If you want to become the owner of the most luxurious indoor flower, then the azalea will be worth your attention, which is famous for its luxurious and abundant flowering. But it often happens that after purchasing a flower, after some time it begins to die. The fact is that azalea is a very whimsical and capricious plant that needs special care. If you want a flower to delight you with lush and unusual flowers, then you have to create ideal conditions for it.
Fastidious beauty indoor azalea: how to care for it at home photo
This name is given to a certain group of plants belonging to the genus Rhododendron from the Heather family (Ericaceae). At the moment, the flower belongs to a separate genus called Azalea.
Indoor rhododendron
The azalea, or rhododendron as it is often called, is one of the unique and incredible indoor plants. She won the love of those around her thanks to her lush inflorescences, capable of awakening spring even on the coldest winter evening. Although some are afraid to have her because of her capricious nature.
Azalea or alpine rose is a small, rich green bush strewn with many bright flowers.
There are many different types of azalea inflorescences, among which there are: simple and double, corrugated or fringed.
In addition, this small bush can be decorated with a wide color palette: pink, white, red, purple shades of flowers. And also mixed colors, or changing into each other. Depending on the flowering period, there are both early and late flowering plants.
Is azalea a flower or a tree?
azalea tree
The dwarf flowering bush is an evergreen plant native to China and Japan. It is also found in southern Europe and North America.
"Azalea" translated from the original Greek means dry. It received such an unusual name because of its appearance, since it is basically a small dry shrub.
In Russia, this plant began to spread at the beginning of the 20th century. The first places where one could find such an unusual flower were botanical gardens and greenhouses.
" Rose tree " why such a name? Yes, because rhododendron from Greek is divided into two parts: “rhodon” means rose, and “dendron” means a simple tree.
In the East, azalea is considered a symbol of peace and joy. In addition, in eastern countries beautiful bonsai are created from such an unusual plant. As a rule, to create bonsai compositions, samples of these varieties are selected: Rhododendron impediteum and Rhododendron indicum
Crops for the garden
Of the several hundred species of Azaleas, only a few varieties are suitable for growing in the garden. Gardeners' favorites are hybrid varieties belonging to the Pontic or Japanese azalea.
Pontic
“Pontine azalea” (A. pontica) or “Yellow Rhododendron” is the most interesting species for Russian gardeners. A shrub with a height of 1-2 m and the same diameter. The color of small flowers depends on the variety: white, sunny yellow, red, pink, orange. Flowering begins in early summer, with buds opening before the leaves appear or at the same time as them. The green, oblong-lanceolate leaves turn orange, red or yellow in the fall. The garden plant overwinters quietly in open ground at temperatures down to -30°C.
Kinds
Nowadays there are many different domestic varieties, which originated from two main species.
- Indian azalea, Sims rhododendron or as it is also called Simsi azalea (Latin name Rhododendron simsii)
The shoots of this species are covered with small bristles. The flowers are funnel-shaped and their circumference does not exceed 3.5 cm. The colors of the inflorescences can consist of two shades or be decorated with small specks.
- Japanese azalea or obtuse rhododendron (Latin name Rhododedron obtusum)
This type of plant has shiny leaves and funnel-shaped flowers with a diameter of no more than 3 cm. It has the status of the national flower of Japan, not falling behind sakura in its popularity. Quite often used in Japanese compositional gardens.
The most popular varieties of indoor rhododendron
- Albert Elizabeth, a double flower with large buds having white or slightly pink petals with a bright edging around the edge.
- Eri - seems to be an early variety. Indoor representatives have not very double, but rather large flowers. The flower petals are of the most delicate pink tone along the edges, and with prominent white spots that have a slightly irregular shape.
- Paul Sheme is a medium early or early variety. The indoor representative has flowers of a piercing salmon color, of average size. Corrugated petals edged with a white stripe.
- Madame Jean Peters - the plant has a rich pink tint in double flowers. The pink tone becomes deeper towards the wavy edge.
- Adventsglopen is a tall plant, but suitable for growing indoors with beautiful dark emerald lance-shaped, leathery leaves. The flowers are bell-shaped, non-double, dark pink with a slightly crimson splash.
- Verveniana mitterfuch is a mid-early variety. Azaleas with giant inflorescences, sometimes semi-double and sometimes double. The petals have an uneven pink coating. The core has crimson and white specks.
- Flamenco variety of indoor azalea with extravagant lilac inflorescences.
- Concinna is a mid-early variety, the pet will be spreading and tall. The existing leaves are small in size, not bright, slightly dim (reddish hairs protrude on the upper and lower areas of the leaf blade). Young leaves are silvery. The inflorescences are open and round in shape, non-double, lilac or pale lilac in color.
- Snowflake, its name warns of its color - these are snow-white abundant inflorescences that almost completely cover the plant.
