings take root in 3-5 weeks.
6. Upon completion of rooting, young specimens are seated in separate containers.

Dividing the bush

The most popular and easy-to-use method, in which:

• a bush that has reached three years old is removed from the pot;
• the freed rhizome is carefully divided into parts so as not to break the roots;
• Delenki with several roots and shoots are planted in prepared pots with a substrate special for azaleas.

The main problems when growing a plant

The cultivation of azaleas due to the flower's demands for creating almost natural growing conditions, even for experienced florists, can be fraught with various difficulties and questions:

• wrinkled leaves - insufficient watering or moisture;
• yellowing of leaf plates - clay soil or watering with tap water;
• short flowering - insufficient watering, dry air and high temperature conditions.

So, it is possible to cultivate an azalea at home, but for this you need to be patient and put in a certain amount of effort.

In this article, we will tell you how to grow at home and properly care for a very beautiful plant - an azalea.

A little about azaleas

Azalea is one of the most beautiful flowering indoor plants. The graceful azalea flowers do not leave indifferent even those who are not interested in houseplants. Azaleas need constant daily care, but even such a difficult content does not make the plant less popular among gardeners.

Azalea is an evergreen shrub that blooms for more than six months (November-May). India and China are considered to be the homeland of the plant. Currently, many varieties and hybrids of azaleas have been bred, which differ from each other in flowering, leaf shape, color.

By the timing of flowering, azalea varieties can be divided into 3 groups: late flowering, medium flowering and early flowering... If you buy azaleas of all types, then you can admire the flowering for about six months. In addition, the plant is usually divided into: garden and indoor.

How to care for an azalea

Transfer

Azaleas propagate by cuttings, while the age of the appendage is important - at least six months. Cuttings are cut after flowering, planted in the ground intended for azaleas. Cover the container with cuttings with a bag and water regularly. The shoots take root within 1.5 months, after which they are seated in individual pots.

Azalea soil is preferable with an acidic reaction, containing peat, sand and substrate for conifers. Do not forget about the expanded clay layer in the bowl.

The plant is transplanted at the moment of rest, after the end of flowering. The transplant should be carried out with the utmost care, trying not to injure the thin roots. When choosing a pot for an azalea, you should pay attention to its root system. It is superficial, which means flat wide bowls are preferable. Adult azaleas need a transplant every 3-4 years, and young ones - once a year.

Top dressing

Like any plant, azalea needs fertilization for the entire period of growth and flowering. It is better to feed the plant in summer, using a special complex fertilizer for azaleas. Remember to observe the two week interval. It is necessary to feed during this period because after flowering, the formation of flower buds of the next year begins. It will not be superfluous to feed the azalea during the period of bud formation. To do this, dissolve 15 g of superphosphate in a liter of water. Watering with water with the addition of citric acid (about 2 g) also has a positive effect.

Watering

Azalea is a plant that requires abundant and regular watering. But at the same time, waterlogged soil is detrimental to the root system of the azalea. Spraying green shoots is a necessary daily procedure. This helps the plant maintain the required temperature regime. Water and spray with cool water.

Creation of comfortable conditions

The optimum temperature for keeping azaleas is 13 to 21 ° C. The plant does not tolerate an increase in air temperature; it usually reacts with wilting of leaves.It is quite difficult to maintain the required temperature, but you can go for a little trick - to spread the pieces of ice near the bowl or in the bowl (but only along the edge).

During the flowering period, the azalea needs additional lighting.

Diseases dangerous for azaleas

When growing azaleas, some problems may arise:

1. Azalea leaves fall - in this case, increase watering. If the foliage first turns yellow and then falls off, then there is clay in the water or earth.

2. A shorter flowering period indicates dry indoor air.

3. The emerging spider mite also signals low humidity and high temperature. To get rid of the tick, it is enough to rinse the azalea leaves and treat with an insecticide. And, of course, create the necessary weather conditions.

Irina ASTASHOVA

Azalea (rhododendron) is rightfully on the list of the most beautiful indoor plants. Bright flowers bloom during the height of winter, creating a unique atmosphere in the room. However, this beauty is very whimsical and requires constant attention.

