Azalea: growing a bright beauty at home

When asked how to care for an azalea, even experienced gardeners answer that this flower is capricious and difficult to grow; caring for it requires patience and skill. But its decorative beauty, bright colors During the wild winter flowering, which brings spring into the house, azalea has become a popular and beloved representative of home flowers.

Indoor azalea - care at home

Having learned the features of how to care for an azalea flower at home, doing everything agrotechnical requirements, you can get a luxurious tree. In order for this beauty to blossom, it must be cared for carefully and regularly. The most important conditions in this process that must be ensured are the following:

Lighting. Azalea will not tolerate the scorching rays of the sun; it is necessary to create shaded conditions for it.
Humidity. The air should be humidified, especially in heating season, requires regular spraying.
Temperature. Azalea feels comfortable at +10-15°C; in autumn the temperature can be reduced to +6-8°C by placing the pot outside or on the balcony.
Watering. Drying out or waterlogging is destructive; the soil should be moderately moist.
Feeding. This flower is fertilized with an exclusively balanced, special complex.
Trimming and pinching. Such procedures are necessary for the correct formation of the bush and for the appearance of buds.
Transfer. Perform a transplant better method transshipment.
Reproduction. This summer event takes place using stem cuttings.

Caring for azaleas after purchase

When buying an azalea, choose a medium-sized bush; a large one will be difficult to adapt to; a small one may turn out to be weak. After bringing the flower into the house, let it stand for 30 minutes without removing the packaging. Growing and caring for azaleas at home begins with transplanting the plant; this should be done after 10-14 days of adaptation. When replanting, wash the roots well, removing the soil in which the plant was sold.

Place pots with plants on windows facing east, protected with a special film from the scorching rays of the sun. If after purchasing you see that the soil is dry and the pot is light, water the azalea with warm, settled water. In the first days after acquisition, the plant needs to be fed (zircon will do) and disinfected (using phytosporin).

Azalea - spring care

Having received a flower as a gift or purchased a flower in a store, find out how to properly care for an azalea; this should be done especially carefully in the spring. After the capricious beauty has bloomed, it needs to be carefully examined and dried flowers removed. After young shoots and leaves appear, pinch the tops, this will ensure intense flowering in the future.

Engage in pruning that allows you to shape the crown of the bush; an azalea in the shape of a ball is more impressive. If the crown is thick, you can thin it out; to do this, remove all shoots growing inward and weakened branches. Towards the end of spring, beginning of summer, it is time to transplant. Replant young azaleas (up to 3 years of age) every year in low and wide containers, starting from the fourth year - replanting is carried out after a year or two.

How to care for azalea in summer?

Summer is a good time to feed azaleas; potassium or ammonium sulfates are suitable for this. Experienced flower growers, giving advice on how to care for an azalea flower in the summer, recommend alternating top watering with bottom watering (by drawing moisture from the plant pan). The main summer problem that azalea lovers face is maintaining the temperature no higher than +15-17°C and the absence of drafts.

In summer, care for the flower and water it better in the morning, do this daily if the soil is dry, the container with the azalea can be placed in water for a short time (1-2 hours). Daily spraying is very important during this period, especially if the air in the room is dry. The period from late May to early August is favorable for propagating azaleas; this can be done by seeds, cuttings or division.

Caring for azaleas during flowering

Abundant flowering of azaleas can be observed if the tops of the stems are trimmed and pinched in a timely manner; if the bush is allowed to grow luxuriantly, the number of buds will decrease. When increasing the flowering period, you need to properly care for the plant, removing faded buds and seed boxes in time, otherwise they will weaken the plant, drawing juices out of it.

Caring for a blooming azalea requires strict adherence to the temperature required for it; the room should be cool. Unlike some houseplants, a flowering azalea pot can be moved and rotated without affecting the buds. After the flowers have appeared, the azalea stems can be supported with the help of additional supports, which are wooden slingshots.

How to care for an azalea after flowering?

