How to Care for Azaleas: Home Care Methods
Today's sharing: How to care for azaleas at home and an introduction to the green plant flower care with these 5 methods is enough, the specific content is as follows:
Azaleas have beautiful shapes and rich colors, and have always been loved by many flower enthusiasts. However, many people say that azaleas are difficult to care for, as they start to turn yellow and drop leaves after flowering, and eventually the whole plant withers. These situations are also basically related to improper daily maintenance methods. Let's talk about the maintenance methods of azaleas, hoping to provide some help for those who love azaleas.
I. Cultivation
The best time to buy azaleas is in autumn when most azaleas have not yet bloomed and are in the growth stage, making it easier for them to adapt after planting. Azaleas prefer acidic soil, and the planting soil is crucial for their later growth. It is difficult to grow azaleas well in ordinary soil. When planting, you can use some mountain soil mixed with manure, or mix leaf mold, sandy soil, garden soil with cake fertilizer and barnyard manure, then plant after mixing well.
II. Watering
Azalea roots are relatively delicate and not very absorbent. Although they like moisture, they should not have waterlogging in the pot, as this can easily cause root rot and lead to yellow leaves and other phenomena. The potting soil should not be too dry either. If there is a lack of water during the flowering period, the petals will become soft, or even the flowers will fall off. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain sufficient water during the flowering period. In summer, with high temperatures and rapid evaporation of water, the plant requires more water, so water should be supplemented in a timely manner to avoid the potting soil becoming too dry.
Azaleas require a high level of humidity throughout their growth. Many enthusiasts fail to care for azaleas because the maintenance environment is too dry, which the plants cannot adapt to, leading to problems. Since the roots of azaleas are delicate and have poor absorption, it is necessary to frequently sprinkle water on the plant and its surroundings to increase the humidity, allowing the plant to absorb some water through its leaves and grow healthily.
How to Care for Azaleas: Home Care Methods
III. Fertilizing
Azaleas are fond of fertilizer and require frequent application of thin fertilizer to meet the plant's nutritional needs for growth and development. In the autumn, when the flower buds are swelling, before the plant blooms, it is necessary to apply phosphorus fertilizer, such as spraying 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves every 10 days, or watering the roots, until flowering stops.
About half a month after the flowers fade, fertilizing should be resumed to replenish nutrients. After flowering, the fertilizer should mainly be nitrogen-based, such as dilute cake fertilizer or 0.2% urea solution, which can promote the growth of new branches. After winter, fertilizing should be reduced or stopped.
IV. Pruning
Azaleas have a low growth habit and start to sprout and grow branches in spring. Many small branches often sprout at the roots, affecting the beauty of the plant and consuming nutrients. These should be cut off in time, as well as dead branches, diseased branches, and long branches to increase ventilation and light penetration. Before the plant blooms, it is also necessary to remove dense flower buds to ensure that nutrients are concentrated, making the flowers large and bright. After flowering, the spent flowers do not fall off easily and should be removed in time to avoid nutrient consumption.
V. Light
Azaleas are semi-shade plants and are afraid of direct sunlight, but they need sufficient light during the growing period to perform photosynthesis and grow healthily. If they lack light, they will have yellow leaves, leggy growth, or even fail to bloom. Therefore, during the care of azaleas, it is beneficial to expose them to diffused light to promote healthy growth.
If you want to make azaleas bloom earlier in winter, you can keep the indoor temperature at 20°C to 25°C and increase the humidity, which will result in beautiful flowers after about a month.
This article shares all the content about how to care for azaleas at home and the introduction to the 5 methods that are enough. Have green plant enthusiasts understood?