- Niobe is a late-flowering variety. The specimen is tall with miniature, hairless, far-spreading emerald leaves. White double flowers with an intriguing greenish tint.
- Celestina is a late flowering subspecies. This azalea is rather not compact, with branches spreading in different directions, and can be either short or medium-sized. The leaves are small and covered with fluff, dark and dense green in color. Unusual rich carmine multiple buds.
Variety of indoor flowers
- Unusual:
- Knap Hill.
- Golden Eagle.
- Madame Jolie.
- Melina.
- Albert Elizabeth.
- Alba.
- Stella Maris.
- Czardas.
- Satan.
- Azurro.
- Koichiro Wada.
- Easy to care for:
- Rhododendron is stupid.
- Watercolor.
- Indian azalea.
- Azalea Silver Slipper.
- Azalia Xardas.
- Japanese azalea.
- Expensive:
- Czardas.
- Anneke Cecile.
- Difficult to care for:
- Celestine.
- Niobe.
- Saxon star.
- Kontsinna.
- Rare:
- Chanel.
- Satomi.
- Furwerk.
- Persil.
Caring for azaleas at home
Azalea flower
In our houses and apartments, the climatic conditions are not at all suitable for azaleas. The fact is that the ideal weather for an unusual bush, from the end of November to the very end of January, is warm, slightly foggy autumn days.
The plant requires a temperature of +10 to +12°C, and sometimes in the presence of high air humidity, a night temperature not exceeding +6 to +8°C is sufficient for rhododendron.
In special greenhouses, maintaining ideal conditions for a flower is not difficult, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about our apartments.
A flower installed close to a radiator begins to suffer from a chronic lack of moisture; a beautiful and lush flower, which was just recently blooming, turns into a dried out, dying bush before our eyes.
How to properly care for azaleas at home
But, even despite their vagaries in care, many indoor gardeners give their preference to azaleas.
If you provide proper care, you will certainly be able to enjoy the original flower in your apartment. And it is possible, and even desirable, to admire such beauty during flowering not only on your own, but also in the company of close friends.
Let us repeat that indoor rhododendron is a very capricious creature. In order for this plant to delight you with its inflorescences, it will need decent care, which is described below.
What should the lighting be like?
Once you have become the owner of the most beautiful flower, you need to find the most suitable place for it. Azalea is a light-loving plant, but strong sunlight can kill it.
This is the reason that the most suitable place for this plant will be the east, north or west side of the building. Do not forget that the light should not be direct, so the flower needs diffused rays or slightly shaded areas.
From October to November, buds begin to form on the plant, so you need to provide it with sufficient light. For this, fluorescent lamps are suitable, which can be used to periodically illuminate the azalea.
The most suitable temperature for indoor rhododendron
For a flower to survive in an apartment, it will need a positive temperature, varying from 10 to 14 degrees during the daytime, and from 6 to 8 degrees at night with high humidity.
This mode is most suitable for warm, slightly foggy autumn. If you follow all the necessary rules for caring for the plant, it will grow well even at a temperature of 18°C. The most dangerous time of year for azaleas is summer, because the sweltering heat can quickly kill it. A balcony will help the flower survive at this time , provided that it is not located on the south side. You can also save the plant using an air conditioner, setting its temperature no higher than 20°C.
Proper watering is the key to successful growth and beautiful flowering
In order to grow a flower at home, you need to follow some rules for watering it.
- Timely watering is important, especially at the moment when the plant begins to bloom.
- It is very harmful to water your pet with cold tap water. Before watering, let the water settle and warm slightly to room temperature.
- The soil should not be allowed to dry out, as this flower loves constant moisture. If the soil in the pot is dry, fill a basin with some warm water and place the flower in it for a couple of hours. This will allow the rhododendron to absorb as much moisture as it needs.
- Frequent and excessive watering is also harmful. If water stagnates in the pan, be sure to pour it out, which will avoid rotting of the soil.
- Before watering, chlorinated water must be left for at least two days. Cool melt water is also suitable for moistening the soil.
- To increase the splendor of azalea flowering, it is allowed to add a few drops of lemon juice to the water no more than 2 times a month. The most ideal water for irrigation is rain, river or melt water.
For rhododendron it is very important that the air humidity is high. An azalea growing in an apartment suffers from dry air during the heating season. To prevent the plant from dying, be sure to regularly spray it with settled water.
Do I need to fertilize a houseplant?
There are special fertilizers for azaleas, which are ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfite, ammonium sulfate and superphosphate, used once a week in spring and summer.
In winter and autumn, when buds appear, you need to dilute superphosphate with water in a ratio of 15 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.
Azaleas differ from most plants in that they prefer to grow in acidic soil.
When choosing a soil, you should choose the following options.
- Heather soil is most suitable for azalea growth.