When caring for a tired and weakened tree after flowering, do the following:

at the end of the process, replant it in acidic, loose soil, specially used for acidophilus;
after the flowering process has ended, prune the crown, shorten all last year’s shoots, remove weakened and heavily thickened branches;
caring for azaleas after flowering falls in the spring and summer of the year; during this period, regularly pin down the tops of new shoots, until July;
to relieve the flower from the heat, wrap the pot in damp moss, which you constantly spray to keep it moist and cool.

Azalea - home care, transplantation

Caring for azaleas, especially replanting them at home, is very important in the life of the plant. Best time for this purpose – the period immediately after flowering. Replanting should be done with great care, as this flower has a superficial root system. The soil ball located around the roots must not be disturbed, so use the transfer method, in which fresh soil is added to the existing root soil. Use flat containers to grow azaleas, plant the flower in them, lightly compact them and water the soil well.

Azalea pruning

The rules for caring for azaleas at home prescribe pruning, which is necessary for the further ideal development of the tree. Having learned how to care for an azalea, promptly cutting off excess and weakened branches, you will create a healthy tree with a beautifully formed crown for subsequent flowering. Experienced flower growers, using information from lunar calendar, choose the most favorable period after flowering for this event. Perform pruning with sharp pruning shears, which you wipe well with alcohol.

How to water an azalea at home?

Increased attention should be paid to how to water the azalea:

The flower is moisture-loving, so it is very important to monitor soil moisture. Dry soil will destroy an azalea, but too much moisture is also harmful to it.
It is better to have settled water for irrigation, even boiled; rainwater or distilled water would be an excellent option.
Do not allow excess liquid to stagnate in the pan; the azalea may die due to rotting of the roots.
Using tricks, some home plant lovers ensure azaleas have a cool temperature by using pieces of ice placed along the edges of the pot, melting cold water sometimes useful for azaleas.
During cold periods, when the temperature drops, watering is reduced; in summer, on the contrary, it is increased and sprayed frequently.
As noted above, alternate between watering the top layer of soil and moistening the soil with water from the pan.

The indoor azalea is a close relative of the rhododendron family. This bush plant impresses with its abundance of flowering: on bushes only 50 cm high, more than 300 flowers bloom. Thanks to their compact size, as well as abundant and long-lasting flowering, azaleas have become very popular as houseplants, but they need special care.

The most beautiful rhododendrons are in spring and early summer, when the branches are covered with large (about 4 cm in diameter) white, purple, purple-red, pink or yellow flowers.

Azalea flowers sometimes appear on the bushes earlier than the leaves, and flowering lasts for 3 weeks.

Azaleas, which grow in Southeast Asia, only took root in Europe in the early 19th century. Even 300 years ago, a Dutch wanderer brought an azalea seedling from the island of Java, but the plant died. The bush, brought 100 years later by another European scientist, also died. And only the Indian azalea, which was delivered from Britain, successfully took root in the London Botanical Garden. It was this species that became the basis for growing numerous varieties of indoor azaleas.

Azalea - home care

There are specific rules on how to care for azaleas at home. First of all, since the plant is a little capricious, azalea needs as natural conditions as possible.

The flower also needs individual approach in matters relating to water, light, soil, humidity and nutrients:

