How to care for azaleas in a home setting
Main content introduction: Learn about the knowledge of caring for azaleas at home and the small tricks for maintaining them, keep reading!
Azaleas bloom beautifully, and they are considered festive flowers during the New Year, with a large number of them being sold in the market. Many people enjoy growing them, buying new ones each year. However, after they finish blooming, the entire plant often starts to have problems and eventually dies, leaving behind piles of empty pots. In fact, caring for azaleas is very simple. If you're a beginner and struggling to keep them alive, you need to adjust some factors. By doing these three points, their leaves will remain lush and green, their roots will grow stronger, and they will bloom year after year.
1. Use small pots
When buying azaleas from the market or online, you'll usually get plants in small pots. When cultivating them at home, avoid using large pots. Azaleas have a lot of fine roots and their root system is not deep. Using deep or large pots can easily cause waterlogging and root rot. They enjoy moisture but are very susceptible to waterlogging. Therefore, it's best to use smaller, shorter pots for cultivation. The soil should have good ventilation and water permeability. You can add more granules like river sand or cinders to the soil to ensure its ventilation and water permeability. Using decomposed leaf soil as a substitute will keep the soil well-aerated and water-permeable without lacking nutrients, and it's less likely to cause root rot, making it easier to grow indoors without issues.
2. Humidity
Those who have cared for azaleas know that they thrive in high humidity. If the indoor environment is dry, you'll notice the leaves of the azalea gradually drying from the edges inward. Insufficient humidity is the main reason for this situation. You need to properly increase the air humidity, but when growing indoors, always ensure good ventilation. Poor ventilation combined with high humidity can easily cause blackened and rotting leaves, as well as root rot. Therefore, azaleas should be grown in a well-ventilated environment. Increasing humidity is simple. If the ventilation is good, you can directly spray water on the plant twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, which can effectively increase air humidity.
If the ventilation is slightly poor, you can find a basin or a large saucer, about twice the size of the pot, add water to it, place a brick inside, and then set the pot on the brick. Add water to the saucer, ensuring that the water level does not exceed the brick. Through sunlight and temperature, the water in the saucer will evaporate and rise, adhering to the underside of the leaves, which can supplement humidity. This way, the air humidity is maintained, and your azalea will not have issues and can grow well.
How to care for azaleas at home
3. Appropriate sunlight
If you are growing azaleas indoors, no sunlight is not an option because their leaves need photosynthesis and require ample sunlight. Many hobbyists keep them in a dim environment, which is not suitable. When growing azaleas, provide about 70% shade in the summer, and allow them to get as much light as possible in other seasons. Place them in a well-lit area. With sufficient light and adequate water, they will not develop dry leaves and will grow well. Their leaves will be darker and thicker.
In fact, caring for azaleas is not difficult. The problems often arise from not doing these three points well. The most critical factor is humidity. Control humidity, provide sufficient light, ensure the soil's ventilation, use smaller pots, and water appropriately. Generally, when the soil surface is dry, water thoroughly. Azaleas are acid-loving plants. If you are in the north, you should regularly supplement acidity, such as iron sulfate, once a month to prevent the new leaves from turning yellow. This way, your azaleas will bloom continuously year after year.
The above content shares the full details on how to care for azaleas at home and the tips for maintaining them. I hope it helps you, and I also hope everyone visits GreenPlantEnthusiast.com for more plant care experience and knowledge!