- Peat soil is no less suitable.
- You can create the soil yourself, using 2 parts of a coniferous mixture and one part of peat soil, adding a little river sand to the resulting soil.
- Also, the plant will do well in soil purchased from special stores and sold for acidophilic plants.
When and how to prune an azalea
If you want the plant to grow and develop properly, you need to trim unnecessary shoots at a certain time, as well as pinch some of its stems. As a rule, pruning of the plant should begin in early May.
Remember, the splendor of the bush determines how many flowers it will produce. The more foliage you leave, the fewer buds will form.
Be sure to remove all weak and elongated leaves.
All last year's stems must also be shortened.
Thanks to pruning, you can form a healthy and luxurious bush. In order to prune the plant, you need to stock up on sharp pruning shears, wiping it with alcohol in advance. To prevent infection from entering wounds.
How to care for an azalea in a pot and form a beautiful crown
The crown of an azalea can be in the form of a small tree or bush.
Azalea bonsai
- If you want to form a tree, then you need to find the straightest and strongest branch from a small bush. It will serve as the future trunk, on which all other shoots should be removed.
In order to maintain the evenness of the trunk, it is necessary to tie it to some kind of support, not forgetting to regularly rotate it around its own axis.
Once the length of the shoot reaches the size most suitable for you, you need to pinch its top, which will allow the tree to begin to produce branches. In the future, you need to regularly turn the growing tree and pinch the side branches in a timely manner. This will allow you to form a crown on the azalea like a tree.
- If you want to make a bush, then you need to pinch the cuttings, stepping back from the ground about 10-12 cm. The upper parts of the side branches also need to be pinched, not forgetting to turn the plant, which will allow it to be not a one-sided, but evenly developing bush.
Transplanting a plant
After the beauty has bloomed for the first time, it is recommended to replant it.
The azalea root system is quite superficial, so it needs to be replanted in a low pot. Also, its roots are very delicate, so you should not loosen the soil around the bush . This was the reason why this type of plant is not replanted, but transshipped.
Do not disturb the earthen ball under any circumstances or try to clear the root system of old soil.
You need to add fresh soil to the container where you will replant the bush. In order for a young azalea to grow and develop well, it must be replanted once a year, carrying out the procedure in the spring. An adult azalea requires replanting once every 2 or 3 years.
Reproduction of azaleas, what methods exist
There are several completely different ways in which you can grow this plant:
- Seminal
- Cuttings
- Dividing the bush
- Vaccination method
Growing azaleas from seeds
This is a rather complex process that requires serious effort. It is most often used by flower growers to breed new exotic varieties.
Propagation by cuttings
As a rule, indoor rhododendron or azalea are bred in this way .
The most suitable period is summer. To do this, you will need semi-lignified cuttings that have buds. They must be planted in the ground, covered with a glass jar or bag. Do not forget to water and spray the cuttings generously. Do not allow flower buds to appear on it.
It will take about 2 months for the cutting to take root. At this moment it must be transplanted into a previously prepared container. To form the required type of crown, pinch the elongated trunks.
Cuttings of azaleas in summer video review:
Dividing the bush
As a rule, it is used only if the azalea bush is at least 3-4 years old. The plant is divided into several parts, taking into account the fragility and tenderness of the root system, which is very easy to damage.
Graft
It is impossible to use this method of reproduction at home.
It is used only by professional flower growers. More often, this method is used to combine several different varieties on one master sample.
The resulting result is a stunning success, since inflorescences of different shades will appear on such an azalea, and even on one bud there is a visible mixture of color.
Basically, such examples of the art of breeders can be observed at various exhibitions and presentations.
Lighting
The main feature of Azalea lighting is due to the fact that it does not like heat. In its natural environment, it thrives in shady places where there is enough light, but where direct sunlight simply cannot penetrate.
Azalea loves light, but can't stand heat
Therefore, it is desirable to recreate the same conditions in an artificial environment.
- It is necessary to find a place where there will be enough light, but where the sun will either not look at all, or only hit in the morning or evening hours.
- The same can be said about those situations when Azalea is taken out into the open air. For example, at the dacha, the plant can be left in a shaded place under the trees in the garden, where the aggressive midday sun will not reach.
- At the same time, Azalea will not have enough light in October-November, when the buds of future flowers are set. Then you can’t do without fluorescent lamps.
We can say that Azalea is demanding in terms of lighting and is most capricious in this aspect. Therefore, finding a suitable place can be problematic, but it must be done.
Choosing a place to put it
Azalea on a table in the back of the room
When the question of choosing a place for Azalea arises, the intensity of sunlight should be put first, and only then the temperature.
The flower will feel good on windowsills where there is little sun. For example, windows facing west or east would be an ideal option. Usually the rays of the rising or setting sun cannot harm the delicate leaves of the plant.
