Azalea

Azalea is one of the most beautiful indoor plants because it blooms very abundantly. However, flower growers often complain that after a short time after acquiring such a flower, it dies. The fact is that azalea is a rather capricious plant. In order to prevent the flower from drying out and dropping foliage, it is necessary to try to create the most suitable conditions for growing such a crop. Only if you provide azaleas with proper care, it will bloom very effectively and magnificently.

Features of azalea

Azalea is a dwarf flowering plant that is branched and evergreen. It comes from China and Japan, but in nature this plant can be found even in North America and in southern Europe. This indoor flower belongs to the genus of rhododendrons. From the Greek language "rhodon" is translated as "rose", and "dendron" - "tree". Therefore, rhododendron can be translated as "rosewood". In translation from the ancient Greek language "azalea" means "dry". The name of this plant is associated with its appearance, it is a small dry shrub.

Azalea appeared on the territory of Russia only at the beginning of the twentieth century, and at first it was grown only in greenhouses or botanical gardens. In natural conditions, there are about 350 species of this plant. However, only two of them are grown at home, and Indian azalea is the most popular. This species is an evergreen shrub, the height of which does not exceed half a meter. Short petiolate small leaf plates of a dark green color, their length is no more than 35 millimeters. There are pale red hairs on the surface of the leaves. Flowering is observed in winter, with flowers reaching 30-50 millimeters across. Japanese azalea is also an evergreen shrub, its height can vary from 0.3 to 0.5 meters. Its glossy leaf plates are very small. This one differs from the previous species in the size of the flowers, they are much smaller. This species can be grown in the garden.

The bloom of a room azalea is distinguished by its splendor. She begins to bloom at the age of 3 or 4 years. Most often, her flowers are painted in a deep pink color, but they can be bright red, lilac, snow-white, purple, and there are also two-color ones. In flowers, petals are weakly double, double and even. Dark green leaf plates are relatively small.

If you are buying a lush blooming azalea bush, then in this case it is recommended to choose one that has many unopened buds. The fact is that such a flower adapts much faster to new conditions, and its flowering will be long, lush and spectacular. Another purchased copy must be subjected to a thorough examination, while trying to identify signs of disease or the presence of pests, if any. Tilt the bush slightly, if you see dried leaves, this may mean that the flower is sick or has been improperly looked after.

Azalea care at home

If the azalea grown at home is properly cared for, it will bloom very abundantly, beautifully and for a long time.

Lighting

After the flower is bought, he needs to find the most suitable place in the house. This plant is photophilous, but it needs protection from the scorching direct rays of the sun. In this regard, for its cultivation, you should choose an east-facing window sill; a window located on the north or west side is also suitable. It is also important to take into account that the lighting must be necessarily diffused, but the azalea feels quite well in partial shade. In October and November, when the plant is forming buds, it will need a lot of light. Good lighting can be provided by illuminating the flower with fluorescent lamps.

Temperature

The correct temperature regime is also very important when growing crops like azalea. This home-grown flower is not a thermophilic one. The optimum temperature for growing it is from 15 to 18 degrees. During the formation of buds, he will need a lower temperature - 10-12 degrees. If the correct temperature regime is maintained when growing azaleas, then the flowering will be lush, spectacular and long-lasting. In summer, it is especially difficult to maintain the required temperature. Experienced flower growers recommend moving it to the balcony at this time, but it should not be located on the south side. If the room has an air conditioner, then you need to try to make sure that the air temperature in it is no more than 20 degrees.

Humidity

Such a plant needs to provide increased air humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to spray it relatively often from a sprayer, and for this use cool water. During the flowering period, spraying the bush should be done with great care, because if moisture gets on the surface of delicate flowers, they can begin to darken. Also, to increase the humidity around the plant, it is recommended to put several open containers filled with water. In the summertime, if desired, the azalea can be transferred to fresh air, for example, place it in the garden. In winter, when the heating season begins, maximum attention must be paid to the level of air humidity.

How to water

Proper watering is also very important when growing indoor azaleas. It has a strong influence on both the growth and vegetation of such a shrub. It is distinguished by a special demand for watering, and in order to avoid the death of the bush, you must clearly follow the following rules:

• it is necessary to water the plant systematically, while during the flowering period, watering should be very abundant;
• in no case should the earthen lump in the pot dry out, if this happened, then the plant, together with the pot, must be immersed in a container filled with slightly lukewarm water for 2 hours, during which time the required amount of moisture will be absorbed into the soil;
• the substrate should be slightly damp all the time;
• excessive wetting of the substrate must also be excluded;
• it is imperative to pour out the drained water from the pallet, otherwise rhizome decay may occur;
• if tap water is used for irrigation, then it is necessary that it settle for at least 2 days, during which time the chlorine evaporates and cannot harm the shrub;
• it is best to water the azalea with melt water, which should be cool;
• to make the flowering more abundant, the bush needs to be watered once every 2 weeks (not more often) with a mixture consisting of settled water and 2 or 3 drops of lemon juice.