Caring for azaleas at home also includes temperature, which is no less important for the flower. You need to make sure that the room is cool enough. In winter, the temperature should not be lower than 12-14°C, but if planting and care are correct, the plant can grow at temperatures of 19-22°C above zero. In summer, the azalea can be taken out into the garden and placed in a cool place in the shade, but it is very important to move the flower into the house for acclimatization before the start of the heating season. At this time good place The kitchen can be used for plants in the house, since it is often quite humid.
Lighting. Indoor azalea blooms from February to April. This time corresponds to their biological cycle in the wild. In order for the cycle to always be correct, the plant needs to be illuminated additionally in winter using fluorescent lamps. This time flowering indicates that azalea, like any home flower, loves light, but in limited doses. The light should not be too bright (it is advisable to avoid frequent direct hits sun rays), but dim ones are also not welcome. It is best to find a “golden mean”.
Watering. It is equally important to know how to water an azalea so that it produces its beautiful blooms. Both the water itself and its quality and quantity are important. The soil should always be moist and never dry out. But if watering is too frequent, the azalea may also suffer and the flowering process will slow down. Settled water at room temperature is best. Rain or clean river water may also work.
To be sure not to harm the azalea and improve watering, you should spray it with a special dispenser or purchase an air humidifier. There is also a way by which you can find out whether watering and care are correct. indoor azalea. It consists in placing the pot with the plant in water (room temperature) for approximately 1.5 hours. During this time, the root will absorb all the water it needs, and all the excess will simply flow out. This procedure is recommended to be performed every week.
The soil. In order to create suitable conditions for azaleas, taking care of the acidity of the soil, especially at home, is simply necessary. In its natural environment, the flower grows only in acidic soils. To provide them for a houseplant, in flower shop You can buy special soil for azaleas. You should also acidify the soil - when watering, add a few drops of lemon juice to the water.
Fertilizers. In the hot season, it is recommended to fertilize the azalea, but only use liquid fertilizer. Thanks to feeding, azalea grows much faster and with more luxuriant blooms, and the leaf plates acquire richness. green color. That is why it is always useful to know what to feed an azalea and how to care for the flower.
Indian varieties are afraid of negative temperatures and are often damaged due to autumn frosts. The bark on them begins to lag behind the wood, the azalea becomes dehydrated, and its color dies. Therefore, growing azaleas at home is a beneficial necessity for them.
It is necessary to feed the flower in spring and summer. It is recommended to do this once every 2 weeks with special fertilizers for azaleas according to the instructions. You should also fertilize the plant during the period of budding and flowering, since at this time the azalea needs a larger amount of disease-causing minerals. In autumn and winter, you need to feed the plant once every 1 week with superphosphate in a proportion of 7 grams. for 5 liters.
Azaleas are transplanted into a relatively large pot. Young azaleas are replanted once a year, and adults - once every 3 years. Before planting a flower, it is necessary to prepare a substrate with peat soil, marsh or heather sand. The replanting process must begin by removing the flower from the flowerpot. Next, you should loosen the root ball, since the roots of the azalea are very thin and vulnerable, which is why there is no need to shorten them.

How to plant an azalea

The tips mentioned above are also suitable for both planting and growing azaleas. At the end of planting, the soil is compacted tightly, so the flower needs to be watered thoroughly and placed in a sufficiently lit place with good air exchange. To improve care in case of poor branching, young branches should be pinched. This promotes the formation of new shoots, their ripening by autumn, as well as the formation of flower buds.

Caring for azaleas during flowering

When azaleas bloom, it is necessary to remove all faded flowers and seed pods, since seed formation takes too much energy from the plant. If you take the flowering to a cooler place, it will multiply much better. It is also very important not to forget to pinch the shoots, leaving 4-5 leaf blades. Weak or damaged branches also need to be removed so that new young shoots can form.

In order for the home azalea to bloom beautifully, the plant needs pruning.

It is best to do it in the spring. At the same time, every year it is recommended to shorten the branches from the previous year. To form the main tree you will need to select strong branch. It will serve as the trunk of the trunk, and all other branches around it should be cut off. The main shoot can be tied up to even out its shape and growth.
Upon receipt the right size diameter of the trunk, the tip of the main shoot should be attached for the intensity of branching. The first 3-5 largest shoots form the skeleton of the azalea, so they also need to be pinched.

Azalea propagation

There are many methods of plant propagation. Each species is propagated in different ways: by seeds, spores, shoots, leaves or division of a bush. Any of these methods requires attention and adherence to a certain sequence. Seed propagation is the production of a new plant by pollination of two cells. An azalea grown from seed may have a completely different shape and color than its parent plant.

To get rich and beautiful plant When propagating by seeds, you need to pay attention to certain rules:

The seeds must be fresh;
Unused seed should be hidden (wrapped in paper or packaging) to protect it from moisture;
The germination time depends on the type of plant, therefore, if you want to speed up the growth of seeds, you need to soak them in warm water for approximately two days;
Prepare the ground. It should be neutral;
It is recommended to choose a vessel that is wide and has a lid, but not deep.