Who is Azalea

The homeland of the azalea (or rhododendron) is the humid high-altitude regions of the northern hemisphere. In nature, the height of these plants ranges from 10 cm to 10 m.

When in the middle of the 18th century the Swedish scientist Karl Linnaeus described 3 evergreens and 6 deciduous plants from this family, he attributed the former to rhododendrons, and the latter to azaleas. Since then, rhododendrons that are grown indoors (at home or in greenhouses) are called azaleas.

The plant is quite whimsical. However, all care efforts justify the luxurious flowers that the azalea bestows on its owners.

The stems and leaves of the plant are poisonous, you should protect the azalea from small children and pets.

Azalea blooms very beautifully

Azalea varieties

• Indian. The main ancestor of indoor azalea varieties is a natural species of Indian rhododendron, or Simsa, which grows in humid mountain forests. He initiated many diverse hybrids. The flowers are large, bright, pink-red, up to 5 cm in diameter, usually arranged in 2-6 in the leaf axils. There are also other colors: white, yellow, red, cream, as well as two-tone.
• Japanese. The flowers are smaller than those of the Indian. Japanese azalea is grown in the garden mainly in regions with a mild and humid climate. The flower color is white, lilac, pink, red and red-orange.
• Deciduous varieties. A series of hybrid varieties descended from the Pontic azalea. These are shrubs 1–1.5 m in height. The flowers are very bright: white, yellow, orange, red, pink. They bloom at the same time or before the leaves bloom. Winter-hardy, can withstand temperatures down to -29 ° C.

Photo gallery: azalea varieties

Living conditions in different seasons (table)

Planting and transplanting

As a rule, the azalea is bought or given in bloom. After the plant has bloomed, the plant needs to be transplanted.

Indoor plants are rarely found that need acidic soil with a pH of 4–4.5. For planting, it is better to buy special soil for azaleas (or acidophilic plants, i.e. those who love acidic soil), since it is rather difficult to collect it on your own. Don't forget about the drainage at the bottom of the pot.

When transplanting, tender roots do not need to be freed from the ground

The root system of the azalea is shallow, so you need a pot that is shallow and wide. The roots are very delicate, so the azalea is transplanted by transshipment of an earthen coma. Then they simply add the required amount of earth to the new pot.

Azaleas up to 3 years old are transplanted annually in late spring, and older ones - 1 time in 2 or 3 years.

Azalea care

Watering

The soil in the pot should always be moist - not soggy. For watering, it is ideal to use rain or melt water, in the absence of such - settled. Since azaleas love an acidic environment, you can periodically add lemon juice to the irrigation water (5-7 drops per 1 liter of water).Many gardeners use this method of watering: they pour it not into a pot at the root, but into a tray, and the plant itself “draws out” the required amount of water.

There must be a pallet under the pot of the azalea - you need to pour water into it

Top dressing

For feeding, you should use a special fertilizer for azaleas. Top dressing mode: in spring and summer - weekly (you need to prepare fertilizer in accordance with the instructions). In winter and autumn, when buds are being formed, the plant should be watered with a superphosphate solution (15 g of substance per 10 l of water).

The best fertilizer for azaleas is a special fertilizer that can be purchased at a flower shop.

Pruning

Correct timely pruning of the azalea bush is the key to high-quality abundant flowering. Pruning is done in May. New shoots are pinched in such a way that 4–5 leaves remain on them. If a shoot appears near a flower bud, it is cut off.

You can choose the type of crown - tree or bushy. To get a small tree, you need to choose the strongest branch (this will be the trunk), cut off the rest of the shoots. For stability, the trunk should be tied to a support. When the height of the shoot reaches the desired size, the tip is pinched, after which the plant begins to branch. After that, you need to sometimes turn the plant, pinching the shoots, achieving the shape of a ball.

Pruning allows you to give the plant different shapes

To form a bush, the shoots are pinched at a distance of 10 cm from the ground. For uniform development of the branches, the pot is turned from time to time.

