Care for Azaleas - Tips for Beginners

For this plant to have not withered after the first flowering, a number of efforts must be made, and then the azalea will once again delight you with its beautiful blooms. The azalea flowers are most active in the winter months, this gives a certain advantage over other colors - pamper our eyes, blooming in the colder months.

The main rule of home care for azaleas is to maintain the appropriate temperature and soil moisture. Azaleas love coolness, the heat is for her can be harmful. During the formation of kidney flowers, usually, this happens in the autumn months, the air temperature should be maintained at 40 - 45°F, and during the flowering period the temperature should not exceed 64°F. The most favorable condition for azaleas - 50 - 60°F in the room. It is clear that to maintain this temperature in a residential building or apartment is quite difficult, so the flower can lie. For example, sweat covered with ice or immersed in cold water, often sprayed and watered with water, pre-cooled in the refrigerator.

Irrigate azaleas need soft water. For this you can boil it, but the best results are melted or rainwater. This flower requires a lot of attention and care, so watering azaleas should be done often, but do not overdo it. The soil in the pot should be constantly moist, but not raw and floating. Due to lack of moisture the plant may turn yellow, throwing flowers and leaves.

Azaleas love bright light, but away from direct sunlight should be protected. They will best suit a room with diffused light.

Remember that in the pan, there should always be water. If the room is too dry, the azaleas should be sprayed 2 times a day, but the drops should be quite small so as not to leave stains on flowering plants.

Caring for azaleas, as for any plant, includes specialized flower nutrition. With fertilizers it is better not to experiment, but to make a special fertilizer for azaleas, which are sold in stores.

There is one general rule for all azaleas - in early summer they are fed with fertilizers that contain more nitrogen, and from August until the end of flowering - phosphorus and potassium. Since azaleas love acidic soil, then once every 10 days add to the watering water a few drops of citric acid, it should almost not taste good.

During flowering this flower room does not like constant movements. They will best suit a well-lit room with windows to the south-west or south-east.

Remember that the azalea is afraid of strong heat, so keep it away from radiators and heat sources.

When spraying and watering, try not to touch the flowers and buds. Bleached flowers should be cleaned so that the azalea does not release the force of seed maturation.

An important rule for the care of azaleas is the proper and timely transplantation of a flower in a new pot. So, once the plant has bloomed, it must be transplanted to a new capacity. You need to remove all dried flowers, cut too vigorous young shoots, remove weak and dry twigs.

This procedure is done once every 3 years for adult plants once a year for younger ones. Remember that the azalea refers to the surface of the plant, so the pot should be wide but shallow.

Azaleas are propagated by cuttings. Cuttings are harvested either in the spring - from March to April, or in the summer - from July to August. In the summer, cuttings are prepared with plants pinched a year ago, as well as in the spring, with plants pinched in July of the previous year. On the other hand, if you can’t wait that much in order to enjoy the beauty of this gorgeous flower, just order an azalea plant right away!