Azalea home care, transplant after purchase

Azalea is a group of plants belonging to the genus Rhododendron. They are characterized by abundant flowering and high decorativeness. If such a flower has appeared in the house for the first time, the question arises of how to care for an azalea.

Azalea - home care after purchase

Having brought a plant into the house, you should not immediately free it from the store wrapper. The flower needs some time to get used to the new microclimate. After about half an hour, the flower can be deployed.

Do I need an azalea transplant after the store

After purchase, the plant is transplanted. The pot is selected wide and shallow, larger in size than the shipping container in which the azalea lived in the store.

Lovely and capricious azalea

If the new bush is in bloom, you must wait until this period ends. At the same time, inflorescences with withered flowers are removed so that the plant does not expend energy on the formation of seeds.

Often in stores they offer mixes of azaleas. Two different varieties live in the same pot. It looks very nice, but it is recommended to plant such mixes.

Transplant procedure:

1. They get a lump of earth with roots from a store container.
2. To free the roots from the old substrate, place them in a container of water. Gradually, the water will soak the lump and wash away the "chemistry" added when growing azaleas for sale.
3. Remove rotten, damaged roots. Shorten healthy roots by about a centimeter.
4. Drainage (for example, expanded clay) is laid at the bottom of the pot, and then a layer of disinfected pine bark. The bark will lower the pH of the substrate and create an acidic environment for the roots.
5. Transplanted into fresh soil.

Where to place the azalea - choosing a place for a flower

The place of residence for the plant is selected taking into account the following parameters:

• A well-lit window sill on the east or north side. There should be plenty of light, but direct sunlight can scorch the azalea.
• High humidity (60-70%).
• Low temperature. + 12-15 ° C will be the optimal temperature regime.

Choosing a place for a flower is a crucial step

How long does the adaptation period of an indoor flower last and how to soften it

You can confidently say that the flower has adapted to the new conditions after the new settler has completely bloomed and gives fresh shoots.

During this period, care should be especially careful. Temperature, humidity and lighting should be ideal. Treatment with the drug "Epin-extra" can support the vitality of the plant. It will make the natural defense mechanisms of the plant work, increasing the resistance to unfavorable environmental factors.

Home care basics for azaleas

Which pot to choose

The root system of an azalea is of a surface type, which is why a shallow and wide pot is chosen for it.

What soil is ideal for azaleas

Soil requirements:

• ease;
• breathability;
• moisture capacity;
• a sufficient amount of macro and microelements;
• acidic pH (4.0-5.5);
• free of pests and pathogens;
• the presence of live beneficial microflora.

It is an art to make your own mixture with such properties. It is easier and faster to buy ready-made soil mixture for azaleas. When buying, pay attention to the composition: the most suitable mixture is the one that contains heather soil. You can plant the azalea in a mixture of peat and pine needles, pre-treated with steam.

How to water an azalea at home

Tap water is used for irrigation, it needs to be defended for 48 hours. The water temperature should be 1-2 degrees above room temperature.

Watering frequency depends on many conditions: soil composition, air humidity, pot volume and material, plant size and many others. In any case, watering is carried out only when the surface of the substrate is dry. Watering too often leads to acidification of the soil and subsequent decay of the plant roots. Azalea also does not like to dry.

Spraying azalea flowers

Air temperature

Azalea prefers coolness. The optimum temperature for keeping is 12-15 ° C. In winter, during the period of active flowering, it is not difficult to maintain such a temperature. It is enough to isolate the window sill from the radiator.

In summer, the problem is more difficult to solve. You need to know how to care for an azalea in order for the flower to survive the hot summer. It only helps that during this period the plant is dormant. Potted bushes are placed in the shade outdoors.

In October-December, when the buds are laid, the temperature in the room with azaleas is maintained at + 6-8 ° C. In some cases, the plants are moved to the refrigerator for this time. Such "hardening" can help a weakened plant to regain strength.

