Azalea - how to care for an indoor flower at home?

Flowers

Azalea is a perennial, evergreen, beautifully flowering shrub in the Ericaceae family. It's also known as rhododendron, which isn't entirely correct, as azaleas are just a subgenus of this larger genus. However, in gardening, both names are used. A profusely blooming houseplant, azalea, will thrive indoors only if you know how to care for this exotic beauty.

Characteristics of the azalea flower and species diversity

There are over 600 species of azaleas in the wild, but only a few are used in gardens and indoor cultivation. The plant gained popularity due to its profuse blooms in winter, when most flowering plants are dormant. Two species are suitable for indoor cultivation, from which other varieties are developed: the Japanese azalea and the Indian azalea.

Japanese Azalea

This variety isn't often seen in indoor gardening, but it's one of the most beautiful. Shapes, sizes, and colors vary depending on the variety. The coloring is very vibrant, ranging from deep white to bright red. The blooms are so lush that, with proper shaping, the delicate shoots behind the buds are invisible.

The leaves grow up to 3 cm, are green, and have a glossy finish. They have a distinct fragrance. Depending on the variety, these flowers can be frost-hardy, heat-loving, and bloom at different times. This species is very popular in gardening and bonsai art.

Indian Azalea

This species has given rise to almost all indoor hybrids. In nature, it thrives in a very humid climate, which should be taken into account when creating comfortable growing conditions. All Indian varieties share the following characteristics:

woody trunk;
funnel-shaped corollas;
fleshy, elongated, bright green leaves.

The buds come in a wide variety of colors: solid, two-tone, fringed, and double. The flowering period also depends on the variety chosen and can range from December to April. It tolerates both low and high temperatures and can adapt to an apartment climate, but not to the hot, dry air from heating appliances.

Caring for azaleas at home

For a houseplant to be not only beautiful but also bloom profusely, it requires special care. Following these basic guidelines will ensure good growth and abundant blooms.

Lighting

This plant loves the sun, but unshaded south-facing windows pose a risk of leaf burn. However, placing it on this side of the house offers more light in winter. A pot on the east side of the house is ideal. Direct summer sun can be protected by shading with tinted film or other light-colored materials.

In winter, daylight hours are insufficient to meet the plant's needs, so supplemental lighting is recommended. Specialized phytolamps are suitable for this purpose, but their light is unnatural and poorly tolerated (prolonged exposure can cause headaches).

Reflector grow lights are gentler, but have a shorter lifespan and can heat up the leaves. The best supplemental lighting lamps today, which avoid the drawbacks of previous models, are Reflax sodium arc reflector lamps. With 12 hours of daily supplemental lighting, the lamp lasts for 8 months. When choosing an artificial lighting fixture, consider the room's size and familiarize yourself with the specifications of each option.

Temperature and humidity

Azaleas can tolerate fairly high temperatures, so they thrive in apartments. However, their optimal temperature is no higher than 20°C. The wintering period, when temperatures drop from 18 to 8°C, is crucial for azaleas. These conditions are when buds form.

Important!

Hobby gardeners often recommend lowering the temperature by placing the pot in the refrigerator overnight or adding ice to the tray. It's best not to experiment, as azaleas don't like sudden temperature changes, and such stress can cause leaf drop and the plant to die.

The plant loves moisture. It's best to have a humidifier in your apartment; then any additional manipulations will be unnecessary. If you don't have one, you can increase humidity in the following ways:

Wet gravel in a tray. Add gravel to the tray, add water, but don't completely cover the stones. Place the pot on top. The drainage hole in the pot shouldn't touch the water, otherwise the roots will rot. Add water daily and rinse the gravel and tray every two weeks.
Bowls of water on the windowsill. For a more decorative effect, you can use interior fountains.
Watering. Up to 5 times a day. But only when there are no buds or flowers, otherwise they will rot.
Damp gauze. Cover the flower during flowering, especially when the air temperature exceeds comfortable levels.

Watering and fertilizing

It's important to find a happy medium when watering. Don't let the soil dry out, but overwatering is also very harmful. Moderate watering, allowing the top layer of soil to dry slightly, is ideal. The water should be soft. This can be achieved by letting it settle, boiling, filtering, or softening it with citric acid.

Azaleas can be fertilized year-round, except during flowering. Fertilize four times a month in spring and summer, and once a month in fall and winter. The choice of fertilizer depends on the season the plant is in. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are used during the formation and active growth of shoots, as well as after flowering.

During bud formation and to stimulate flowering, choose fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus. It's best to use special azalea fertilizers. If you choose universal fertilizers, be sure to check that they are chlorine-free.

Care during the flowering period

First, you need to create conditions conducive to bud formation, which means a temporary drop in temperature. If you ignore this step, you may never see the plant bloom. The plant blooms once a year; in rare cases, with ideal care, it may produce buds again.

A flowering plant requires specific care: soft water, humid air, bright, indirect light, and the ideal temperature. Fertilizer is only necessary until the buds open. Also, during the budding period, remove all young shoots to prevent the azalea from wasting energy on them. Don't be afraid to move the pot during flowering to ensure even lighting; the plant will tolerate this change well.

Pruning and pinching

Azaleas are pruned and pinched immediately after flowering. This is done both to create a lush bush and to increase the number of buds that will form at the tips of the shoots. Until mid-summer, it's important to regularly pinch out new shoots to encourage them to send out side shoots rather than grow upward.