You'll also have to think about temperature. It is true that even a slight discomfort that an Azalea will experience due to too high or too low a temperature will definitely lead to less than ideal and less long-lasting blooms.
Therefore, it is better to give preference to well-ventilated, shady rooms. It is very good if there is air conditioning in the room.
The balcony is also well suited for this heat-loving flower. But only if it does not face the south side.
Azalea on the windowsill
What does it look like in the interior?
Azalea belongs to the genus Rhododendron, which literally translates as “rose tree”. This is the distinctive feature of Azaleas - bright flowers of pink or red.
Externally, this plant is a neat bush that rarely exceeds 50 centimeters in height. Because Azaleas have very small leaves, they are almost invisible when the flowers bloom, occupying most of the plant's volume.
Undoubtedly, Azaleas will decorate a balcony or a not very hot window sill, because during their flowering season, when there is snow outside, they will remind you of the imminent approach of the long-awaited spring.
What can rhododendron suffer from, and what pests can attack it?
This type of plant is quite susceptible to attack by a wide variety of pests, among which it is worth noting:
- Azalea moth
An unusual pest that damages azalea leaves, after which they begin to dry out and soon crumble. Adult pests move onto healthy leaves, forcing them to curl into tubes, where they can continue to grow until they are dealt with.
- Greenhouse whitefly.
It also attacks foliage, leaving sugary secretions on it, where the sooty fungus lives. This pest can carry some diseases that are dangerous to many indoor plants.
- Greenhouse aphid.
Aphids live in large groups, so if they attack a plant, most of the leaves on the bush are curled. In addition, due to this pest, the development and growth of the plant may be delayed.
- Greenhouse thrips.
If a plant is attacked by this parasite, then all its leaves will be covered with brown spots or black dots.
- Strawberry mite.
It is the most dangerous pest capable of attacking this flower. Only the leaves that appear are not even, but take on the appearance of a boat. Not just a few large healthy buds appear on the plant, but many small ones. Leads to a slowdown in plant growth and subsequently to its death.
- Flat red tick.
It can damage both cuttings and queen cells, as well as adult plant bushes. Leads to browning, wilting and shedding of leaves.
The most common way to combat any parasites is to wipe the leaves with a soapy sponge, as well as treat them with solutions designed to combat certain pests.
These plants, like no other, are susceptible to some kind of illness.
Diseases can be:
- powdery mildew
- chamois rot
- rust
- fusarium, etc.
In order to deal with them, you need to purchase the appropriate preparations and treat the azalea with them, according to the recommendations.
Problems during cultivation
If you do not care for the azalea flower, there is a high probability of the following negative consequences:
- Withering of the leaf mass, its yellowing and falling . The source of the problem is a lack of moisture in the soil and sunlight. It can be solved by properly organizing irrigation and placing it on a windowsill with sufficient illumination during the day.
- The appearance of rust and gray rot on a flower . Control methods: pruning the affected parts of the plant, maintaining a comfortable air temperature in the room.
- Yellowing and falling of flowers. The cause of this disease is the use of poor quality water. It is possible to restore the plant by using boiled water with the addition of a nutrient composition.
- Development of late blight. This dangerous disease appears in excessively wet soil. It is extremely difficult to treat a flower, but most often it dies.
Improper care can also lead to azalea infection with spider mites, strawberry mites and scale insects. To get rid of harmful insects, you should first treat with a soap solution, and then spray with Actellik or other effective means.
White azalea is a truly unique and luxurious plant. To maintain its high decorative qualities, it is enough to adhere to basic care recommendations.
How to choose a healthy plant
When you decide to buy yourself an azalea, be sure to choose a medium-sized plant. The fact is that it is very difficult for larger flowers to take root in a new place, but small azaleas may die due to lack of strength. Inspect all the leaves to make sure the plant is healthy.
We offer simple methods for rejecting unsuitable plants:
- When buying an azalea, pay attention to the presence of unopened buds; if there are many unopened buds, then long flowering and joy are guaranteed.
- Dried leaves indicate a negative phenomenon - overdrying of the indoor pet. The survival rate of such a specimen is quite low!
- When azaleas have very large and dark foliage, one can immediately suspect that hormonal fertilizing was used. It is better to refuse this offer.
- When lightly shaken, the leaves should not fall off. This is also a bad sign.
- If you find that there are traces of cobwebs, any stains or insects on it, then you should postpone the purchase until you find a healthy azalea.
Top dressing
, which have already proven themselves well, are suitable for feeding They are created specifically for azaleas. And they need to be fed with the fertilizers that are needed specifically for a particular species. If these are not at hand, then it is better to postpone this process until later.
Important! You should always check the expiration date of the fertilizer so as not to harm the plant. Otherwise, all this can cause irreparable harm to the indoor flower.
