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Potted Azleas, with their vibrantly colored flowers and dark shiny leaves that stay all year round, can brighten even the dullest winter days.
The winter months are when they are often found on sale in supermarkets and florist shops throughout the country, usually along with poinsettias.
However, can these azaleas that belong to the genus Rhododendron simsii withstand the rigors of houseplants for the long term? What is the best time to expect they will bloom again?
If a gorgeous, beautiful plant that is covered in shiny foil was presented to you by a relative as an unexpected gift, you may be considering these questions, particularly in the event that the plant was wrapped in a pot made of shiny foil. In this article, we’ll address each of your questions and concerns.
A vertically-oriented close-up of flowering azaleas from florists, often referred to as Rhododendron simsii, which are growing in an outdoor pot with dark pink. The text is printed in green and white on the upper and lower parts of the frame, respectively.
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Consumption of azaleas may cause severe toxicity, so remember this before we begin. If you have pets or children in your household, keep these plants away from their reach, and search for alternatives that aren’t harmful as an alternative.
Azaleas are perennial flowers which belong to the Rhododendron genus and the family Ericaceae, commonly referred to as the heath family. Blueberries are also part of the Ericaceae family.
This article will concentrate on evergreen cultivars as well as varieties that are part of R. simsii because these are the varieties that belong to R. simsii that are commonly used as houseplants and also as gifts around the time of the winter holiday. If they are grown inside, they usually have a width and height that can reach 18 inches at their largest.
A close-up horizontal photo with dark-green leaves from Rhododendron simsii and the stunning pink blooms that are Rhododendron simsii.
In their natural habitats, the species’ plants can grow to heights of as high as six feet and a width of as much as three feet. The species is native to specific regions of the eastern region of Asia.
Despite their being evergreen, however, the structure of the leaves on the shrubs is distinctive. There are two leaf types: the ones that appear in the spring are smaller and thicker and are approximately 2 inches in length.
The leaves turn yellow, and they fall off in autumn. However, not until the summer leaves are emerging that are thicker and smaller. The old leaves stay in the tree all winter, and it is only when the new leaves have appeared in spring that they eventually fall off.
The majority of flowers are white, pink, purple, or salmon-colored. Single flowers are each adorned with a pistil with five petals and between five and 10 stamens. They can also be single, semi-double, or double-flowered, meaning that some or all stamens change into petals. Single-flowered flowers tend to be the most popular kind.
They thrive when planted in soil with an acidity range of 4.5 to 6.0. If they are grown indoors, they require an unending supply of bright, indirect light for eight hours every day. In particular, when they are blooming, they are most successful when they are kept at temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Read our guide if you want more information on azaleas or are interested in learning how to plant them in your garden.
Azaleas are usually planted as house plants with their short lifespan, just like mums in autumn and poinsettias in winter. They are available at florists and supermarkets. Through carefully controlled growth conditions, they are enticed into blooming in the winter months.
It’s a huge shock for your plant’s system to be brought into your house, which has dramatically different temperatures as well as humidity conditions than the greenhouse in which it was propagated. The holiday shrubs are cultivated in a greenhouse under highly controlled conditions.
A vertical, close-up shot of some azalea potted which are on display in an indoor greenhouse in an outdoor nursery.
When the flowers have faded, the plants are usually taken away because it is believed that it is difficult to maintain their health and difficult to get them flowering again. If they’re treated with the right attention, they’ll keep blossoming and flourishing for years.
Furthermore, they are easy to reproduce by making use of cuttings. This means that you can grow new plants that will fill your house and also share them with your loved ones.
Propagation
The process of taking cuttings from softwood is the most common method florists, gardeners, and other cultivators in the commercial sector utilize to reproduce the azaleas of florists. Other techniques include layering and grafting.
The method will be described in depth because it is able to be done easily and quickly from the comforts of one’s home. It is essential to be aware that these plants may also be propagated by the seedlings’ planting (although hybrid varieties do not develop in the same way as their parent plants), by grafting, and by tip layering.
Cuttings made from softwood
If the plant is undergoing new stem growth in spring, this is a great time to harvest cuttings. This is the time to cut the stems. Begin by collecting all the necessary items.
A potting mix consisting of equal parts perlite and peat moss, or a mix consisting of two peat moss parts and one perlite part.
A bottle with a nozzle for spraying that is full of water.
Shears are used to trim.
Powdered hormones that root, like this one manufactured by Bonide and Bonide, are available from Arbico Organics.
A heat mat like the one sold at Home Depot
containers or cups made of transparent plastic with drainage holes that are drilled into the bottom of each (one cups or containers per cut you’re planning to make).
Domes to measure humidity measure seven inches wide and can be bought from The Home Depot.
After the containers are full of the pot mix Give them a splash of water.
Find a new branch with an ethereal hue and select the one you like. Cut the branch between three and six inches from the bottom using the pruners you sterilized previously.
Get rid of all the leaves on the lower part of your cut. Cut off the bark on the lower part of the cutting by using pruning scissors or sharp knives, and then cover it with root-inducing powder prior to transplanting it.
It is possible that you’ll first need to mist the area that was shaved in order for it to remain.