Pruning is performed less frequently and only on overgrown shoots, as buds may not develop at the cut site for a long time. Pruning should be done with a sterile, sharp instrument, and the cut site should be cleaned afterward.

Preparing for winter

In mid-autumn, partial pruning is performed to rejuvenate the plant. This helps strengthen the plant for winter and ensures lush blooms.

Remember!

2 weeks before pruning, it is necessary to enrich the soil.

Beginning in late autumn, temperatures gradually drop to allow buds to form. The pot should be located so it's protected from heating sources. Mist the plant daily with soft water until buds appear, then water only at the roots.

Diseases and pests of flowers

Azaleas can be affected by the following fungal infections:

Name	Visible manifestations	Preparation for treatment
Fusarium	The plant turns yellow and wilts, and a pink coating can be seen at the base.	Fundazol solution 0.2%
Alternaria	Brown spots of varying sizes	Bordeaux mixture
Septoria	Red and yellow spots with a black center	Fungicides
Late blight	Rot that spreads from the roots up the plant	Fitoverm + to make the soil more breathable
Phyllostictosis	Brown spots or spots with a brown border from which balls containing fungal spores fall out	Alternate Fundazol 0.2% with Topsin-M 0.15%.
Cercospora leaf spot	Brown spots with a red border	Alternate Fundazol with Ditan

Indoor azaleas have a lower risk of contracting the parasite than garden ones, but you can become infected from greenhouse flowers.

It is important to begin treatment immediately after the first symptoms of a pest attack are detected.

Name	Visible manifestations	Preparation for treatment
Spider mite	The leaves are discolored and falling off. If you look closely, you can see a fine web.	Soap solution, Actellic
Asian garden beetle	It eats the leaf, leaving holes or only bare veins.	Diazine
Grooved weevil	It destroys the roots and the plant wilts rapidly.	Karbofos
Azalea moth	Curled leaves that later fall off	Sulfur
Rhododendron bug	Discolored spots, laid eggs on the back of the leaf blade	Diazine

Propagation and transplantation of indoor azaleas at home

Azaleas can be propagated by cuttings, division, and seeds. The latter option is only suitable for experienced azalea growers due to its complexity. Cuttings are the most suitable option for home propagation. By following a simple procedure, you can see the grown plant blooming in just two years:

After flowering, from late spring to late summer, semi-lignified cuttings up to 8 cm long are prepared.
cuttings
The cutting is treated with rooting preparations, for example, Kornevin.
Prepare an acidic substrate and plant the treated cuttings vertically into it to a depth of 2 cm.
Make a greenhouse out of a jar or film, remove it every day for 20 minutes for ventilation, watering or irrigation.
Greenhouse for cuttings
For rooting, good lighting and an air temperature of 25 °C are required.
If all steps are completed correctly, rooting will occur within 1 month.

Propagation by dividing the bush is suitable for flowers that are at least 4 years old. They are carefully separated into two separate plants and potted. This process requires some experience, as the roots are fragile and can be damaged in the process.

Replanting an azalea is not difficult if you follow the rules:

Prepare a bowl of soft water and dissolve the root growth stimulator in it.
Carefully remove the azalea from the pot and immerse it in water along with the root ball for 30 minutes.
Prepare a soil mixture of pine bark, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, sand (preferably river sand), charcoal and acidified soil.
A 3-cm-deep drainage layer is placed in the new pot, which should be 5 cm larger than the old one. A layer of shredded pine bark is placed on top of the drainage layer, followed by a layer of potting soil, which is sprinkled with trichoderma to support the root system.
Carefully remove the plant from the water, wait until most of the water has drained, and transfer it to a new pot.
Add soil and compact it carefully.
Pour over the water remaining after soaking.

Frequently asked questions about growing

How long after purchase can you leave azaleas in the store-bought substrate?

It's best to repot within 14 days. Keep the plant separate from other flowers for the first week to ensure no pests have been brought in from the store. Leaving it longer is undesirable, as the store-bought potting soil won't provide the plant with all the necessary nutrients.

Is it possible to turn on the air conditioner in a room with a flower in summer?

If the air flow isn't directed directly at the plant, this is a good option for creating a comfortable temperature in the summer. However, it's important to remember that air conditioning dries out the air, so you should also pay attention to humidification.

How to water azaleas during flowering?

By any means necessary, but it's important to ensure that the flowers don't come into contact with water. For example, covering them with damp gauze, water fountains near the pot, or damp expanded clay in the tray will work. And the best option is a humidifier.

How to create acidic soil at home?

The pH for azaleas should range from 4.5 to 5.0. To maintain an acidic environment, use sphagnum moss when planting. A quick way to acidify the soil is to water it with citric acid. For example, dilute 2 teaspoons of acid in a bucket of water, or add the juice of one medium lemon to a liter of water. Then use this water for watering. This procedure should be performed no more than once a month.

Although azaleas are a rather capricious plant and bloom only when kept in comfortable conditions, they are very popular among gardeners. This is because the bush's lush blooms, varied shades, and shapes create a stunning decorative effect in interiors. By choosing varieties that bloom at different times, you can enjoy the buds of this most vibrant member of the Rhododendron family all winter long.