Azalea is a very beautiful plant, during flowering it is covered with many delicious flowers. However, this babe is very capricious and fastidious in terms of care. It may seem too difficult for novice growers to provide the necessary conditions for it. And without this, azalea will not survive, as it was with the first attempts at its domestication in the distant 19th century.
And yet azalea is in great demand among lovers of domestic plant growing. Just need to know some features and subtleties about how to care for azalea. Then you will succeed, and you can enjoy the beauty of the flower at a time when most other plants are dormant.
How correctly to look after azalea?
First of all, you need to provide it with the correct temperature regime. It is especially difficult with this in the summer, since azalea does not tolerate a temperature above + 15..18ºС. If the room is hotter, the flower will discard the leaves and begin to dry out.
To create the necessary temperature conditions for azalea, you can resort to some tricks. For example, put a pot of ice cubes on it and periodically sprinkle it and water it with cool water.
The lower temperature limit for azalea is + 5 ° C, so you can place it on the loggia or the closed balcony until a serious cooling occurs. It is during the period from October to December that the flower buds are planted. During winter flowering, it is best to put a pot of azalea on the north or west window and monitor the temperature. Optimal for abundant flowering is a temperature of + 16-17 ° C.
Another important issue related to how to care for the azalea flower is its correct lighting. The fact is that the plant loves bright lighting, while it does not tolerate direct sunlight that burns its leaves.
To provide the plant with suitable lighting conditions, it is necessary to expose it to the eastern, western or northern window sill. And in the winter, when there is little sunlight, it is necessary to add additional fluorescent lights .
As for watering, it needs to be done regularly, since in the homeland of azalea the climate is rather humid. The earth in the pot should always be moistened (not wet). In this case, you need to comply with this rule: the lower the temperature in the room, the less it is necessary to water the flower, and vice versa. If the soil is completely dry, you need to place the pot in a container of water for 2-3 hours. After such a procedure, you can return to normal watering mode again after three days.
If the weather is hot and sunny, azalea should be sprayed from time to time and watering up to 2 times a day. In this case, tap water is not recommended. It must first be boiled and allowed to settle. And the best water for azalea irrigation is thawed, rainy or distilled.
A home-grown azalea flower loves acidic soil, and one who knows all about how to care for a flower periodically pours it with a solution of citric acid. It is prepared in the calculation of 1 tsp. for two liters of water. Feed azalea every 2 weeks with a complex mineral fertilizer .
How to take care of azalea in the street?
Azalea grows beautifully in the open ground if it provides all the necessary conditions. The plant is a perennial plant, and in winter it tolerates freezing up to -27ºС.
In the summer, the same care is similar to what is described above for indoor growth: a lot of light, but without direct sunlight, landing in a loose and acidic soil, good drainage, regular watering. It is very good to plant the soil around the flower with needles, moss or peat after planting.