When planting seeds, it is very important not to forget about soil moisture; under no circumstances should it dry out. This is especially true for plants that grow at home.
If indoor flower Azalea grows at home and is properly and carefully cared for; diseases and pests appear on the plant extremely rarely.

Lush azalea bushes, abundantly strewn with large inflorescences, are the main decoration of our window sills. How to preserve such beauty so that the bush continues to delight with its unique flowering and grows actively? After all, very often, after purchase, plants brought home die either after they are transplanted or over time.

Do I need to replant the flower?

Of course, all newly acquired plants must be transplanted into new, nutritious soil, because most often in stores they grow in peat and are diligently fed. But this should not be done right away, because the azalea grew in completely different conditions and it needs time to get used to room temperature and air. Moreover, the bush is usually sold already in bloom.

It is better to postpone replanting a newly acquired plant until spring.

Where to place the flower?

If purchased in winter time, you should pay attention to creating it comfortable conditions, because this plant is very delicate and demanding. The flowerpot must be placed on the brightest window sill in the room.

In addition, to limit the flower from exposure to negative factors (dry air from the battery and cold air from window glass), follows:

Build protective screen from film, hanging it on inner side curtains and tucked behind the radiator. Dry hot air will now flow towards the room without affecting the bush.
Place a piece of foam under the pot to protect the roots from freezing.

How to care for an azalea?

One of the basic principles of care is regular watering. Azalea loves water very much, including high humidity air. To achieve this, you should spray the bush well on the leaf, covering the inflorescences with your hand.

In winter, you can also place the pot on a tray of water, after placing plugs under it from plastic bottles. During watering, water will flow through the drainage holes into the pan, and from there it will gradually evaporate, maintaining the necessary humidity around the plant.

What to do after flowering ends?

In the spring, when the azalea fades, it should be moved to a cool room or glassed-in loggia with a temperature of at least 6 degrees Celsius. There it will remain until the beginning of May, until growth processes begin.

And now it’s time to replant the flower, changing the soil and pot (if necessary). Be sure to lay drainage at the bottom of the flowerpot

When and how to feed?

During the period when the azalea is actively growing new shoots and leaves, it should be helped and fed with complex fertilizers. In flower shops wide choose such preparations specifically for azaleas. They can be applied no more than 2 times a month.

Fertilizing can only be done on a damp lump.

How to properly care for a purchased azalea - video

Ecology of knowledge: Azalea is a very beautiful, but rather capricious indoor plant, and when it appeared in the house, the question arises - how to care for a home azalea? Growing this beauty requires certain knowledge about the features of care.

Azalea is a very beautiful, but rather capricious indoor plant, and when it appears in the house, the question arises - how to care for a home azalea? Growing this beauty requires certain knowledge about the features of care. Because only with proper maintenance and care will the azalea delight you with its beautiful flowers.
Caring for the plant is not particularly difficult; if you decide to keep this beauty, you will have to follow certain rules for caring for it. All care rules are based on the characteristics of the plant’s growth in its natural environment. It just so happens that if you want a plant to grow and bloom, provide it with everything it needs, and it will thank you with lush flowers.

Lighting

Caring for an indoor azalea begins with a choice right place for its placement, and this in turn depends on the lighting necessary for the plant. Azalea does not tolerate direct sunlight; the ideal conditions for this plant are in diffused light or in partial shade. Thus, windows oriented to the north are suitable for growing this plant. In summer, it is recommended to take the plant out into the fresh air and keep it in partial shade. You can plant a flower in open ground, especially if you live in a mild climate and there is no significant drop in temperatures in winter. But when grown in open ground The azalea will need to be covered for the winter to protect it from frost, and in this case flowering will occur in the summer.

Air humidity

Azalea needs high air humidity, so the plant needs to be sprayed periodically. It is especially important to maintain high air humidity during the heating season in conditions modern apartment To do this, in addition to spraying, you can place containers of water around the plant.

