How to care for azaleas after blooming
Main content introduction: How to care for azaleas after blooming and detailed knowledge of proper post-blooming care methods for azaleas, specifics as follows:
Azaleas are traditional famous flowers in China, with a rich variety of species, lush foliage, green leaves, bright flowers, elegant and graceful without losing the elegant temperament, thus deeply loved by numerous flower enthusiasts. Most azaleas bloom in spring, and by May, the flowering period is over. After the azalea flowers fade, quickly do three things to help the plant recover its vitality as soon as possible, and there will be more flowers next time.
1. Trim the spent flowers
After the flowering period of azaleas, the first thing we should do is trim the spent flowers. Although the flowers of azaleas have withered, if they are left on the branches, they will produce seeds. Producing seeds consumes a lot of nutrients from the plant, making it weaker and more difficult to survive the summer. Trimming the spent flowers after the flowering period can reduce nutrient consumption, promote new bud growth, and quickly make the azalea strong.
When trimming the spent flowers, remember to trim the leaves of the azaleas as well. The bottom of azaleas often has yellowing old leaves, which should be trimmed clean. Observe the overall plant shape, cut off the overly thin and weak branches, and trim some of the crossed and dense branches to make the branches sparse and dense. Ensuring the overall plant shape is neat and breathable can reduce the chances of diseases and pests in the high summer temperatures.
2. Repot and change the soil
The roots of azaleas are as thin as a hair, fine and dense, and they require high-quality soil. Normally, the soil should be changed once a year. Azaleas need to consume a lot of nutrients to develop flower buds. If the azaleas at home have not been repotted for more than a year, the nutrients in the soil have been depleted, so it's best to repot and change the soil as soon as possible.
How to care for azaleas after blooming
Azaleas have very high soil requirements, preferring loose, fertile, humus-rich acidic soil. Never dig some yellow soil from the roadside and use it for planting, as improper soil use may cause the plant to die. Use humus-rich leaf mold soil and mix it with some perlite, coarse river sand, and other granular materials, and add some decomposed cow or sheep dung, soybean cake fertilizer, or other organic fertilizers as a base fertilizer. Lazy gardeners can buy nutrient-rich soil directly from the flower market.
3. Adjust acidity
Azaleas are typical southern flowers, preferring slightly acidic soil environments. Most households use tap water to water flowers, and the disinfectant in tap water is alkaline, which can gradually alkalize the soil, making it hard and compacted. Azaleas cannot grow properly in alkaline soil and may show yellowing leaves over time.
You can adjust the soil acidity by using acidic flower medicines and regularly applying ferrous sulfate to the soil. To prevent soil alkalization, take an appropriate amount of ferrous sulfate, dilute it with water to a concentration of 1:1000 (the ratio may vary depending on the manufacturer, follow the instructions on the label), and water the azalea potting soil with the solution once a month.
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