Top dressing and fertilizers

There is a wide variety of specialized fertilizers for azaleas on sale. Their composition is balanced, they are usually used from spring to autumn. To stimulate budding, phosphorus and potassium supplements are used, for example, Kemira, Uniflor. These supplements are only needed in the fall!

Top dressing rules:

• Top dressing begins in March to help the plant regain strength after flowering.
• In spring, nitrogen predominates in the composition of dressings - to build up green mass.
• From the end of summer - most of the fertilizers should be potassium-phosphorus.
• Blooming azalea is fertilized once every 14 days.

Top dressing must be applied in a dissolved form, otherwise chemical burns of the roots cannot be avoided.

Secrets of long blooming azaleas

With proper care and optimal conditions, an adult azalea will delight with flowering up to three months a year.

The beginning of a long flowering azalea

The following actions will help to achieve long and abundant flowering:

• At the beginning of flowering, be sure to feed the flower with potash fertilizer.
• Abundant watering, bright diffused lighting, air temperature + 12-15 ° C. For example, at a temperature of +20 ° C, azalea blooms for only two weeks, and at +12 ° C for two months
• During the period when flower buds are laid, the temperature should not be higher than + 6-80C. The higher the temperature during this period, the fewer buds the plant will lay.
• The bush needs to be shaped, pinched. Young shoots should not have more than 4-5 leaves.
• During flowering, flourishing buds are removed in a timely manner, they block the opening of new flowers.

Diseases and pests - what preventive measures to take

Let's consider the main problems, their causes and solutions:

• Falling foliage. The reasons may be drafts, a sharp drop in temperature. Also, leaf fall causes aphids, mealybugs, spider mites.
• Yellowing of the leaves. It happens due to lack of light, lack of nitrogen, insufficient watering. Of the pests, the azalea moth leads to such consequences.
• Blackening of the leaves. Cold water for irrigation. The foliage and trunk turn black with fusarium. This fungal disease can be cured only at the initial stage by treating with Fundazol. When fusarium is started, the plant cannot be saved.
• Fungal diseases. They appear on plants weakened by disturbances in thermal and water regimes (they are cold and too wet). If you suspect a fungal infection, the azalea should be isolated, the window sill should be treated with a fungicide.

Withering of flowers and leaves is a sign of a disease

If spots, traces of rot or plaque appear, then the plant is affected by one of the fungal diseases. Fungal diseases in the early stages are treated with fungicides or soapy water.

Pests

The main pests and methods of controlling them are shown in the table:

Features of care during the rest period

In the summer, during the dormant period, the plant gains strength for subsequent flowering.

The flowering period - what to do during this time and after

At the beginning of flowering, the flower is fed with potash fertilizer. Blooming azaleas are kept cool. Anything that has faded is immediately removed.

After the end of flowering, fertilizing is carried out with complex fertilizer.

You can form a plant by cutting. The purpose of this procedure is a voluminous crown with evenly spaced flowers. Azalea buds are laid in early autumn at the tops of the shoots. The more tops, the more magnificent the flowering. By pinching the growth points, you can activate the branching and growth of a large number of new shoots.

A beautifully formed azalea is impressive and delightful

Pruning is carried out in late April - early May. It is necessary to shorten young shoots and cut off excess or weak branches. Extra shoots can be used for vegetative propagation.

What to do if leaves fall

If the falling leaves are yellow, then poor-quality watering or clay soil is to blame. In this case, watered with soft acidified water and arrange an azalea transplant.

The flower has thrown off green leaves - a spider mite has wound up on it. Treatment with acaricides will help.

Brown or black dried leaves are a sign of a fungal disease. Damaged shoots are removed and the plant, pot and windowsill are treated with fungicides.

Red leaf fall indicates either sunburn or nutritional problems. If the plant has never been fed and has red leaves on it, this indicates a lack of phosphorus.

Azalea care requires a lot of attention, time and effort, but it pays for bright and long flowering. The beautiful capricious will become the queen of the garden at your window.