Virtually all beginning flower growers are interested in azalea, care at home for a wonderful plant. This flower came to us from a native of Southeast Asia, where there is a completely different mild climate, so you need to have some knowledge to create a comfortable environment for him on the windowsill.
Azaleas - Species
Azaleas belong to the heather family and the genus of rhododendrons. The plant has superficial and fragile roots, and the stem is as powerful as a dwarfish tree. The leaves of the indoor varieties are leathery, small and rough, after the end of the flowering period they fall off. You can not describe azalea without stopping in detail on its beautiful buds. Numerous double soft flowers can be monophonic or bicolour, with petals from white to saturated bright red.
In Europe, the ornamental plant appeared thanks to Dutch sailors, who brought it from the mysterious Japan and China. Previously azaleas were called ornamental deciduous pot flower pots with 5 stamens on a flower, and rhododendrons - mainly street large evergreen shrubs with 10 stamens. Now you can find in the catalogs both names for the same variety, which is not considered a gross mistake. To avoid mistakes, when buying a flower by mail, carefully read its description.
The main types of azaleas:
- Azalea is Japanese. An alternative name is rhododendron stupid. It grows in the form of low shrubs up to 50 cm in height. The pot culture has a small spread.
- Azalea is Indian. An alternative name is the Sims rhododendron. The native land of this variety is the Asian countries. Based on wild bushes of Indian azalea with dwarf growth up to half a meter, most of the cultivars were obtained.
How to care for azalea?
Indoor azalea - a moody flower, care at home for this decorative pot requires attention, time, strict adherence to the basic rules for growing plants. If you simply plant a dwarf rhododendron purchased in the store on a window sill in a warm and dry place, then a tender tree can perish.
How to provide azaleas care at home:
- Proper lighting - this flower feels better in the penumbra.
- For rhododendrons requires high humidity, in the conditions of the apartment you need to make artificial spraying.
- In the care to do on time qualitative and timely watering.
- It is forbidden to loosen soil in pots, tender roots grow on the surface and are easily damaged.
- Temperature - in winter it is necessary to keep the pot in a cool environment at 10-14 ° C, in the summer it should not rise above 18 ° C.
- Soil - in the care of rhododendrons, it is better to use acidic soil with the indices of about 4-4.5 pH.
- In order to constantly beautiful flowering pleased you beautiful azalea, care at home should necessarily consist of regular feeding, preferably for this purpose to purchase special formulations for rhododendrons.
How to transplant azalea at home?
A young pot should be transferred to a new pot every year, old flowers are transplanted every two or three years. A common mistake is the violation of the structure of the earth coma. In the case, how correctly to transplant the azalea, it is better to preserve its integrity and confine itself to the addition of a nutrient substrate. In connection with the surface root system, you can not buy deep containers for rhododendrons, using low decorative pots in the room.
Azalea - reproduction at home
Seed method of reproduction is used mainly by professional florists, lovers can recommend vegetative methods that are easier to implement and give high results. In the problem of how to multiply azalea , it is good to use semi-extruded cuttings up to 8 cm long. Good rooting is obtained from the beginning of spring to June in acidic coniferous soil. To obtain the greenhouse effect, the process is carried out in greenhouses or under glass banks at a temperature of 25 ° C. Another effective method of reproduction is the root division of a powerful bush by the age of 3 years.
How to cut azalea?
Questions about how to trim azalea after flowering and in what time periods to produce this process, worry all beginner florists. Early varieties form in March-April, and late ones - from May to June. It is necessary to shorten last year's twigs and cut out all unnecessary shoots. For trimming young shrubs grown from the handle, the trunk is plucked at a height of up to 12 cm from the soil surface. A growing vase needs to be rotated around the axis for uniform illumination of the crown.
A soil for azaleas
Soil for room azaleas is best suited with soil acidity around pH 4.5. At home, optimal conditions are created by mixing coniferous land (2 parts), peat (1 part) and a small fraction of river sand. If the necessary components of the house can not be found, then amateurs can purchase a ready-made substrate for rhododendrons or other flowers that are grown in acidic soil.
How to water azalea?
Regular watering azaleas in care is desirable to produce thawed or rainwater, acidified with citric acid. To obtain the desired solution, a couple of crystals of acid in a liter of a stationary and warmed to room temperature liquid are diluted. Strong waterlogging or dryness leads to the death of the plant, in the autumn period the frequency of watering should be reduced. To moisten the earthy coma in a hot summer season, the pot with azalea is put in pails with water.
Why does not azalea blossom?
People who care about plants at home are often concerned about the problem of why azaleas do not bloom. Rhododendron is capricious and sensitive to any change in environmental conditions. For these room vases it is necessary to create an artificial wintering on a balcony or loggia with a temperature of 8-10 ° C and a simultaneous reduction of watering for laying blossoming buds. When buds appear, we raise the temperature to 12-16 ° C. The second main condition for normal flowering azaleas is the use of acid soil and special acidic fertilizers in the care.
Diseases of the azalea
Symptoms of different ailments may differ, in each case, you should carefully consider the flower and establish the exact cause of the inhibition of growth. In the care of azalea diseases and pests is often affected. In this case, it will be able to discard the leaves or stop flowering, the infected vases have obscure stains on the leaves. Against insects and fungi use folk remedies or special preparations. At home, it is recommended to use biofungicides and bioinsecticides, which are harmless to humans, but have a good healing effect.
The main pests of azalea:
- azalium mole;
- greenhouse whitefly;
- mealy worm ;
- strawberry mite;
- a spider mite ;
- rhododendron bug.
The main diseases of azalea:
- fusariosis;
- gray rot ;
- powdery mildew ;
- rust;
- verticellosis;
- alternaria;
- chlorosis;
- necrosis.