Watering

Proper watering is a very important step in caring for your home azalea, and is very important for the growth and vegetation of the plant. Azalea is one of those flowers, when growing which one should not allow either waterlogging, stagnation of water in the pan, or drying out of the soil. That is, the soil should always be moist, but the pot must be equipped with good drainage, and the draining water must be promptly drained from the pan after watering.
For irrigation, you should ideally use rain, melt or river water. In the absence of one, you can of course use tap water, but it should be defended and passed through a filter.
Azalea loves an acidic environment, so for the benefit of the plant, water can be acidified using citric acid. For this acidification, add just a few crystals on the tip of a knife to the watering container. Azaleas should be watered with water at room temperature.
Since peat substrates are often used for planting azaleas, and when they dry out they turn into a very hard lump and do not allow the plant to grow freely, it is recommended to water the azalea using the immersion method. To do this, place the pot with the plant in a basin with prepared water for an hour, and then allow this water to drain thoroughly.

Azalea pruning

In greenhouses and greenhouses, watering of these plants is often organized by placing ice or snow on the ground; the snow or ice gradually melts, which ensures watering of the plant. But in the conditions of a modern apartment during the heating season, it is not a pity to do this, since a strong temperature difference between the roots and the crown of the plant can cause damage, especially to a flowering plant.
Temperature
The plant is quite demanding temperature conditions. In winter, for good flowering, the plant requires a constant temperature ranging from 12 to 14 ° C. But if air humidity is properly maintained, the plant can successfully grow and bloom even at 20-22 °C.

The soil

It’s true that the plant is picky; azaleas prefer acidic soil, which is rare for indoor plants. The ideal soil for it is heather, but it can be replaced with a mixture of coniferous and peat soil, in a 2:1 ratio, and add a little more river sand. This soil mixture can be purchased at finished form, it is called acidophilus mixture.
Azalea flowers care and fertilizer
Like all indoor plants, azalea needs feeding; in spring and summer, the plant needs to be fed every 7-10 days. Fertilizing can be done either with complex fertilizer for azaleas, or with complex fertilizer, but it should include the following substances: ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, superphosphate, potassium sulfite.
In winter and autumn, during the period of bud formation, it is necessary to fertilize with superphosphate, diluting it in the following proportion: 15 grams per 10 liters of water.
Loosening
It is worth remembering that it is strictly forbidden to loosen the soil in a pot with an azalea; this plant has a shallow root system and very delicate roots, and their damage leads to plant diseases.

Formation of the azalea crown

This procedure is very important if you want to achieve abundant flowering this beauty. And all because in azaleas flower buds form on the tops of the shoots, usually at the end of the summer, and timely pruning is very important for abundant flowering. With regular pruning, tops are formed, and the more tops, the subsequently more flowers. The main thing is not to forget and not to be late with this procedure, otherwise the flower buds will not have time to form and the flowering will be weak.
The main purpose of shaping pruning is to make the plant beautifully fluffy and with many buds. Pruning must be carried out strictly in time: for early varieties pruning time is March - April, for mid-flowering plants - April - May, and for late bloomers - May - June. The whole pruning procedure consists in shortening all shoots of the previous year and completely removing weak ones or those that are very closely located. published

An azalea in a pot is a real decoration for any home and the pride of a gardener. This charming plant attracts the eye with its lush, blooming pink and scarlet “cap”. Over the course of a century, it has been gaining popularity among florists around the world. Azaleas are grown in open areas in Asia, Japan, Europe and North America. This is a rather capricious and finicky plant, but proper care of the azalea will help decorate the house and achieve long-term flowering.

What kind of azalea flower is this?

This green plant with incomparable flowers in indoor floriculture is gaining great popularity. Azalea is a small bush, no more than 20-25 cm high, with oval, dense, dark green leaves and large white, pink or red flowers.

Caring for azaleas at home is very painstaking and may seem difficult to a novice florist.. The flower is quite demanding in terms of watering, temperature and lighting, but when proper care for an indoor azalea, its owner will be rewarded with generous flowering. If you purchased this plant and want to learn how to properly care for it, you need to master a few important rules. Otherwise, the delicate and capricious flower dies very quickly.

