.COM.ORGFlowering room azaleas can not be overlooked. One of the most beautiful home plants affects both the number of simultaneously opening buds and the variety of colors. Yes, and azalea room bloom in the darkest time of the year - in winter, when there is so little sun and bright colors. But because of improper care at home, azaleas often disappoint owners. Together, regular flowering plants lose their leaves and dry out.
In order for the azalea to fully reveal its natural character and decorate the house for many years, it needs comfortable conditions for growth and attention.
Under room conditions, two types of azaleas are most often grown: Indian and Japanese. Both species stand out from the extensive genus of rhododendrons:
- in compactness and small size;
- slow growth;
- abundant flowering and richness of shades.
If among numerous varieties of room azaleas, if you select several with different flowering periods, a cloud of bright flowers will float above the window sill from November to May.
Conditions for keeping room azaleas
For a good feeling at home, the culture needs to be maintained:
- bright but diffused light;
- abundant watering;
- looseness and acidity level of the substrate;
- low air temperature in the room where the pot with azalea.
The optimum humidity is 70–80%.When taking care of an azalea flower, a plant cannot be left in dry air for a long time, otherwise it will shed its leaves and slow down its development. The same problems are caused by an excess of light and its lack.
The compliance with these conditions indoors determines how abundant the following flowering will be:
- In the autumn and winter, when the flower buds are set, indoor azaleas require an air temperature of 6–8 ° C.At the same time, the pots are left in a lit place, but watered very limited.
- In the spring, with the appearance of buds, watering is resumed at the same volume, and azaleas are transferred to a room with a temperature of 12–16 ° C.If the room is warmer, even with proper care for azaleas in a pot, flowering plants can be seriously reduced.
- In the summer months, the culture feels best at a temperature of 20–22 ° C, and indoor azaleas easily tolerate staying on the balcony, loggias and in the garden if you protect plants from direct sunlight.
Excessively high temperature and dry air triggers an attack on azaleas of the spider mite and other insect pests. When kept in a garden, take care of plants from scutes, aphids and leafworms.
Watering and irrigating room azaleas
Azaleas growing in rooms are very sensitive to irrigation. During flowering and active growth of the soil under the plants should not dry out. Since both garden and pot varieties of this crop prefer a sour substrate, they cannot be watered with tap water. Moisture or defend, or filtered.
Periodically acidified with citric, ascorbic acid, table vinegar or lemon juice.0.3–0.4 grams of acid is added to a liter of water. It is not necessary to abuse this method, while caring for azaleas in room conditions on young shoots and leaves, the owner may notice pinkish-purple spots, and from the bottom the green will dry and turn yellow.
If water leaks into the sump during watering, it must be drained to avoid rotting of the roots. This is especially important when the air temperature drops in the autumn-winter period.
A hot time or with heating on, azaleas are irrigated with clean settled water. During flowering, this procedure is carried out very carefully, trying not to fall on the flowers and buds, as stains and stains remain on the delicate petals.
Top dressing for room azaleas
In the spring, but the beginning of flowering, and then after the flowers wither, you need not only the usual care for azaleas at home, but also a complex top dressing. For these purposes, suitable specialized fertilizer for rhododendrons and azaleas.
- To stimulate bud formation and flowering in spring, room azaleas are fertilized with compounds with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium.
- When the flowers fall, and the growth of shoots begins, in the care of azaleas in the pot include nitrogen fertilizers.
In order to spend the winter on the plant prepared, feeding of azaleas is stopped in mid-September. Especially it concerns the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers, stimulating the formation of foliage and new shoots.
Video about azaleas at home, about the care and cultivation of plants will replenish the baggage of theoretical knowledge of the grower and help to understand the features of agricultural technology.
Pruning and pinching azaleas for care in room conditions
The end of flowering in azaleas coincides with the onset of the emergence of new and the growth of old shoots. In order to keep the bush in room conditions compact and pleased with flowers next spring, the plants need to be cut in time.
Pruning bushes, in the care of azaleas, as in the photo, include from mid-May. At this time, weak, excessively lengthened or old shoots are to be removed. Azalea buds appear on the processes of annuals, so the new strong growth is left, and the rest of the shoots at least pinch to cause branching and bookmark flower buds.
Indoor azaleas can be shaped and maintained with care and trimming, and are used to create bonsai and compositions with other ornamental cultures.2-3 weeks after pruning, the shrub is covered with new foliage.
Planting and caring for azaleas
As they grow, the bushes are transplanted. Young plants are transferred to a new larger tank annually, and then, 3-4 years later, transplantation is carried out as needed.
Indoor azaleas have a superficial root system, so the pots, which have a greater depth, are best for the plant. Capacity is chosen with the calculation of mandatory drainage with a thickness of at least 3 cm.
The best soil for room azaleas is a mixture of two parts of rotted steamed needles of one part of peat. Fertile humus, sand and crushed sphagnum are added to the loose substrate. Before planting, the ground is sterilized to prevent contamination of plants with nematodes, mealy worms and harmful fungi.
The drainage layer is best made from shards of ceramics or expanded clay with the addition of pieces of pine or spruce bark. The latter component is especially important when planting and caring for azaleas. It provides constant acidification of the soil. But the limestone can not be used, because because of it the soil changes its reaction. Ideally, the soil acidity should be 3.0–5.0 units.
When transplanting as part of azalea flower care, it is important that the root collar remains above ground level. After backfilling, it is slightly compacted, moistened, and, if necessary, filled up. The best time for transplanting is the end of winter, when the plant does not yet show signs of growth, or after the completion of mass flowering.
If the flower has not completely bloomed before transferring to a new pot, it is better to cut the buds so that they do not weaken the injured plant without it.
Propagation of azaleas at home.
Indoor azaleas can not only be maintained in a flourishing state, but also propagated. It is quite simple to do this:
- during transplantation, dividing the adult bush;
- in the summer, semi-lumber cuttings cut from the tops of the shoots.
A large plant is divided so that each of the young azaleas has a viable root system. Sections of large shoots are treated with a small amount of garden pitch. The roots are useful to powder powdered charcoal and growth stimulant. Planting and caring for azaleas in this case has no peculiarities, except that it is better to prune the bush so that it will take root faster.
Rooting cuttings are carried out from May to September. The apical parts of faded shoots 10–15 cm long with several developed leaves are added dropwise to a loose, acidic substrate and kept in a greenhouse at 25 ° C.The formation of the roots of azaleas in the room is not quick. By transplanting into a separate container, such a plant will be ready only in a few months, and the first flowers will open next year.
