Azalea in a pot , bought in a flower shop, is a cousin of Japanese azaleas that grow in the ground. Her place, however, is at home. You cannot relocate it permanently to the garden with impunity, because it will not survive the winter. This does not mean that her life is to end with the last flowers blooming. You can have it for many years, you just need to meet a few conditions. See whatcare for azaleas in a pot looks like , what this plant needs for he althy growth,how to care for azaleas after floweringand how to makethe azalea in a pot has bloomed againThese are all the secrets to growing potted azaleas!
Azalea in a pot
Azalea in a pot - watering and fertilizing
Like the popular garden azaleas,the azalea in a pot should always have moisture at the rootsJust try to forget it, you will immediately see wilting flowers and sagging leaves. If you immerse the root ball together with the pot in a bucket of water in time, the plant will regain its elasticity. Until it's flowering, you can also dip the leaves briefly, or sprinkle them as often as possible. On the other hand, flowers do not like direct contact with water, their petals stick together and lose their color. Similarly to the flowers of azaleas and rhododendrons in the garden after rain.
Water forwatering azaleas in a potmust be soft, and therefore boiled, because azalea, like all heather plants, always requires acidic soil. In a pot with little soil, the pH of the substrate can change very quickly.You must take care that the soil is acidic, its pH should be kept in the range of 3.5-4.5 pH. You will ensure it by using a suitable substrate during transplanting.
Propersubstrate for azaleas in a potis acid garden peat mixed with sand and compound fertilizer, e.g. Azofoska with ammonium sulphate, which strongly acidifies the soil. Be careful not to overfeed! Only 1 g of fertilizer is enough for a liter of substrate, which is a small pinch.Ready-made azalea soil available in gardening stores will also be a good solution. When using such soil, we do not need to add anything to it.
Potted azalea
Fig. depositphotos.com
Potted azalea is a small plantthat produces lots of sumptuous flowers and keeps thick leaves year-round, so it must have enough nourishment. Interestingly, these beautiful potted plants with ornamental flowers needto be intensively fertilized after floweringbecause then they are very weakened.Potted azalea should be fertilized 5-6 times at 10-day intervals with a multi-component liquid fertilizer dissolved in watering water, such as, for example, Florovit. It is even better to apply specializedazalea fertilizer , giving 2-3 g of fertilizer per liter of water.
Azalea in a pot - care after flowering
Once the azalea in the pot has finished bloomingone more treatment is very important. You should remove any faded flowers, just break them off with your fingers.
Azalea in a pot - over-blooming flowers must be removed on an ongoing basis so that they do not weaken the plant
Then you can also trim the protruding or extending branches that spoil the shape of the potted azalea bush. If the bush is stripped at the bottom, you can easily shorten all the twigs.After such a cut, the azalea in the potwill look like a misfortune, but it should not bother you, because you have to move it to a cooler place, e.g.on the porch or in a cold room. From the second half of May to October, it can stand in a semi-shaded place in the garden.
Azalea in a pot - after flowering, shorten all twigs by about 1/3 or even half. Thanks to this, the bush will thicken
Then she needs to be moved home again, but not immediately to a warm room, but to a porch, porch, etc., where the temperature is between 5 and 12 ° C. Let it stay there until the flower buds are formed. When you see swollen buds,move the azalea pot to a warmer placeTemperature just 18 ° C. Until he opens the flowers, sprinkle the leaves, because he likes moisture in the air, and always take care of systematic watering of the soil in the pot. However, don't overdo watering, as moisture does not necessarily mean that the soil is wet. Too wet soil can rot the root system, which is not difficult to do, because azalea has small, delicate roots.You have to find a middle ground, which is not too dry and not too wet. During the dormant period, i.e. after flowering, water the azalea less often, but do not dry it.
Potted azalea care in brief :
- azalea stands in the room in winter and pleases you with flowers
- after flowering, take out to cool (5-12 ° C), prune, fertilize several times every 10 days
- at the end of May you take out to the garden, to the penumbra
- at the turn of September and October you bring home, again to the porch, where it is cool
- in December or January, move to your room and wait for flowers
Remember!Azalea flowers do not like direct contact with water - wet petals stick together and lose their color. Therefore, the flowering plant should not be sprayed.
Lucyna Grabowska