Lighting for azalea

This flower does not tolerate bright sun, so caring for azaleas at home requires proper lighting:

to accommodate potted plant perfect fit window sills on the east side;
if the place for the plant is determined in a stand or on a shelf, then it is better to choose southern rooms, they have more light, which is so necessary for growing azaleas;
azalea is not a light-loving plant, but heavily shaded places are also not suitable for its location, so it is important to find an optimally lit place without scorching sun.

Temperature for azalea

The flower does not tolerate heat. Therefore, window sills under which heating radiators are installed are absolutely not suitable for it. For flowering and normal growth, azaleas need cool. It is undesirable for the air temperature to be above 15 degrees.

In summer, the flower can be transplanted into the garden by choosing a shady place. In order not to damage the root system, experienced gardeners do this without replanting the plant from the pot. True, in order to protect the soil from harmful insects, a nylon stocking is pulled over the pot or wrapped in a fine mesh.

When caring for indoor azaleas, you should remember that in the hot season it does not bloom, and when buds begin to form, it is better to place the azalea in a cool place. The flower is most comfortable at this time at temperatures up to 10 degrees.

Watering an azalea

Experienced gardeners always have settled water or melted snow to care for azaleas. The flower simply needs the soil in the pot to always be moist. Often, for these purposes, snow is placed directly on the ground, which slowly melts and moistens it. It is important not to overfill the water. Otherwise, the roots of the flower may rot.

When caring for azaleas, you should remember other watering rules:

avoid excessive flooding of the soil with water;
use only soft, settled or rainwater;
spray the flower only with a spray bottle with a fine diffuser;
add lemon juice to the water for irrigation (up to 10 drops per bucket);
do not overdry the soil.

Watering is one of the important components of caring for indoor azaleas, so the moisture regime must be taken very seriously.

Air humidity and feeding azaleas

Dry air is harmful to azaleas. You can help the flower tolerate dryness from heating in the apartment by using frequent spraying. But this will not be enough. When growing azaleas, it is important to properly organize the natural soil moisture.

Choose a deeper and wider bottom tray for the pot.

Fill it with drainage. Pebbles or pieces of sphagnum moss will do.

Make sure there is always liquid in the pan. If the water evaporates quickly, top it up more often.

In order for the plant to receive the necessary minerals, you need to use the right feeding. It is hardly possible to find a more capricious flower than the azalea; caring for it at home is not very easy. Therefore, do not experiment by selecting fertilizers yourself, but immediately ask the flower shop for a comprehensive fertilizer for this flower.

In spring and summer, fertilizing is carried out every week. In the autumn-winter period, the plant needs superphosphates, which are applied 1-2 times a month. Insufficiently fertilized soil, as well as improper watering, can cause azaleas to bloom rarely or have no buds at all.

Azalea propagation

Azaleas can be propagated different ways, but it is best to use one that will not raise many questions and is accessible even to a novice gardener - propagation cuttings.

In this matter, the main thing is to choose the right cutting. A shoot that is too young and green will quickly wither in water, while a shoot that is too thick and very woody will take a long time to take root. It's better to choose something in between. It is more effective to propagate azaleas in the spring.

Cut the stalk.
Treat its cut with a growth and root formation stimulator.
Plant in sphagnum peat.
Cover the container with the cutting with polyethylene, or a glass jar.
Spray the seedling with water daily.

For effective rooting of azaleas you need warm climate. At a temperature of 25 degrees and sufficient spraying, the first roots will appear within a few weeks.

Reproduction and cultivation of azaleas seeds- the process is labor-intensive, often ineffective and is mainly used experienced flower growers for breeding new varieties.

If you have an adult, overgrown bush, then it can be propagated by simple division. 3-4 year old plants are suitable for such propagation. You need to divide the bush very carefully so as not to damage the thin, very vulnerable roots of the flower. The separated plant is transplanted into ready soil. If the conditions that you create for the seedling are comfortable, it will quickly take root, and already in the first season those around you will admire the beauty and lush flowering azaleas.