In subsequent years, this form is maintained; it is also necessary to remove weak, too thickening crown and unhealthy branches.

Bushy azalea

Flowering period

Azalea flowers are magnificent - their decorativeness attracts florists. Cut flowers keep fresh for a long time, one inflorescence may well replace a bouquet. The plant blooms in winter, bringing spring freshness to winter weekdays.

The bud, swelling, releases 2–4 buds. When the flowers wither, they must be removed along with the peduncles, then the bush will delight with flowering longer. You also need to remove the seed pods, as the plant expends energy to ripen the seeds.

Blooming azaleas are an amazingly beautiful sight

Dormant period

In late spring, when flowering ends, a dormant period begins for the azalea. The plant is pruned, transplanted if necessary, harvested in partial shade or taken out into the garden. Watering, spraying and feeding is not stopped.

After flowering, the plant is pruned, if necessary, transplanted, removed in partial shade

Table: care errors and how to fix them

Photo gallery: problems with growing azaleas

Reproduction

Azalea reproduces:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• dividing the bush.

Seed propagation is difficult and difficult, this method is used by professionals.

At home, the best way to propagate an azalea is by cuttings.

1. For reproduction, you need a semi-lignified stalk 5–8 cm long (you need to cut them from May to August).

   Cuttings are harvested after flowering

2. Treat the fresh cut with a root formation stimulator (Kornevin, Heteroauxin).
3. Plant vertically, deepening 2 cm into an acidic substrate (for example, sphagnum peat).

   Cuttings are planted vertically, burying 2 cm into the ground

4. Cover with a jar or film, periodically remove the cover for watering and spraying.

   For better rooting, you need to arrange a greenhouse for the cutting

5. In the greenhouse, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 25 ° C, the lighting should be good.
6. The cuttings will take root in 1 month.

Azalea grown from cuttings will delight you with its flowering in 2 years.

Video: rooting azaleas

Splitting the bush

Azalea can also be propagated by dividing the bush. When transplanting with the utmost care, a 3-4-year-old bush is divided in two and planted in another pot.

Florist reviews

The most important rule that I have determined for myself is watering only in the pallet, and abundantly, especially in summer.Now, in preparation for flowering, he drinks water from the sump in front of our eyes in a matter of minutes. And the second is the obligatory removal of dry twigs, yellowed leaves, faded and unblown buds after flowering, and pinching the upper branches so that the plant will again delight you with its flowering. Otherwise, caring for her is not particularly difficult, the main thing is to choose the right place, she does not like dry air, does not like direct sunlight.

Many acquaintances tell me that the azalea does not take root in them, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, they cannot wait for the beginning of flowering. I usually have a pot with this flower in the kitchen, on the windowsill, under which the battery does not pass, and even then in winter we often have the battery disconnected in the kitchen. Therefore, the flower is comfortable, not hot or cold. And from May to October, the azalea stands on the loggia, as it does not tolerate the heat well, and at night it is cooler there. Azalea requires regular watering, the soil should be moist all the time. Sometimes I put the pot in the bathroom and water from the shower with fine nozzles. When the plant gets too hot, I take ice from the fridge and cover the pot.

Azalea is a very whimsical flower. It definitely doesn't suit me, I have a huge number of plants, but I don't want an azalea. She needs constant, daily care. As a rule, we are all in a hurry and sometimes there is simply no time to take care of. And so the flower is insanely beautiful, there are so many varieties of it, they are all beautiful! My friend has azalea, but she is very meticulous and pedantic in character, she constantly fertilizes and sprays her. And that, in gratitude to her, blooms twice a year with a beautiful big hat. She never waters the azalea, she always pours water into the sump. She also does not recommend turning the plant, in general it is better not to move or rearrange. Azalea is very susceptible to various diseases.

Video: the nuances of growing azaleas

So, the azalea turned out to be a rather capricious plant. However, her tenderness and beauty justify the effort and time spent. Correctly organized temperature regime, competent watering and feeding, timely pruning and transplanting - and the bush will give the florist a wonderful abundant flowering.

I never cease to be convinced that life is beautiful. Rate the article:

(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5)