The soil

For growing room azaleas, experts recommend using acidic soil, while its pH should be in the range of 4-4.5. If desired, you can purchase soil mixture in a specialty store, which is ideal for growing such a plant. Also, the soil mixture can be easily made at home with your own hands, for this you need to combine moss, rotted needles and sand, which are taken in a ratio of 1: 2: 1.

Pinching and trimming

In order to form a beautiful and very lush bush, as well as for more abundant flowering, the plant must be provided with proper care. And for this, you need to prune and pinch the regrown shoots in time. When the shrub has faded, it will be necessary to cut off all single flowers that have already wilted. In May, you should begin to regularly prune the young, recently grown stems, and you also need to pinch them very carefully. If you trim and pinch correctly, as well as in a timely manner, it will be possible to ensure that the buds form at the tips of the stems. To cut the azalea, experts advise, with a specially designed pruning shears. It is not necessary to prune all the branches of the shrub without exception. Only those that are excessively stretched can be trimmed. Most often, the appearance of young leaf plates is noted after about half a month after the pruning.

Fertilizers and growth stimulants

It is necessary to feed azalea grown in room conditions with mineral fertilizers. It is very important to take into account that the fertilizer used should not contain chlorine. The fact is that he is able to destroy such an indoor flower. To avoid unnecessary difficulties and problems, experienced florists recommend buying a fertilizer called "Azalea" in a specialized store. In the spring and summer period, feeding should be quite frequent, so, they should be arranged 1 time in seven days, while it is impossible to feed the flower more often. With the onset of winter, the amount of fertilizing is sharply reduced, at this time it is necessary to apply fertilizers only once a month. After the budding and flowering period begins, to feed the room azalea, you will need to use such a fertilizer, which contains the required amount of substances such as phosphorus and potassium. For example, at this time, you can use Kemiru-lux or Uniflor-bud for feeding.

Azalea transplant

Experienced growers recommend transplanting this shrub immediately after it fades for the first time. The transplant should be carried out very carefully and for this you need to use the transshipment method, while it is imperative to preserve the integrity of the earthen coma. The fact is that the roots of a room azalea are extremely thin and fragile, and therefore during transplantation they can be very easily injured, which is highly undesirable. The plant should be transplanted into a not very deep flower pot, in this case the roots will be relatively close to the surface of the substrate. Experts recommend that young specimens should be transplanted annually, and older ones - once every 3 years. In transplanted plants, it is imperative to remove dried flowers, stems and branches.

Azalea propagation

Azalea propagates by stem cuttings. It is advisable to do this in the summer. To do this, semi-lignified cuttings with existing buds are planted in the ground, it is advisable to cover with a glass jar, a plastic bag. Watering and spraying is abundant and regular. If flower buds appear, they are immediately removed. After a couple of months, when the cuttings are rooting, they must be planted in a pot. Elongated shoots are pinched on rooted cuttings to form a crown.

Diseases and pests of azaleas

Diseases appear due to improper care:

• insufficient watering of the plant,
• sun exposure,
• increase in room temperature,
• where is this flower,
• lack of light
• wrong soil.

Azalea diseases

• If the leaves are withered, yellow, and fall off, then the cause is a lack of watering of the plant or exposure to the sun. If you start to follow the rules of watering, spraying and lighting, then the problem will disappear.
• If rust or gray rot appears, then it is necessary to create a temperature comfortable for the flower for existence and cut off the spoiled leaves.
• If her flowers only turn yellow, begin to wither and fall off, it means that watering is taking place with poor-quality water. This can be corrected by irrigation with boiled water with specialized fertilizers.
• Due to an excess of moisture in the soil, azalea is most often affected by late blight, which leads to the death of the indoor plant.

Pests

Spider mites, scabbards, strawberry mites - pests that can spoil indoor azalea. To fight, it is necessary to process the home flower with special means. First you need to do the treatment of the foliage with soapy water, then rinse with warm water and then you need to spray it with the purchased product (for example, actellik solution)

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