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 appeared in the house for the first time, the question arises, how to care for azalea.

Azalea - home care after purchase

Having brought a plant into the house, do not immediately release 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 expanded.

Do I need an azalea transplant after the store

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

Beautiful and moody azalea

If the new bush is in bloom, you must wait until this period ends. At the same time, inflorescences with wilted 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 one pot. It looks very beautiful, but such mixes are recommended to be planted.

Transplant procedure:

1. They get a lump of land with roots from the store container.
2. To free the roots from the old substrate, place them in a container of water. Gradually, the water will soak a lump and wash the "chemistry" added when growing azaleas for sale.
3. Remove rotten, damaged roots. Healthy roots are shortened 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 a favorable acidic environment for the roots.
5. Transplanted into fresh soil.

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

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

• Well-lit windowsill on the east or north side. There should be a lot 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 indoor flower adaptation period take and how to soften it

It is safe to say that the flower has adapted to new conditions, it is possible after the newcomer completely fades and gives fresh shoots.

During this period, care should be especially thorough. Temperature, humidity and lighting should be ideal. Supporting the vitality of a plant can be treated with Epin-Extra. It will make the plant's natural defense mechanisms work, increasing its resistance to dysfunctional environmental factors.

Home Azalea Care Essentials

Which pot to choose

The root system of azaleas is of a superficial type, which is why the pot is chosen for it shallow and wide.

What soil is ideal for azaleas

Soil requirements:

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

Preparing yourself a mixture with such properties is a whole art. It’s easier and faster to buy ready-made soil mix for azaleas. When buying, pay attention to the composition: the most suitable mixture is the one in which there is heather land. You can plant azalea in a mixture of peat and pine needles, pre-treated with steam.

How to water azalea at home

Water for irrigation is used tap water, it needs to stand 48 hours. Water temperature should be 1-2 degrees above room temperature.

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

Spraying azalea flowers

Air temperature

Azalea prefers cool. The optimum temperature 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 azalea so that the flower survives the hot summer. It helps only that during this period the plant is at rest. Bushes in pots are placed in the shade outdoors.

In October-December, during the laying of buds, the temperature in the room with azaleas is maintained at + 6-8 ° C. In some cases, plants are transferred to the refrigerator at this time. This "hardening" can help a weakened plant regain strength.

Fertilizers and fertilizers

There is a wide selection 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 additives are needed only in the fall!

Feeding rules:

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

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

Secrets of long flowering azaleas

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

The beginning of long flowering azaleas

The following actions will help to achieve a long and plentiful flowering:

• At the beginning of flowering, a flower is necessarily fed 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 laying of flower buds, the temperature should not be higher than + 6-80C. The higher the temperature during this period, the less buds the plant will lay.
• The bush needs to be formed, pinched. On young shoots should not be 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

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 leaves. It happens due to lack of light, lack of nitrogen, insufficient watering. Of the pests leads to such consequences azalea moth.
• Blackening of the leaves. Cold water for irrigation. Foliage and trunk blacken with Fusarium. This fungal disease can be cured only at the initial stage by treating with the drug Fundazole. With fusarium running, the plant cannot be saved.
• Fungal diseases. Appear on plants, weakened by violations of the thermal and water regimes (they are cold and too wet). If a fungal infection is suspected, the azalea should be isolated, the window sill should be treated with a fungicide.

Withering of flowers and leaves is a sign of 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 a soap solution.

Pests

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

Features of care at rest

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

Flowering period - what should be done at this time and after

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

After flowering, fertilizing with complex fertilizer is carried out.

The plant can be formed by circumcision. The purpose of this procedure is a volumetric crown with evenly spaced flowers. Azalea buds are laid in early autumn on the tops of shoots. The more tops, the lush flowering. Pinching growth points, you can activate the branching and growth of a large number of new shoots.

Beautifully formed azalea is impressive and pleasing

Pruning is carried out in late April - early May. It is necessary to shorten young shoots and cut off excess or weak branches. Excess 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, pour soft acidified water and arrange an azalea transplant.

The flower dropped green leaves - a spider mite wound on it. Acaricide treatment will help.

Brown or black dried leaves are a sign of fungal disease. Remove damaged shoots and treat the plant, pot and windowsill with fungicides.

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

Caring for azalea requires a lot of attention, time and effort, but it pays with bright and long flowering. A beautiful whim will be the queen of the garden at your window.