Place one slice of the potting materials that are included, and repeat the process in each container. Set the cups in a group on the heated mat, and then spray the soil using the misting bottle, an apparatus similar to the one offered by Terrain, and then cover the soil with a dome of humidity.
Mister Haws’ Plant Care
It is important to ensure your mat has been set in an area exposed to at least six hours of indirect light per day.
If you maintain the seedlings at the proper temperature and regularly water them, you will be able to watch the growth of the roots within four to eight weeks. At this stage, you are able to move the seedlings into a bigger container.
Select a container that has drainage holes of between eight and ten inches in size. After you’ve dug a hole as wide and in depth as your root ball in your cutting, fill in the hole with potter’s mix.
Take the cut that is rooted carefully from the container in which it was originally placed, making sure not to damage the soil. Place it inside the pot that has been prepared ahead of time.
When you place the pot in a location in which it will receive at least six hours of bright indirect sunlight each day, fill it with the potting mixture and fill it well.
How to Develop
If you first take the azalea the florist brought home from the shop, don’t hurry to put it in its new home. Remove any decorative foil or wrap that might have been placed on the outside of the plant, as it could block drainage.
A horizontal close-up image of the Rhododendron simsii with stunning pink flowers that are growing in a pot, set on small white tables near an open window. The image is in a horizontal layout.
Set it up in an area with indirect, bright sunlight and that is between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit all the time. It is recommended to avoid placing it next to doors, heating vents, or other areas which are often opened and closed and in areas which experience significant temperature fluctuations.
The plant should be watered every couple of days. However, it is recommended to allow the top inch of the mix to dry between each soak. It is not recommended to dampen the leaves. Also, make sure that you do not let the soil become completely dry, since this is one of the main reasons why azaleas die in flower shops.
It is recommended to water your plants with rainwater or distilled water rather than municipal water, as public water tends to be too alkaline, especially when you live in an area with hard water.
Most of the time, it is peat moss that is the only other option used in the pot, along with the florist’s azaleas purchased from a store.
If you don’t keep peat moss watered for only a few days, it’s got the possibility of rapidly drying out. If the leaves of your plant start dropping off while the medium gives the feel of sand that is dry and bone dry, then you must soak the entire plant, including the pot, for 15 minutes in a pot of water that is tepid. Your azalea should be able to come back to life if you put the pot in the sink so that any extra water can evaporate.
A vertical view of an azalea covered in white flowers that are growing in a pot placed on a windowsill in the florist’s shop.
To ensure an environment that is humid around the plant, put the pot in a tray made of plastic, add pebbles to the tray, and water the stones every day. This will help keep the soil surrounding the plant humid.
The plant will continue to grow in the pot it was purchased in until the flowers fade, which usually happens within a few weeks of purchase.
If the flowers stop blooming and the plant is no longer blooming, you can move your plant to a larger container with drainage holes. It is best to do it as quickly as you can. Pick a pot that is at least two sizes bigger than the container the plants were growing in when they were first established.
Azaleas thrive in soil with a pH range from 4.5 to 6.0 and is moderately acidic.
A vertical view of a pot of soil from the coast of Maine designed for plants that thrive in acidic soil, separated against a white background.
Potting Soil from the Coast of Maine
If you are repotting azaleas, it is advised to buy pots that are specifically designed for azaleas. A product made by Coast of Maine and sold at Home Depot is an example of a product like this.
When the plant stops producing flowers, you can fertilize it at least once every two weeks with the mixture designed for plants that love acid and apply it according to the directions provided on the label.
A close-up and intimate view of the label that is square for this Dr. Earth Acid Lovers fertilizer, framed against a clean white background.
Fertilizer developed by Dr. Earth for Acid Lovers
This organic fertilizer by Dr. Earth, which can be bought through Home Depot, is the one I am using the most.
Tips for Growing
You should ensure that there is plenty of indirect, bright sunlight.
It is recommended to water the plant every few days or more often when necessary, and be careful to ensure that the top inch of soil doesn’t turn dry.
When the plant is growing, however, not when it’s blooming, feed it with an acid-loving product. plants.
To keep the air around the plant humid and moist Place the pots in a tray that is packed with water and pebbles.
The Act of Pruning and Maintaining
The azaleas of florists don’t require a lot of pruning. They can be removed from any diseased, dead, damaged or damaged branches of your plants, as well as deadheading blooms, so as to encourage your plant to create new flowers.
A vertical view of a pink-flowered azalea which grows in a pot inside.
If you wish to preserve the shape of the plant, which is rounded after the bloom has finished and the plant appears unruly, feel free to remove any branches that are errant with the use of a clean pair of pruning shears if you like. If your plant is looking like it’s a mess after the blooms have popped, Pruning should not be at least a third of the branches in one go or even smaller than that.
They require a cooling time of approximately two months with temperatures that range between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit prior to when they can bloom. Commercial growers can do this by controlling the conditions of the plants so that they bloom in time for the holidays.
You can achieve the same effect by placing your plants in the cellar, or any other place that is cool and dark. At this point, it is recommended to cut down on the quantity of water you give the soil, but you should not let it get completely dry.
After the plant is exposed to decreased temperatures for two months, you’ll have to move it to an area that has temperatures that are between 65 and 60 degrees in order for the flower buds to grow.
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